The Role of Materials in the Language Classroom: Finding the Balance. What about meeting learner needs? How can a course book meet the needs of a specific group of students? This discussion is divided into two sections. The first looks at attitudes to teaching materials, including textbooks, and explores two opposing points of view. For some, commercial materials deskill teachers and rob them of their capacity to think professionally and respond to their students. The second part of the discussion explores eight key assumptions which the author believes should underpin materials if they are to enhance the learning environment of the classroom. PREPLANNED TEACHING MATERIALS – HELPFUL SCAFFOLD OR DEBILITATING CRUTCH? Concern whether pre-prepared materials can meet individual learner needs is part of the dilemma teachers face in trying to implement learner-centred language programs in a group setting. