Tkt Unit 23

TKT Unit 23: Selection and use of coursebook materials By Porntip Bodeepongse

How to select and use coursebook materials • Coursebook materials are all the materials in a coursebook package that we use in the classroom to present and practise language, and to develop learners’ language skills.

A coursebook package usually includes: • A student’s book • A teacher’s book – Tapescript (the words learners hear) – Lesson plans – Extra or suggested activities

• Audio and video recordings • A workbook or activity book (a book with extra practice material) • CD-ROM or extra materials on the web

• Teachers often base their selection of teaching materials (coursebook or supplementary) on a needs analysis’, i.e. a study of learners’ level, language needs and interests, using questionnaires, interviews or diagnostic tests.

• The information from the needs analysis helps to build up a class profile (a description of all the learners in the class) and shows what they have in common and how they differ from each other.

So, the teacher’s task is……

• to select the coursebook or any teaching materials that best matches the class profile

What questions should we ask when selecting teaching materials?

• Is the material visually attractive?

– Is it visually clear (e.g. using different colours, different fonts, headings, etc.? – Does the visual material help learners to understand context and meaning?

• Is it well organised?

– Can you and your learners follow the logic of the materials and find your way around the page or the unit quickly and easily?

• Is it culturally appropriate?

– Will the context(s) be familiar to learners? culturally biased? – Is there a mixture of different cultures presented in the coursebook?

• Is it suitable for your learners’ age and their needs and interests?

• Will the topics be motivating to suit the age, gender, experience and personal interests of your learners? • Is it at the right level? • Does it provide a clear enough context and/or explanations for learners to understand new language? • Does it give learners enough opportunities to use the language?

If the these

answer to any of questions is ‘No’

• Replace the coursebook material with materials with the same focus/ aim from another book or resource (website or supplementary materials) • Adapt the coursebook material, i.e. change it in some way to make it suitable for our learners.

Ways to adapt materials: • Shortening material • Extending material • Reordering material • Changing the form of the task • Making use of all the resources in the book

Key concepts • There may be good reasons for leaving out part of a unit, or even a whole unit, but remember that a coursebook is one of the main sources of Ss’ learning and revision. So they may find it confusing if we do this too often.

The coursebook the main content for a lesson whereas

material that needs to be more personalised for the learners the teacher/learners themselves

Therefore, … • When planning lessons, teachers should think about what the coursebook gives you and what you need to add.

Coursebook provides:

Ts can add:

• situation / context

• warmer

• pictures

• instructions

• dialogues (conversation

• role-play

between 2 people) and texts and exercises • tasks

• homework

tasks

• If we plan to reorder the material in the coursebook, we must make sure that this is possible, i.e. that a task/ exercise does not depend on a previous one.

• We can change the order of activities in the coursebook in order to introduce variety in one of the following areas: pace, interaction pattern, sequence of skills practice, level of difficulty, content, mood, etc.

• We should think about how to make material more attractive and interesting for learners and how to bring material ‘off the page’, e.g. using mime, pictures, realia (real objects), etc.