Evolution of Instructional Materials

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Evolution of instructional materials

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Priorities for Evaluating Instructional Materials: Research Update

By Professor M.E.d Yohana Aguirre Alvarez

As it has been said before, second language teachers should select carefully the instructional materials used in the process. Furthermore, it has been said that they should be created by the teacher because in this way  they are properly contextualized and fit the needs of the students.

What istructional materials should have?  there are some principles that a teacher must follow when designing or selecting materials. First, materials should have certain elements that motivate the student to learn, those elements should be positive expectation that include a good climate and activities that help the students' improvement properly contextualized; feedback, that is very important because in this way the students notice their progress and are aware of their learning process and then, the appearence of the materials. They have to look attractive but complete; that is, they have to be meaningful for the learner.  Second, the instructional materials should throughly teach a few important ideas, concepts or themes. These ideas help the learner to have the picture of what the topic is about.  Third, The materials must contain clear statements of information and outcomes.  For this principle, explicit instruction is relevant since it clarifies direction and explanations and ambieguity is excluded.  Fourth, instructional materials must include guidance and support to help students safely and successfully become more independent learners and thinkers. This is that the students obtain the guidence and support in the needed levels to improve their language skills. Finally, Instructional materials should include instructional and assessement strategies that make the students successful learners. Those strategies must be aligned correctly and completely enough.

Materials To Develop The Speaking Skill

By Professor M.E.d Yohana Aguirre Alvarez

Certainly materials for second language instruction must reflect creativity and authenticity.  For Rebeca Hughes, "Speaking is a unique form of communication which is the basis of all human relationships and the primary channel for the projection of individual identity."  So that,  materials for speaking skills development must integrate all the elements that guaranty authentic usage of the language which is communication.   Before designing materials for speaking skills, the instructor have to take in to account certain elements and find a balance to prepare those materials such as the ccomplexity of oral production, spontaneity when speaking, feelings, personality traits, cultural elements and international varieties of the spoken language.

Furthermore, the purpose of these materials should reflect firstly,  the way the spoken language differs from the written. Trying to use perfect language would not help the learner. Secondly, language is about negotiate meaning and interchange, so that a language is a process of collaboration. thirdly, the practical and cultural interference must be shown when students are practicing the language. 

YOHANA`S LANGUAGE RESOURCE CENTER: Principles of Effective Materials Development

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mgwWhWa0Q8

Principles of Effective Materials Development

By Professor M.E.d Yohana Aguirre Alvarez
yoguitika@gmaill.com

According to Brian Tomlinson, author of Principles of Effective Materials Development, "language learning materials should ideally be driven by learning and teaching principles rather tan the developed ad hoc or in imitation of best selling coursebooks". It means that the creation of language materials for teaching-learning should be the result of the practice of certain principles for teaching and the teaching practice itself instead of copy them or modify them from books or other academic sources. 

In my opinion, we teachers should take this idea in to account when designing language materials for classes. First, because many of materials available in books and Internet are not contextualized.  The students would find materials nice, but they can loose their interest because those materials do not fit with their needs or reality. It`s important to create materials that give the students the opportunity to practice the language and communicate with the certain that the language is going to be useful in order to express their opinions or give information about what they know.  Second, the majority of these materials are created or prepared to "teach" a second language. It means that they are artificial.  The usage of authentic material is crucial for the learning of a second language, since  the students need to be exposed to authentic language and settings.

For a teacher is important to know the principles of effective language teaching in order to create effective and relevant materials for the students. In this way, the learning is meaningful and the motivation will be increased.