Newspapers, menus, magazines, the Internet, TV programs, movies, CDs, songs, brochures, comics, literature (novels, poems and short stories), catalogues, leaflets, tickets, postcards, bills, receipts, wrappings, recipes, business cards, and labels.
Advantages:
- Students are exposed to real language. - There is factual acquisition from most of them. - Textbooks do not include inaccurate language. - Authentic materials may be inspirational for some students. - One piece of text may be used for various activities and tasks. - There is a wide choice of styles, genres and formality in authentic texts. - They can motivate students to read for pleasure. Disadvantages: - Authentic texts may be difficult to understand because of a culture gap. - The vocabulary may be not exactly what the students need. - They are rather difficult for beginners. - Preparation of the texts and activities is often demanding and time consuming. - There are many various accents and dialects in listenings. - The materials become outdated quickly (news). Why do We Use Materials/What are Materials for?
Language instruction has five important components--students, a teacher, materials, teaching methods, and evaluation. Why are materials important in language instruction? What do materials do in language instruction? Can we teach English without a textbook? Allwright (1990) argues that materials should teach students to learn, that they should be resource books for ideas and activities for instruction/learning, and that they should give teachers rationales for what they do. From Allwright's point of view, textbooks are too inflexible to be used directly as instructional material. O'Neill (1990), in contrast, argues that materials may be suitable for students' needs, even if they are not designed specifically for them, that textbooks make it possible for students to review and prepare their lessons, that textbooks are efficient in terms of time and money, and that textbooks can and should allow for adaptation and improvization. Allwright emphasizes that materials control learning and teaching. O'Neill emphasizes that they help learning and teaching. It is true that in many cases teachers and students rely heavily on textbooks, and textbooks determine the components and methods of learning, that is, they control the content, methods, and procedures of learning. Students learn what is presented in the textbook, and the way the textbook presents material is the way students learn it. The educational philosophy of the textbook will influence the class and the learning process. Therefore, in many cases, materials are the center of instruction and one of the most important influences on what goes on in the classroom. Theoretically, experienced teachers can teach English without a textbook. However, it is not easy to do it all the time, though they may do it sometimes. Many teachers do not have enough time to make supplementary materials, so they just follow the textbook. Textbooks therefore take on a very important role in language classes, and it is important to select a good textbook. The Role of Materials Since the end of 1970s, there has been a movement to make learners rather than teachers the center of language learning. According to this approach to teaching, learners are more important than teachers, materials, curriculum, methods, or evaluation. As a matter of fact, curriculum, materials, teaching methods, and evaluation should all be designed for learners and their needs. It is the teacher's responsibility to check to see whether all of the elements of the learning process are working well for learners and to adapt them if they are not. In other words, learners should be the center of instruction and learning. The curriculum is a statement of the goals of learning, the methods of learning, etc. The role of teachers is to help learners to learn. Teachers have to follow the curriculum and provide, make, or choose materials. They may adapt, supplement, and elaborate on those materials and also monitor the progress and needs of the students and finally evaluate students. Materials include textbooks, video and audio tapes, computer software, and visual aids. They influence the content and the procedures of learning. The choice of deductive vs inductive learning, the role of memorization, the use of creativity and problem solving, production vs. reception, and the order in which materials are presented are all influenced by the materials. Technology, such as OHP, slides, video and audio tape recorders, video cameras, and computers, supports instruction/learning . Evaluations (tests, etc.) can be used to assign grades, check learning, give feedback to students, and improve instruction by giving feedback to the teacher. Though students should be the center of instruction, in many cases, teachers and students rely on materials, and the materials become the center of instruction. Since many teachers are busy and do not have the time or inclination to prepare extra materials, textbooks and other commercially produced materials are very important in language instruction. Therefore, it is important for teachers to know how to choose the best material for instruction, how to make supplementary materials for the class, and how to adapt materials. How Can We Learn About Materials? There are various ways to get information about textbooks and other teaching materials. Many materials are published by publishers and developed and distributed by commercial companies. Thus, publishers are useful (if not entirely unbiased) sources of information and advice about what materials are available and what materials are appropriate for various purposes. Many publishers provide sample copies on request. Bookstores that carry textbooks are another possible source of information. Clerks at such bookstores may help you find the materials you want. In addition, publishers' displays at conferences are useful. They usually have the most recent materials, exhibitors are willing to help you and answer your questions, and in some cases, you will have opportunities to meet and talk with the authors. Colleagues and friends who are teachers are also good sources of recommendations of textbooks and advice about how to best use them. Finally, there is information from computer mailing lists and web pages on the Internet. Lists on