Teaching Tips – Choosing Course Materials for Teaching English
You may find yourself landing a teaching job which doesn’t come with a curriculum, textbooks and course materials. This might be a job at a school which is looking to change the materials currently used for whatever reason, or perhaps you are taking on private students and are looking for ESL textbooks to base your lessons on. With so many textbook and course options out there, how do you know which to choose?
Not to worry, this easy guide will help you to select textbooks for teaching English as a foreign language.
Use the MATERIALS test below to help you with your decision-making process.
M A T E R I A L S stands for the following:
M = Method: Does the book’s method suit your own teaching method and overall aims?
A = Appearance: Is the book’s appearance, including its cover, design, illustrations, colour and feel, appealing and attractive? Or does it appear dull?
T = Teacher-Friendly: Is the book easy for the teacher to use? Is it well organised? Is there an index? Does it have an answer key? Does it help you save preparation time?
E = Extras: Are there additional materials, such as a workbook, audios, teacher’s notes or a separate teacher’s book? How helpful are these extra materials?
R = Realistic: How authentic is the communication in the book? Does the language seem true-to-life and current?
I = Interesting: Is the book likely to be interesting for your learners? How do the topics relate to their lives? Just as important, is it interesting to you?
A = Affordable: Is the book affordable? Is it worth the price that learners, parents or the school will have to pay?
L = Level: Is the level suitable for the class you are teaching?
S = Skills: Does the book cover all the skills you want to teach (e.g. listening, speaking, reading, writing) in a way you want to teach them? Does it match your school’s syllabus?
Remember, even if you’re following a course book, you can jazz up the WAY in which the material is taught using interesting activities and games. Your TEFL course at Destination TEFL will show you just how to keep your lessons interesting and adapt existing course books to obtain maximum learning capacity from your students.
Not sure whether you want to do your TEFL course in Bali – Indonesia, Siem Reap – Cambodia, or Bangkok – Thailand?
Book a call with us to learn more about your teaching abroad opportunities.
