So today we discussed what materials are, were and will be as EFL is evolving. Amidst all discussions ( some slightly heated ) the conclusions which emerged were that anything could be used as material. Tomlinson, who seems to be the guru on the subject, sums it up as ‘anything used to facilitate learning’ ( Tomlinson 2012: Language Teaching Vol 45 Part 2 ). With this in mind when talking about materials we should therefore consider both what materials are/could be and how they are/could be used.

Along with many questions asked in the session we also had to identify what we wanted to achieve in this module. One which stood out for me was inspiration. Having taught for over 3 years I have tried using various coursebooks and have recently started exploring use of PowerPoint, IWB-type software eBeam as well as use of video in class. But experimenting with what’s out there can often prove a rather daunting task. During my teacher training I found peer observations and simply asking around the most useful way of putting a lesson together. To some extent, I have similar hopes for this course. It’s not so much observing others I am talking about but the opportunity to share and exchange ideas.  It’s so easily done to stick to a repertoire of lessons we are comfortable with and it will be my challenge to look at my practice from both materials’ and other teachers’ perspectives.

As a starting point for our discussion we compared materials we used in 3 of our most recent lessons and talked about their effectiveness,origin and relevance. This is what I did:

Our table talked about a variety of materials used in classrooms including streamlined coursebooks, online materials, images and videos. With an array of experiences at hand this proved an interesting discussion. Contexts, time element and top-down restrictions were mentioned as key when selecting materials. Many of us, myself included, found we were often pushed into using a particular book and though enjoyed the security of a framework it had to offer it was rarely popular with students, especially in a summer school context. We all agreed that although coursebooks are rarely universal and date quickly, they are still somehow expected by learners. This in itself places additional pressure on the teacher to humanise and personalise published material to make the most of it.

Allen (2015) also concluded that published EFL textbooks ‘will continue to provide support for student EFL teachers who lack experience’. His research showed that trainee teachers really valued the coursebook highly and considered it more of a ‘plan’ to language learning and teaching. More experienced teachers lost this sort of appreciation and, as discussed at in our group, saw it as a ‘contingency’ or even a ‘restrictor’. Masuhara (2011) elaborated not only on a range of complex reasons teachers use coursebooks in their dayily practice but also how published material comes to life. Among many factors influencing teachers in the process of using materials to aid learning were teacher’s own wants. Personally, I think those play a huge role in how one uses the coursebook or any other material to meet learners’ needs. To our relief, both the case study (Allen 2015) and Masuhara’s article validated our discussions. We all agreed that it is something we are initially trained to use and we often held onto it for dear life in our early teaching days. However, through our experience and journey to reinvent ourselves as teachers, we then got to realise that coursebook is more of a guide rather than a manual. Another point raised at our table was that using and indeed following coursebooks to a letter was how we all gained our experience in selecting, adapting, supplementing and even abandoning some sections altogether. What’s more, as little or no guidance has been given to us in our CELTA/TESOL training, it goes without saying that our practice in this area was hugely experiential.

Though it is still generally believed that relying on a coursebook is a sign of inexperience (Allen 2015) or lack of creativity it was clear that most of us use it to some extent. Tomlinson (2012) pointed out that the discussion about using textbooks to aid language learning has been going on since early 1980s and clearly has not been resolved against using those in EFL classrooms. As British Council survey revealed that 94% of teachers admit to using published materials it appears that, whether we like admitting it or not, this huge industry has found sufficient market to feast on. As Our experience and creativity was put to a test when given a set of cuisenaire rods. There was no right or wrong here – simply different.

This exercise gave us all an opportunity to see others’ creativity as it unveiled before our eyes. To me, it proved Tomlinson’s broad, yet most accurate definition of materials: they are indeed anything we can make use of.

References

Tomlinson,B.(2012) Materials development for language learning and teaching. Language Teaching 45 (02)

Masuhara,H. (2011) What do teachers really want from coursebooks? In:Tomlinson, B.(ed) Materials Development in Language Teaching. (2nd edn) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Allen,C. (2015) Marriages of convenience? Teachers and coursebooks in the digital age. ELT Journal
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