language teaching often have discussions on materials, and you can ask questions and may get good feedback. Many publishers have www pages and e-mail addresses, so you can check with them and also ask questions about the materials. How do We Get Materials? In addition to publishers, there are many possible sources of materials. There is a lot of material available on the Internet. You can search for materials when you have free time, and store them for your future classes. Many teachers go abroad during vacations these days, and they can collect materials in English-speaking countries. TV and radio are good sources. They provide a variety of materials. The information is current and the language is natural, but the content has to be chosen carefully. Newspapers, magazines, advertisements, and other types of printed material are very useful. Teachers can take photos, make video tapes or record audio tapes. If they make plans before they go overseas, they may be able to make good video or audio programs. Even in your home country, you can browse the world wide web and search for useful materials for classes. There are lots of sources of materials and photos on www. In general, EFL materials have twin functions: (1) EFL materials offer information and data about English, the social context and culture within which communication takes place and derives much of its meaning and value. In this sense, EFL materials need to be authentic in terms of communication and to the world outside the classroom; (2) EFL materials promote learning. They fulfil this in the way they offer activities and tasks which challenge the competence of the learners. In this sense, the EFL materials should be: (a) based on the students' needs and world, (b) challenging that is having the right level of difficulty and within the students' reach (in terms of the students' knowledge and experience), (c) reflecting the real life use of the language (authentic), (d) highly interesting, (e) novel, meaningful, useful, and (f) introducing both spoken and written standard form.
For specific purposes, EFL material functions (1) to teach English to students of non-English department, e.g. job seekers, professionals (engineer, technicians, pilots, doctors, tourism practitioners, etc); (2) to teach English on a special subject, not about the subject; (3) to teach certain forms used in the special subject. Most, if not all, EFL teachers use a textbook or course book. Some may use one textbook only and follow every step in the textbook slavishly; others may use several different books, adapting them where necessary and supplementing them with their own materials. Thus, according to Rasyid (1992:2-3), EFL materials (textbooks) may serve different functions to the teachers, depending upon how the teachers treat them. 1. The textbook as a master Wright (1987:96) states that if a teacher teaches 'through' the materials, problems may occur with a textbook as the master: (1) the learning objectives are the textbook's, (2) there is little room for improvisation, and (3) teacher and learner roles may well be predetermined and contrary to expectations. 2. The textbook as a servant If the teacher, as Wright further states, teaches 'with' the materials, with a textbook as servant, then he is freer to improvise and adapt the course of lessons to the needs of the learners. Teachers and learners can also generate new content from within and from outside the materials, and concentrate on interpersonal relationships in the class. 3. The textbook as an end If the teacher teaches 'through' materials, starting from the first unit to the next, and believes that the goals set in the textbook are the things that the students have to learn, the textbook becomes an end. The teacher will then feel relieved, and think that his task is over if he has taught through the textbook. 4. The textbook as resources The materials in the English textbooks usually offer information and data about English and in particular about the social context and the culture within with communication take place and drive much of its meaning and value. The textbooks can fulfill this if they contain authentic materials. 5. The textbook as teaching aids The materials in the textbook may have a role to promote learning and language learning in particular. The textbook fulfils this role in the way the materials offer activities, tasks, and exercises which challenge the competence of the learners. 6. The textbook as the syllabus A textbook may be written following the order of syllabus items of a particular course. Many English textbooks for secondary schools in Indonesia, for example, in the same order of the national syllabus items (structural syllabus). On the one hand the textbooks relieve the secondary school teachers of English from the pressure of having to think of materials for every class. On the other hand, the teachers might slavishly follow the prescribed procedures in the textbook which involve a rigid sequence that is the same format from one unit to the next. This is of course not motivating, as it leaves no room for variation. For EFL Learners: 1. The textbook as a self-tutor An English textbook may function as a self-tutor to students. For Example, most course materials for the Open University are designed in such a way that the students can learn the materials and assess themselves. 2. The textbook as the learning aids The learners learn through the materials for the EFL textbook, starting from the first unit to the next, under or without the teacher's instruction. They were told to learn by all means the contents of the textbook, hoping to have a good achievement at the end. Nowadays, students can learn English in many different ways since professors have access to new and more innovative technologies. For instance, teachers are not more stick to blackboards for teaching and presenting the subject matter to the learners because they can use new technological resources, as video projector and power point presentations. In fact, teacher can show the topic in very catching and interesting ways to the learners. The main problem that professors have to face is the lacking of technology in most of the national educational centers. As a result, good teachers have to be prepared to teach using technological resources, but also to teach without them.
