Tefl Course Material

  Just to finish the sectional materials, we'll have a look the difference between what are called authentic and created materials. Authentic materials, as the name implies, are actual materials that are created for any reason outside of the classroom. So examples of authentic materials would be things like newspapers. Those are generated for the general public and they're certainly not generated for the use in the classroom. However, they can be used within the classroom other ideas would be things like songs and poems and even things such as brochures and magazines and indeed menus from restaurants. So these are materials that all can be used within the classroom but they have not been created for that purpose, whereas creative materials, as the name implies, have been produced...  [Read more]

  This presentation is going to focus on the use of course books, materials and teaching aids. There are many materials that we can bring to our classroom that will help with the teaching of our lessons and these include, though they're not limited to, things such as the wipe board, similar to the one that we're using here, various types of visual aids, created or bought worksheets, the use of cassettes CDs and DVDs and the use of video and in these classroom materials, we can also include things such as dictionaries and course books, various types of resource books that we'll have a look at and other materials such as photo copiers, computers, OHPs. So what we'd like to do is just to take a general look at some of the issues relating to each of these types of materials. Below you...  [Read more]

  The next item we're going to consider is the use of dictionaries and here perhaps the first thing we should do is to make a distinction between the two main types of dictionary and that distinction is between the monolingual and the bilingual dictionary. In a monolingual dictionary you have a word and its associated meaning and those two are both described for example in English so the word and the description of that word are both given in English. Whereas in a bilingual dictionary that word meaning could often be for example the word given in English and the explanation given in Thai and vice versa. So what can we use a dictionary for? Well, within the dictionary itself obviously we can get things like how words are spelled or the spelling of the word. We can also get the...  [Read more]

  The term materials can apply to virtually anything that a teachers uses to help the teaching process in the classroom. Common teaching materials include items such as worksheets, newspapers, pictures text books and video recordings. These materials are usually classed as either authentic or non-authentic depending on their origin and the ways they are used. Authentic materials refer to materials that have not been designed or adapted for use in an English language classroom such as magazines, newspapers, video clips and song lyrics. Non-authentic materials on the other hand are anything that has been specifically designed to aid the teaching process such as worksheets, text books and instructional CD’s or DVD’s. Are you ready to live and teach abroad? Click here...  [Read more]

  Next, a couple of issues surrounding the use of worksheets and workcards. Firstly, these types of materials can either be bought or they could be made by yourself. Very often many of the book series that we use will have workcards in their teacher resource book. Worksheets and workcards are very useful because they can act as a prompt to introduce an activity or topic. They can also be used for role plays and one of the things you need to be aware of when making worksheets and workcards yourself is that you need to make them durable. So whenever you create a workcard, if you put it on some hard backing and then put it inside some cellophane or covered plastic just to make them durable then those types of workcards and worksheets can last for years. So examples of worksheets and...  [Read more]

  The next idea we're going to consider is the use of visual aids and visual aids can include some examples such as real, objects, which we call realia, the use of pictures and photographs and also the use of models. So let's consider some of the ideas surrounding the use of visual aids. Well, why are they useful? Well, first of all the use of a visual aid can reduce teacher talk time. It's very much more simple just to show a real object than to try to describe it so that we could just ask the students ?what is this,? and they would say ?this is a pen,? rather than trying to actually describe it. Again if we were trying to show examples of fruit and vegetables rather than to try and describe them why not use an actual model and this is going to be much more visually stimulating...  [Read more]

  So let's have a look at some of the more general issues when using the wipe board. Perhaps the most important thing to start with is that we should start with a clean board. Secondly it's always very useful to make a board plan so that you know where things are going to appear on the board by the end of your lesson. It?s very simple to do a board plan. Just take a sheet of paper, which is similar in shape to the board that you're going to use, and then onto that piece of paper decide where all the information that's going onto your board is going to be by the time that you've finished. So a very simple board plan just to show where the information is going to be. Also it's very useful if you make use of tables and columns to separate different areas of your work and in the same...  [Read more]

  We now consider what we might call the technology that we could use within the classroom then that could include things such as cassettes, the use of CDs, the use of DVD and video. Some general issues surrounding the use of these types of material, make sure whenever you're using any of this type of technology though you know how it actually works when using it for a listening activity, for example. How long does it take for the whole tape to play through? How long does it take to rewind and so on. Other issues that you might need to think about is if you're using a cassette player or CD or something that you set the volume level before you actually start the lesson so that when you switch on you don't shock everyone with a very loud sound or that they can't actually hear it....  [Read more]

