Throughout and after the application of materials, the evaluation or assessment of them must be carried out. Only then can teachers realize how successful these materials have been within the classroom.
One way to achieve such task is by writing down notes. This will be kind of tedious, but it will make teachers keep track of every detail that occur during instruction. Indeed, teachers can get surprised at seeing that what works with a group does not necessarily work with another one. The reason beyond this discrepancy is that every classroom or group of students is unique. Certain kind of learners will be delighted by a task in which they have to do a survey so that they have to stand up and interact with different classmates. On the other hand, this kind of activities represents an ordeal for students who are more interpersonal and whose learning style is everything but kinesthetic. I am not saying that we only have to develop materials that are according to our students' learning style or kind of intelligences; teachers have to develop in students the need of seeking for development of those features that are not predominate within them as learners. I just want to state that every time there is this task that you know that students will not feel at ease with, support and follow-up are essential to get students to realize that they will benefit from working with materials given.
Moreover, teachers end up convinced that their materials are perfect just because no student has had a complaint about it. Besides the syndrome of falling in love with your materials, we can deduce that students either do not feel comfortable with letting the teacher know their feedback on those materials or they have not been given the chance for assessing them with a formal instrument. A simple checklist or a questionnaire about how students’ perception of the materials in question is can provide the most valuable feedback on what to include and what to discard in your materials.
Retrospection by students and by professors on how the teaching praxis is affected by the use of certain materials must not be overlooked. The "It would be nice if..." phrase has to prevail when evaluating materials. As Francisco Vargas, Cambridge University Press representative for Costa Rica, once said, teachers do the magic no matter the teaching conditions. Classrooms may have a smart board, but students realize that their teacher does not know how to take advantage of it. The resources may be plain black and white copies, and students enjoy when their teachers bring these materials alive.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
What do students do with well-designed materials?
"Teacher this is wonderful, but I do not know where to start" is what many EFL teachers have heard or perceived form their learners when they end up totally puzzled up at their teachers' materials. Having created well-intended and according-to-the-students-needs materials is just half way in the learning process. The other side of the coin is making these materials alive.
The first step for students to take advantage of their teachers' adapted, created or adopted exercises is on the instructors' abilities to foresee further outcomes while teaching. Experienced professors have this skill of predicting how students will react towards materials. Planning should come hand to hand with the teaching practice per se. Therefore the role of instructions enclosed in those tasks or exercises becomes more and more essential. There are times when teachers will find a sort of manual or teachers' notes which, indeed, guide them step by step on how to develop that given activity. Once the how-to-apply part is clear, teachers must be analytical enough to determine if the materials have any implications into the class population they will be developing them with. Here is when teachers have to see BEYOND the beautiful materials they bring into the classroom; some of these concerns can be derived from these thoughts: "Is this going to offend any of my students?, Is any of my pupils going to find either too hard or too easy?, Do I need to provide more support so that my students can understand lexical items, structures or cultural aspects that these materials include?"
Also, professors must be aware that working with materials is another way to enhance cognitive development. Students need to given the chance of activating previous knowledge that makes assimilation attainable, acquiring new input that will turn into intake—hopefully, and discovering new language or socio-affective skills that will help in their daily life.
Materials are not to be used for teaching purposes only. They also create habits, rise learning expectations and promote critical thinking in students. The so-what question must be avoided in the learners' minds. Through the use of materials, teachers get students to self-invest in their learning.
The first step for students to take advantage of their teachers' adapted, created or adopted exercises is on the instructors' abilities to foresee further outcomes while teaching. Experienced professors have this skill of predicting how students will react towards materials. Planning should come hand to hand with the teaching practice per se. Therefore the role of instructions enclosed in those tasks or exercises becomes more and more essential. There are times when teachers will find a sort of manual or teachers' notes which, indeed, guide them step by step on how to develop that given activity. Once the how-to-apply part is clear, teachers must be analytical enough to determine if the materials have any implications into the class population they will be developing them with. Here is when teachers have to see BEYOND the beautiful materials they bring into the classroom; some of these concerns can be derived from these thoughts: "Is this going to offend any of my students?, Is any of my pupils going to find either too hard or too easy?, Do I need to provide more support so that my students can understand lexical items, structures or cultural aspects that these materials include?"
Also, professors must be aware that working with materials is another way to enhance cognitive development. Students need to given the chance of activating previous knowledge that makes assimilation attainable, acquiring new input that will turn into intake—hopefully, and discovering new language or socio-affective skills that will help in their daily life.
Materials are not to be used for teaching purposes only. They also create habits, rise learning expectations and promote critical thinking in students. The so-what question must be avoided in the learners' minds. Through the use of materials, teachers get students to self-invest in their learning.
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