The use of videos and audios in the class is a way to control the students’ and catch their attention. The use of the TV on classroom for watching videos is more common that some years ago, but showing videos from internet gives better results on learners’ learning process. Griffin states that, “teachers had effectively used video during the course of an academic year. And most teachers were using it frequently - on average, once per week.” Moreover, videos can mean a strong bound to the target language since professor can transmit accents and lots of vocabulary through them. Also, videos and audios are accurate for teaching English because students can learn from different social, political, and economical situations. As a result, they help to the professor to develop students’ pronunciation and listening skills. The blackboard is one of the oldest means to teach and to show information, but it is still working in many educational centers despite its monotony it is very useful in the classroom. It is very criticized by the most and very appreciated by less. In fact, teachers have to learn how to manage boards in a correct way since they can be boring but ironically they are the most popular resource in elementary schools and high schools. It can be the best professor’s alley in the teaching process the only point is that he has to avoid to over using it. Internet is becoming the most common tool in the English teaching-learning process because it is an interactive tool for teaching. Nowadays, it is very popular the distance education, people can get different kinds of degrees through internet. According to Moore and Kearsley (1996) “the fundamental concept of distance education is simple enough: Students an teacher are separated by distance and sometimes by time.” For this reason, this kind of education is useful for people who work and do not have enough time to go to the university’s campus. In fact, students can access to blogs and chats in order to get their classes. Moreover, videoconferences are used as ways to transmit important information to online learners. Internet is changing all the concept of teaching learning, but the main problem is that not all teachers and students have access to this tool. Language labs are very useful to teach English but the main problem is that they are expensive. In fact, most of the schools use tape recorders for playing audios samples. It is sad because students cannot develop their listening skills in the way that it is supposed to be. Teachers have to be creative and develop alternatives ways in order to surpass this problem. For instance, professor can use karaoke during class, they can give to the learners the song’s lyric and play it using the tape recorder, in this way students can perform listening and speaking skills. Teachers have to find alternative and catching ways to teach listening skills. PowerPoint presentations are a recent form in which teachers can present information to their students. They are easy to handle and create; the main problem with them is that students and professors need computers and video projector for presenting. If there is no power or the electronic devices get broken the process is interrupted. For this reason, teacher have to have a plan b, and it is recommendable that if he uses a technological resource in a plan a, applies a pre-technological resource in plan b, and vice versa. In this way teachers can overcome any problem during the leaning-teaching process. 1. Why do we evaluate materials? We carry out systematic evaluations of materials currently in use in order to find out to what degree and why they (do not) facilitate language learning so that we can identify the popular and successful features of existing materials, which will help us to produce better materials. We evaluate existing materials with a view to choosing suitable materials for language programmes. We evaluate the materials that we have already chosen or that have been chosen for us so that we can adapt the materials in order to make them better suit the needs of the students and the needs of teaching. We also evaluate the materials produced by ourselves so that necessary revision can be made. 2. Principles in materials evaluation There are two principles in materials evaluation: effectiveness and efficiency (Ellis 1998 in Tomlinson 1998). Effectiveness principle: Is a course book effective in meeting the needs of the learners? To answer this question, the evaluator needs to compare what the learners knew and were able to do before they used the course book with what they know and are able to do after they have used the book. Efficiency principle: Does a course book meet the needs of the learners more effectively than some alternative course books? To investigate efficiency, it is necessary to compare the learning gains evidenced by using one course book with the gains evidenced by another course book. |