CHOOSING A TEXT BOOK AND OTHER PRINTED MATERIALS

By teacher. Elicia Barton  

This activity is one of the most important tasks for the foreign language teacher at any level. In the elementary school the process is more difficult because there are few text series from which to choose. A number of programs that are still available were written in 1960s that do not reflect the insights about communication and language acquisition since then. Other materials have been developed for specific purposes and are not completely transferrable to the elementary school foreign language classroom. Spanish materials from bilingual education are designed for children who already speak Spanish, and who function in Spanish –speaking environment.

Many elementary school foreign language programs develop a curriculum that is not dependent on the use of a text series but is extremely difficult to maintain a well-articulated local curriculum over a long period of time without reference to a professionally developed text series.

As the interest in elementary school foreign language programs continues to grow, are producing textbook materials to add to the small number of contemporary elementary school foreign language text series already develop for the American market, many will be welcome resources that can provide a useful core for the elementary school foreign language program.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL

It is very important to distinguish the characteristics and learning needs of young adolescent. Middle school philosophy permeates curriculum and planning for students in grades five through eight, integrated learning has begun to replace classic textbook-driven instructions. In the middle school it has been common practice to choose foreign language materials designed for high school students.

Even when a satisfactory text series is available, it represents only a starting point for the curriculum .supplementary materials and activities chosen or devised by the teacher respond to the interest and needs of children in each specific school setting.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER PRINTED MATERIAL

As elementary and middle school foreign language teacher evaluate text series or curriculum materials developed in other districts,  the following are recommended for the screening process:

·         Goals

·         Communication

·         Culture

·         Subject Content and Thinking Skills

·         Bias

·         Flexibility

·         Physical Characteristics

·         Support Materials and,

·         Budget.

Goals: are the goals of the program or authors clearly stated?

 Are they compatible with the local program goals?

Do the materials reflect authentic use of language?

Communication: Does communication rather than grammar serve as the organizing principle?

Do the materials provide opportunities for meaningful, purposeful language use?

Are the materials designed to develop a solid oral language base upon which o build reading and writing skills?

Culture: Is culture integrated into the program materials?

Do the materials promote an appreciation of the value and richness of cultural diversity?

     Subject Content and Thinking Skills: Is there provision for the teaching of grade-appropriate subject content in the target language?

Are the materials conducive to the development of higher order thinking skills, and not restricted to rote learning?

Bias: Are the illustrations and text free of racial, gender, and cultural influence? 

        

Flexibility: Do the materials provide options for a variety of students learning styles like visual, auditory, and kinesthetic?

Physical Characteristics: Are student materials visually oriented and colorful?

Are the materials durable?

Are the photographs and other pictures clearly linked to the printed material?

Support Materials: Is there a teacher´s manual guide with abundant suggestions for the teacher? Does the teacher receive adequate guidance in the use of the materials?

Budget: Are the materials affordable?

AUTHENTIC MATERIALS AND CULTURAL CONTENT IN EFL CLASSROOMS

According to Ferit Kilickaya, the use of authentic materials in an EFL classroom is what many teachers involved in foreign language teaching have discussed in recent years. We have learn that he English presented in the classroom should be authentic, not produced for instructional purposes, this means that materials which involve language naturally occurring as communication in native- speakers contexts of use, or rather those selected contexts where standard English is the norm: real magazine articles, real advertisement s, cooking recipes, horoscopes. Most of the teacher s around the world agrees that authentic text or materials are beneficial to the language learning process.

Many authors have their own definition of the meaning of authentic materials because they are slightly different in literature, but they agree upon the exposure to real language and its use in its own community. Some define it as appropriate in terms of goals, objectives and learner needs, some as materials which are designed for native speakers; they are real text, designed not for language students, but what is most important is that authentic materials is significant because it increases students motivation for learning. The main advantages of using authentic materials are:

·         They have positive effect on learning motivation.

·         They provide authentic cultural information.

·         They provide exposure to real language.

·         They relate more closely to learners’ needs.

·         They support a more creative approach to learning.

According to another author (Richards) authentic materials often contain difficult language, unneeded vocabulary items and complex language structures, which causes burden for the teacher in lower-level classes.

The use of authentic materials are better effective at post –intermediate level, the use of authentic materials is available for use in classroom, because at this level, most students master a wide range of vocabulary in the target language and all of the structures.

TO OVERCOME DIFFICULTIES

Some others like ( Martinez) suggest that teaches may use authentic materials for the learners to listen to the gist of the information presented and also he adds that by using authentic materials teachers will have the opportunities to encourage students to read for pleasure especially certain  topics of their need or interest.

