LANGUAGE TEACHING MATERIALS IN ELT

Aims, level, age,interest, background, methods, environment are the features that have to be taken into consideration while preparing a teaching material. The basic and most frequently used language teaching materials can be categorized as three groups.

1.THE COURSEBOOK
These are the qualities of good coursebook.
1.Should have practicality.
2.Easily obtained and affordable.
3.Appropriate for learners’ language level, level of education, age, social attitudes, intellectual ability and level of emotional maturity.
4.Should be motivating.
5.Should be flexible.
6.Should have both situational and linguistics realism.
These are the reasons of why teachers prefer using coursebooks.
They are written by experienced and well-qualified people.
They ensure some continuity between grade levels and also help the teachers in the process of material selection.
They relieve teachers from the pressure of having to think of original material, since a good coursebook often contains lively and interesting material for motivation, fun and reduction of barriers to learning.
They are used to make the best use of time and to avoid unintended repetition in the classroom.
They are concrete materials for learners and students feel secure as they include the topics they will learn and have the chance to revise the old ones.

2.SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Provides additional work and exposure to language for the learner.
Materials are;
Teacher’s Book :
Gives outline of each unit/lesson in the coursebook and shows the steps to be followed in each unit/lesson to the teacher.
Work/Exercise Book :
Provides wide range of exercises and activities.
Provides further optional activities
3.SUPPORTING MATERIALS
1.Visual : Theacher themselves, blackboard , real objects, flashcards, cards.
2.Audio : Phonograph, tape-recorder, radio, language laboratory.
Ellis and Thomlinson divide visual materials into four groups;
1.Theacher :
Use of mime, gestures, pointing, dramatisation, etc.
Self-confidence and imagination.
Students will be startled into attention and will undoubtedly remember the meaning of an unfamiliar word.
2.The Pupils:
Games, mimes, dramatic dialogues, comparisons, etc.
Enjoyable useful lessons.
Practices of both the form and the function of the language items.
Do not expose sensitive pupils to ridicule
3.The Environment
Bringing variety of familiar objects.
World, action and objects outside.
Out of confines: different parts of the school or local community.
4.Manifactured Visual Aids
The Blackboard
Pictures
Flash cards/Charts
Real Objects
Over-head Projector and Transparencies
Flannel Board:
Widely used.
Easily prepared by gluing and pinning flannel fluffy material to a piece of cardboard.
Cut-outs, pictures and figurines may be backed with sandpaper or with flannel so that they will stick to the flannel.
Used in new vocabulary or grammatical structure teaching(Özen 1978:224).
Word and Picture Pockets
Opaque Projector
Slides
Film Stripes
3.Audio –visual: Films, videotapes, TV, computer, multimedia.


Tuğçe BIÇAKÇI - Sidal ÖNER - Gülizar YAHŞİ