  So how do we actually make best use of the course book? Well, just a couple of factors that you need to keep into consideration when using these types of material, use the course book to help you create a balanced lesson in terms of the range of skills that are being taught and the actual types of material within that the grammar or vocabulary. Secondly, don't use it all the time, particularly with things like activities, we can create our own materials and we can tailor those materials much more specifically to the actual class that we're teaching. As very often the actual creations in the book are very general, we can make our own materials much more specific. The third thing you need to be aware of is that you can't always rely 100% on the information that's presented in those...  [Read more]

  The next item that we're going to consider is the use of resource books. There are many different types of resource books available and within those books there tends to be a general pattern and typically the resource book pack will come in a three book series and typically that three book series will be in the form of the student book, a workbook and a teacher's resource book. So for example here are those three books for this particular series called ?Total English? and in the student book the type of information that we can gain from here is the actual background to the teaching points themselves plus some additional information in terms of short worksheets and so on and so forth and tape transcripts at the end for listening activities, which these days often come on a CD...  [Read more]

  Let's just consider next, when using these resource books, the student book, the workbook and the teachers resource book, what are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using those types of materials? Well, firstly, the main advantage perhaps of using these types of material is that it's quicker than actually creating your own. Secondly, the course books that you will get will be graded for a particular level. So there'll be a set of books for the starter level, a set of books for the elementary level and so on and so forth. So you know that the activities and materials in there will have been graded for level. The use of the book can also offer continuity so that the syllabuses have been covered in a particular way by the book itself and are presented in a logical order....  [Read more]

  Unit 14 looks at course books and other materials that can be used in your English language lessons. The unit discusses the differences between authentic and created materials and why and when each should be used in a class. It also covers the advantages and disadvantages of using course books and the best ways to use a course book in your lessons. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This chapter was more difficult that previous ones. Modal...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Panguitch Utah and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: said: In this unit course books and lesson materials were discussed. I often have to use English Langugae book at school and always have trouble with some of the material. This lesson taught me that supplementary materials and creating my own materials are a great option for use alongside the textbook. From this poinbt I think i will be making some extra worksheets for students as study help or exam preparation. The examples of materials was also really useful and allowed me to see the difference between the...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Certification Padua Italy and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: said: This unit was short and concise and filled with relevant information. It was direct and straightforward if not a little redundant. It would have been nice to have been given course book recommendations in relation to the English proficiency of the students, their maternal language or their cultural background. Nonetheless, the plethora of example role-play cards will prove useful in the future.This unit helps you understand the importance of using the course book material as well as not...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Parkesburg Pennsylvania and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: said: Course material can be a very useful aid in teaching a class. Course material can consist of: authentic material, created material, and coursebooks. Authentic material can be described as anything a native speaker would hear or read. This will instill confidence in the learner. Created materials are designed by the teacher to supplement the coursebook. Created materials can consist of word games, pictures, etc, and they can be graded to the level of the student. A coursebook offers effective...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Jobs India Varanasi and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: said: This unit covers the different kinds of materials that teachers can use in the classroom: coursebooks, authentic materials, and created materials. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each kind of material and also provides suggestions on how a teacher can best utilize a combination of these materials in lessons. I learned that although a coursebook is good to use in the classroom, it is not a perfect material--and therefore, it should be supplemented with authentic materials and/or...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Athens New York and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: said: This unit went over the material of how to prepare materials and books for a class lesson. There are two main types of material that can be prepared, there is authentic material and created material. Authentic material is typically material taken out of real literature examples such as programs, magazines, newspapers, songs, etc. Then there is material created by the teacher for the lesson. These created materials usually consist of crosswords, word search puzzles, role-play cards, etc. But there are...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Jobs Basel Switzerland and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: said: This unit compared authentic (newspapers, travel brochures) material with created material. Authentic material can be very useful and practical, but needs to be chosen carefully to ensure it is not too hard for students. Created material can be geared more to the level of students. Textbooks provide a good framework for language learning, but should be supplemented with created material to keep students interest and meet student language learning needs.Unit 14 deals with course books and...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Pinellas Park Florida and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: said: This unit discusses the usage of authentic materials, created material, and course books as supplemental material during a lesson. Authentic materials are anything a native speaker would come across such as a magazine, song, newspaper, film, etc whereas created material is something created by teachers to supplement material from a course book. This could come in the form of a puzzle, word search, flashcard, etc. Authentic materials gain help students gain confidence in themselves in a piece of...  [Read more]

Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Charleston West Virginia and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: said: ESL teachers have a lot to consider for initial class preparation,including what course material to use. The best methods tend to involve a balance of authentic materials, created materials and coursework materials. When introducing authentic materials to ESL students, an advantage is that student's are usually interested and excited over the content. However, teachers of beginning levels should severely limit their use of authentic work, because authentic work is much more advanced than the...  [Read more]