CULTURAL CONTENT

Culture in English language teaching materials has been subject to discussion for many years, the reason for the use of cultural content in classroom is for the supposition that will foster learner motivation. successful language learning requires language users to know that culture underlying language in order to get the meaning across.

HOW TO DEAL WITH PROBLEMS

Today English teachers have a lot of choices in term of textbooks that focuses student’s attention on grammatical structures; also the activities chosen are based on teacher-talk and student –listen routines. These practices are unlikely to lead students to lead students to develop a genuine interest in learning English.

HOW TO INTRODUCE CULTURAL CONTENT IN OUR CLASSROOMS.

We should create a relaxing environment where our students can discuss their own culture together with the target culture in meaningful and communicative tasks and activities.

   

SOURCES AND TECHNIQUES FOR CULTURAL CONTENT:

With the help of technological developments we have access to many sources.

Most of the printed materials are on the internet in electronic forms and we can easily search for anything, anytime these are some lists sources of cultural information:

Newspapers: are good source of cultural information they will give more flavor to everyday life.

Video: a number of published ELT video tapes are a good visual source of cultural information.

Talks/discussions some topics may be suitable for giving information to students in a plenary session.

Role-play/dramatizations: These can be used to initiate discussion and introspection.

Culture quizzes/ tests.

To conclude it is important to know that authentic materials enable learners to interact with the learning language and content rather than the form.  Learners fell that they are learning a target language as it is used outside the classroom.

At any level authentic materials should be used to complete the gap between the competency and performance of the language learners.

Evolution of Instructional Materials Design

Evolution of Instructional Materials Design.

By Elicia Barton.

Publishers attempt to make instructional materials that meet the needs for a formal statewide adoption.

Usually they begin with the review by the authors and editorial staff and at the same time they begin reviewing the state and national standards which are wide and increasingly specific.

They gather information from teachers and administrators about their ideas and information on the best instructional practices.

Then they create prototypes and gather continual feedback about quality of content, organizational structure pacing, usability and other features.

Here are some effective materials that usually include the following features:

Instructional goals with adaptability to course requirements

Accurate, relevant up to date information

Appropriate reading level and vocabulary                  

Real world applications of informational skills

Absence of stereotypes and biases 

 The evolution of instructional materials design includes formats of instructional materials that gives information and guidelines about specialized formats needed to comply with legislation that must be given out before arriving at school.

It also includes the textbook to handle and the teacher’s manual that must be clear and easy to use.

The changes in technology have been very important to the point that the visual presentations have expands in their features such as graphic designs, photography and typefaces have emerged.

In reviewing the content had brought up so much controversy that comes from so many different beliefs and the inaccurate content often do not give topics the treatment they well deserve.

Publishers must show a correlation between their materials and their curricular requirements.

Priority Area: Presentation

Presentation review includes teachers and students resources and set ups for instructional components, organizations, readability, pacing and easy way of use. Also the resources must be complete to meet the leaning process and its outcomes; this is to help the teacher to prepare a additional teaching materials for the course.

Teachers resources often includes the teacher’s manual such as students book, lessons plans, rich activities, support for special needs and so on for the development of the work in which:

1-   The components and materials are easy to use.

2-   You find a vast range of materials to support lesson planning, teaching, and learning.

3-   Suggestions for adapting instruction for varying needs.

4-   Guide lines on how to implement and evaluate instruction.

5-   Resources to use in classroom activities

6-   Resources for building good relationships with families.

All components of an instructional package material must align with each other as well as with the curriculum referring to student’s materials and teacher’s materials.

The organization of Instructional materials must have enough order and clarity to:

 Allow the students and teachers to access content,

 A visible structure and format,

 A logical organization of content and activities.

Students need organized knowledge to learn new information, logical organization must be unified and consistent, the readability must depend on:

  Language style

 Typographical presentation feature,

 Visuals features.

Choosing Textbooks and Other Printed Materials.

This is one of the most important tasks for any teacher at all  school levels, sometimes the process is a little difficult by the fact that there are not much series to choose.

Many elementary school foreign language programs develop a curriculum that is not dependent on the use of a text series for at least one or two years, as the interest in the foreign language programs grew publishers are producing textbook materials to add to the small number of contemporary elementary school foreign language text series already developed for the American market.

student's reading

Criteria for Evaluating Textbooks and Other Printed Materials.

The following points are recommended for the screening process:

1-Goals

2-Communication

3-Culture

4-Subject Content and Thinking Skills

5-Bias

6-Flexibility

7-Physical Characteristics

8-Support Materials

9-Budget

These steps are very important for teachers to work with the child in the whole classroom learning environment.

Priorities for Evaluating Instructional Materials

PRIORITIES FOR EVALUATING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

BY TEACHER ELICIA BARTON.

