A textbook is a map of the language. A student's own material is the road they actually walk. Use their emails, their reports, their news. The words become real.
Ask for one real text
Ask the student to bring something from work or life.
Bring one email you wrote this week. No private information.
Read it together
Find three good things and one thing to change.
"Could you send..." is polite and clear. This sentence is long.
Use it for speaking
Ask questions about the text.
Why did you write this? What answer do you need?
Turn it into a model
Make a sentence bank from their own writing.
I am writing about... Could you confirm... Thank you for your email.
Keep it private
Delete files after the lesson, unless the student says you can keep them.
Words to remember
- material — the things you use to learn
- private — for one person only
- confirm — to say something is fixed
- model — an example to follow
Questions & answers
Q: What if the student brings nothing?
Use a short news story, or ask them to describe their morning.
Q: Is this better than a textbook?
For work English, often yes. For grammar, a book still helps.
Q: How do I protect privacy?
Ask permission, and delete documents after use.
Q: What if the writing is very weak?
Choose one sentence to rebuild together. Do not rewrite the whole text.
Q: Can I use social media posts?
Only with permission, and only for language. Never share them.