By M.Sc. Carol Sutton
e-mail csutton19@hotmail.es
Writer Brian Tomlinson, author of Principles of Effective Materials Development, states that when planning we should take in account following factors: :
- the need to communicate
- the need for long -term goals
- the need for authenticy, and
- the need for student-centeredness
I strongly believe in his position because all that we do in a classroom and out of a classroom such as planning is centered around the students. On the other hand, materials are essential when you are teaching or learning a language. They contribute to make learning more exciting.
Materials can be written, spoken or visual . They can be home-made taking advantage of old magazines and others or we can buy at the bookstore if you have some extra cash. For material usage, we must take in account the learners' interest trying to motivate them. Language acquisition shoud be taken in account based on the five principles that the author mentioned.
Finally, I must say that Brian Tomlinson's ideas are very useful for us English teachers to apply and to contextualize in accordance with the different learning and teachings environments.
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Nice insight on this article, I hope it help me out to improve my teaching classes.
ReplyDeleteWhen preparing a class, we really think about the materials we have around us, and many times we just do not seem to find the most adequate one.Now we know that based on students' needs, we may do better, selecting them as well as developing them. I liked your blog!
ReplyDeleteI believe that communication is our main goal when teaching.
ReplyDeleteCarol I love the picture you used.
Hi, Carol:
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for having successfully created your own education blog. Without a doubt, other fellow ELT professionals will benefit from following your blog. Echoing Brian Tomlinson's words, and as you pointed out too, we ought to be aware of the need for authenticity and tailor-making in the process of creating new materials. Student-centeredness should be our main goal while devising materials so that they will be practical and personalized.
I believe, we as teachers must always try to take interesting materials to the classroom, in order to motivate students and make our classes more enjoyable.
ReplyDelete