PRIORITY AREA: LEARNING
In education, teachers make a difference in students’ learning and also materials effective learning strategies can support or stop their learning process.
We find that insufficient number, type, and quality of learning strategies have been persistently pointed out in textbooks.
Learning also has been undercut by the absence of meaningful explanations, connecting ideas, big ideas underlying structures, and content for critical thinking.

We will learn about what works across disciplines along with a few particular strategies for subjects and students.
Two important cases for learning strategies deserve special attention:
1- The expertise reversal effect: this refers to the research in several studies that students who possess high levels of knowledge in a subject do not benefit from the same strategies for others or those who possess low level of knowledge.
2- The powerful resistance to learning: because of students misconceptions in a subject area. For these students, traditional strategies also fail to work

Motivational Strategies.
Some important aspects to maintain students highly motivate to learn are:
1- Positive expectations: students are looking for friendly and encouraging communication.
2- Feedback : they are also motivated by giving and taking information, and how to improve with their learning.
3- Appearance: materials should have special skills or knowledge that makes them appealing.








Teaching a Few Big Ideas.

Instructional materials should teach a few important ideas.
Concept or themes should provide focus for students which includes major themes or few powerful ideas, students learn more when they give big ideas or when they are asked to build their own way of representing ideas or relationships.
By teaching Big Ideas it could be an approach to defining problems, setting goals, gathering comparing and elaborating thinking skills.
By teaching a few ideas many will focus and develop a deeper and complete understanding of the content or the area of importance.
Instructional material should contain clear statements of information and outcomes that depends on:
Clarity of directions and explanations: or clear directions for assignments and exclusion of Ambiguity: that includes noting that instructional materials are using phrases that are not capable to be understood or that becomes confusing.
Also Instructional materials must include guidance and support to help students safely to become more independent learners and thinkers, and this effectiveness of guidance and support depends on their level of guidance and support and adaptability of Guidance and support.

Level of Guidance and Support: most often come from good teachers that work along with
Organized routines
Better thinking skills
Feedback and
Other ways of guidance like: questions, activities, review of content that works as a guide to improve their learning.
The adaptability of guidance and support may be listed as having high importance and differences between advanced students or younger students.

Lectures help advanced students
Average students and
Students that need scaffolding

Student Responses

Students learn more when they follow some kind of activities
• Make their own charts for study
• Summarize their notes
• Discuss controversial issues
• Work together in pair or groups
• Construct their own knowledge





Students learn more when they follow some kind of assessment activities

• Provide written answers to questions
• Give complete explanations
• Take frequent quizzes
• Review feedback from test results.


Target Instructional and Assessment Strategies

Instructional material should include the instructional and assessment strategies .
Successful teaching depends on:

Alignment of strategies with outcomes : which refers to what a student should know or be able to do at the end of the instruction

Completeness of Strategies: this should be complete enough to achieve the learning outcomes
Some techniques for informative assessments include:

• Assessment to check student progress
• The use of rubrics to help students in their growth
• Aligning rubrics with instructional situations
• Determine how these can be used to improve students’ performance

Principles of Effective Materials Development

By Teacher Elicia Barton

It is important to know that language learning materials should ideally be driven by learning and teaching principles rather than be developed in best selling course books.
This chapter presents six principles of language acquisition and four principles of language teaching that the author ( Brian Tomlinson )thinks should be given a lot more attention in materials development.We can check outlines and principles and procedures to be applied to the actual development of materials.
The author takes position in regards to how materials should not be as random recreation but should be coherent applications of
i- Theory of language accessioned development
ii- Principle of teaching.
iii- Our current knowledge of how the target language is actually used.
iv- The results of systematic observation and evaluation of materials in use.

Brian Tomlinson along with other authors suggest that ELT materials should stimulate interaction and give six examples of  Principles of Language Acquisition that should drive ELT materials:

a- Learners are expose to a rich, meaningful,and comprehensible input of language in use
b- They need to be engage both effectively and cognitively in the language experience.
c- Language learners who achieve positive affect are much likely to achieve communicative competence that those who do not.
d- They can benefit from using those materials resources that they typically utilize when acquiring and using their L1.
e- Language learners can benefit from noticing salient features of the input.
f- Learners need opportunities to use language to try to achieve communicative purposes.

when developing classroom materials we should consider of language teaching here are a list of principles to follow:
a- The content and methodology of the teaching should be consistent with the objectives of the course that should meet their needs and wants to learners.

b- Teaching must be designed to help learners to achieve language development.

c-It should be designed to provide learners opportunities to develop educationally.

d-The teacher needs to be able to personalize materials and relate them in different ways, to the needs and learning styles for individual learners.

to conclude what is needed are principled frameworks to help future materials writers to manage to achieve principled coherence in their contextualized application of theory to effective practice.