The authors focus on classroom practice, particularly in the adult academic or pre-academic ESL classroom. As an overview, it succeeds admirably, touching on most of the issues that concern active ESL teachers. My teacher trainees responded especially well to the section on teacher roles. The text, however, has more breadth than depth. Chapters and sections alike are short.
Many sections are only two or three sentences long, giving the reader a rushed, breathless feeling.
In spite of the authors' impressive research records, they provide few details on the research results that led them to develop this approach. The skills chapters are particularly thin, with much material repeated. I found the chapter on language development particularly frustrating. The descriptions of competing theories are not thorough enough to give readers a clear understanding of the concepts involved. I used the text last year for an undergraduate teacher training class.