3. Teacher-Developed/Adapted/Made Materials
To cater as many existing needs and to meet the learning objectives in the EFL classroom, teachers are often urged to adapt and develop materials based on the available ones, or make their own. Of course, this is not an easy thing to do. Good teacher-made materials are arguably the best there are: relevant and personalized, answering the needs of the learners in a way no other materials can. The teacher-developed/adapted/made materials can be in the form of course notes, lesson units, or handouts.
Furthermore, Ur (1996:193) gives some guidelines for teacher-made materials that they should:
- be neat: clean, with level lines of neat writing, clear margins, different components well spaced;
- begin with short and clear instructions (if appropriate, in the learners' mother tongue), usually including an example;
- be clear and attractive to look at: have a balanced and varied layout, using underlining and other forms of emphasis to draw attention to significant items; possibly using color and graphic illustration;
- be clearly do-able by the learners on their own;
- (optionally) include a self-check facility.
To cater as many existing needs and to meet the learning objectives in the EFL classroom, teachers are often urged to adapt and develop materials based on the available ones, or make their own. Of course, this is not an easy thing to do. Good teacher-made materials are arguably the best there are: relevant and personalized, answering the needs of the learners in a way no other materials can. The teacher-developed/adapted/made materials can be in the form of course notes, lesson units, or handouts.
Furthermore, Ur (1996:193) gives some guidelines for teacher-made materials that they should:
- be neat: clean, with level lines of neat writing, clear margins, different components well spaced;
- begin with short and clear instructions (if appropriate, in the learners' mother tongue), usually including an example;
- be clear and attractive to look at: have a balanced and varied layout, using underlining and other forms of emphasis to draw attention to significant items; possibly using color and graphic illustration;
- be clearly do-able by the learners on their own;
- (optionally) include a self-check facility.