INTRODUCTION
There are 5 important components in language instruction/learning. They are students, a teacher, teaching material, teaching method and evaluation. Since the end of 1970s, there has been a movement to make learners rather than teachers the centre of language learning. Learners are coming the most important part of all. It indicates the other components such as curriculum, teaching materials, teaching method and evaluation are obliged to be designed to accommodate the students’ needs and interests.
The teacher is responsible to check all the elements are running well and adapt them if they are not. Teachers have to follow the curriculum and provide, make, or choose materials. They may adapt, supplement, and elaborate on those materials and also monitor the progress and needs of the students and finally evaluate students. Materials include textbooks, video and audio tapes, computer software, and visual aids. They influence the content and the procedures of learning. The choice of deductive versus inductive learning, the role of memorization, the use of creativity and problem solving, production vs. reception, and the order in which materials are presented are all influenced by the materials. Technology, such as OHP, slides, video and audio tape recorders, video cameras, and computers, supports instruction/ learning.
Therefore, it is important for us, as the teachers to know what the characteristics of the materials are, the various kinds of the materials, and how to use the materials and media in language learning. To discuss it, Gerhard explained specifically in the 5th chapter of his book entitled EFL/ESL Materials and Media. Some other references have been taken for supporting the content of this chapter report.
CHAPTER REPORT
There are several significant points to recognize the characteristic the EFL/ESL materials and media.
Who creates the materials available to EFL/ESL teachers?
Four groups of people are involved in designing the materials available nowadays. Firstly, publishing companies which produce complete materials for the learners starting from basic level to advance. The materials are varied starting from reading, writing, listening, speaking, grammar, survival English, vocabulary building, cross-cultural communication, pronunciation, English for business, TOEFL preparation, vocational literature and more. When we teach in private language schools/business, probably we’ll use these commercial materials because of its complete texts. Secondly, government agencies committee whose materials are mostly used in public school in a country with centralized educational system. Some countries usually establish special committees that either produce their own texts or solicit proposals from teachers to produce text. After being approved by the central committee, these texts are produced and used in the schools. Thirdly, if we teach in certain university, well-established private language school & corporation with language program, we will use materials from curriculum development teams which are produced by teachers who have some EFL/ESL teaching experience. Eventually, if we belong to the teachers who are not satisfied with the text, we probably adapt the text or design entire lesson with materials we create ourselves.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of commercial materials?
Advantages:
- Saving time
- Guidance
- Accompanying teaching manuals
- Providing lessons with some useful suggestions or technique
Disadvantages:
- Problem of ideology conflict
- Blindly follow their assigned text
- Culturally diverse and geographically dissimilar
What are authentic materials? What types are available?
Authentic materials include anything that is used as a part of communication. Nunan (1999) defines authentic materials as spoken or written language data that has been produced in the course of genuine communication, and not specifically written for purposes of language teaching. In fact, in his teaching he encourages his students to bring into the classroom their own samples of authentic language data from “real-world" contexts outside of the classroom.
Types of authentic materials ESL/EFL teachers have used:
Authentic Listening/Viewing Materials
TV commercials, quiz shows, cartoons, news clips, comedy shows, movies, soap operas, professionally audio- taped short stories and novels, radio ads, songs, documentaries, and sales pitches.
Authentic Visual Materials
Slides, photographs, paintings, children’s artwork, stick-figure drawings, wordless street signs, silhouettes, pictures from magazines, ink blots, postcard pictures, wordless picture books, stamps, and X-rays.
Authentic Printed Materials
Newspaper articles, movie advertisements, astrology columns, sports reports, obituary columns, advice columns, lyrics to songs, restaurant menus, street signs, cereal boxes, candy wrappers, tourist information brochures, university catalogues, telephone books, maps, TV guides, comic books, greeting cards, grocery coupons, pins with messages, and bus schedules.
Realia (Real objects) Used in EFL/ESL Classrooms
Coins and currency, folded paper, wall clocks, phones, Halloween masks, dolls, and puppets, to name a few. (Realia are often used to illustrate points very visually or for role-play situations.)
What are the disadvantages and advantages of using authentic materials and media?
Advantages
- Reinforcing the students the direct relation between the language classroom & outside world
- Offering a way to contextualize language learning
Disadvantages
- Taking time & effort to locate authentic materials
- Difficulty in making comprehensible authentic materials and media for the students
- Rejection from certain students. e.g. Rejecting TV comedy or games.
How do EFL/ESL teachers use authentic materials and media?
Authentic materials sometimes are used to get beyond the limitation of a text. I will try to explain one of the example in using it. First the teacher informed the student about his interest in ordering food in a restaurant. The students learned how to order food. The teacher took some pictures of food from magazine and after she ordered the students to work in time, he distributed the real menus he got from a restaurant. The students were asked to create a new menu, including the picture had been given. They cut the pictures. Then, the student made their own dialogue, presented in front of the class stimulated by using realia (e.g. plastic eating utensils and food order checks) and role-play cards.
What problems do some EFL/ESL teachers have with materials and media?
1. The “I am forced to teach from the book” problem
The teachers feel helpless in the face of being creative with materials and media when they need to follow a particular text. Some teachers give in under pressure and simply follow the prescribed lesson. However, some other teaches creatively by bringing photos or picture corresponding to the story line in reading material to make the reading more vivid.
2. The “ Let the textbook do the teaching” problem
As I have summed up above, following text can save time however the texts should not be meant to be blindly plodded through and they realize that teaching guides are not only other teachers’ ways to teach lesson.
3. The “Where can I find authentic EFL materials?” Problem
Probably this is a problem of new EFL teachers. Mostly, they are lack of experience in locating such materials. Therefore they conclude it difficult. Actually, they could get these materials from TV, newspapers; even in a very isolated area creative teachers still can use the available and comprehensible authentic materials such as drawing or writing in the air.
COMMENT AND CONCLUSION
Despite of the five elements in language instruction, and learners should be the centre of instruction. However, some findings in research and several problems above reveal that materials often control the instruction, since teachers and learners tend to rely heavily on them. Materials that are appropriate for a particular class need to have an underlying instructional philosophy, approach, method and technique which suit the students and their needs. They should have correct, natural, current and standard English. Teachers need to look for good materials, both commercial and non-commercial, all the time. They also need to be aware of commercialism and copyright issues concerning materials.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gebhard, J.G.2000. Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language. Michigan: The University of Michigan Press.
Gray, J. 1981. Starting English: A new beginner’s course. London: Cassell.
Harmer, J. 2007.How to Teach English. Edinburgh: Longman.
Kitao, K. 1997. The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. IV, No. 4, April
Leo, Sutanto. 2000. English for Professional Waiters. Jakarta: PT Gramedia
Oura. G.K. Authentic Task- Based Materials: Bringing the Real World Into the Classroom
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