The authors designed Campus Talk to “help learners develop effective speaking skills and strategies for communicating successfully in their everyday social life, both on and off campus” (p. xiii). Did they accomplish this task? Our answer is a unanimous and enthusiastic yes. These two volumes can be particularly useful not only for English language learners who plan to pursue their studies in predominantly English-speaking universities but also for international teaching or research assistants whose goals are to enhance their level of English speaking proficiency, improve their ability to maintain meaningful communication in academic or nonacademic contexts, or communicate their ideas in a pragmatically appropriate manner. Teachers working with upper-to intermediate-level learners of English who need increased confidence in speaking or in successfully communicating their intended meaning will find the two-volume Campus Talk insightful, as it offers plentiful authentic and real-world communication practice activities.
- Iroda Saydazimova, Westminster International University in Tashkent & Ulugbek Nurmukhamedov, Northeastern Illinois University, TESOL Journal