Teach English in Yuanzhuang Zhen - Jining Shi

Unit 14 exposed us to the variations in course materials and the effective use of different materials for different learning levels and age groups. This essay will examine the reasons why a variety of course materials is not only ideal, but essential. It will also discuss the ways in which different course materials ought to be used, the contexts in which they are most effective, and why. It is well-known amongst educational psychologists that different minds respond to different information modalities. For example, some people process information visually, others verbally, and still others kinaesthetically. An effective teacher or instructor can and will use all three modalities in order to effectively get a message across., When it comes to language, certain audiences and individuals will also respond more to different stimuli in the form of course materials. Furthermore, the excessive repetition of one particular type of course material, such as a course book, for example, becomes repetitive for both the student and teacher, regardless of their respective levels of motivation, and can therefore lead to a decrease in engagement. With this in mind, it is important to use a large variety of course materials in order to effectively reach all students, maintain engagement and interest levels, and keep the students’ and teacher’s minds active throughout the learning process. Perhaps the most common material is the course book - a structured, planned, step-by-step guide to teaching a particular level of a language course. This is, it would seem, a very useful tool for beginner teachers effectively, providing a wealth of tasks for them to guide the students throughout a carefully structured course. This material also allows students to go back through their work and revise with ease, or alternatively for more advanced and eager students, to go through future sections and prepare in advance for a class. The drawback, however, is that this can become predictable. Reliance on a coursebook removes the “human” element from the learning experience, and also reduces the potential for students to interact with the teacher and each other. Many course books can also become very “dry” after a while - this was certainly the case in my language learning experience. As such, the course book should therefore be used in conjunction with a wealth of other materials, such as authentic materials, materials created by the teacher, games, cassette tapes, role-play cards, gap-fill worksheets, pictures, music, and so on. Also, the step-by-step progress of a course book will keep the targeted learning level very rigid. This will not allow more advanced students to be creative and ambitious in their language production, and it also risks leaving less capable students behind. And finally, course books may be entirely inappropriate for certain learning levels, such as beginners and younger students, whose materials ought to be more colourful, lively, and engaging. These beginner/younger classes ought to include materials such as pictures, colourful letters and words, puppets, crayons and paper, and fun games, to either supplement or entirely replace course books, the latter of which would not only be likely to lose students’ interest quickly, but may be too advanced to introduce at this stage in their learning process. The use of pictures, cassette tapes, videos, etc, would be a very useful and appropriate way to “engage” any level of student, so long as the language was targeted to the students’ levels of understanding. Gap-fill worksheets, crossword puzzles, word-find games, etc, would all be useful “study” tools for elementary, pre-intermediate, and intermediate classes, while something like role-play cards and the use of authentic materials for comprehension and grammar exercises may be more appropriate fort some of the more advanced classes. In conclusion, it is apparent that a course book can be one of the most effective tools a teacher can use in a classroom - however, sole reliance upon it will make for an ineffective and ultimately boring learning experience for both the teacher and the students. It is therefore imperative for a teacher to get creative with the learning process by introducing a huge variety of learning materials into the classroom. This will help keep the students interested and engaged, will prevent repetition and boredom, and will have the greatest chance of incorporating all students into the course, many of whom may be averse, or simply unable, to learn a language through the use of a heavily structured and daunting course book.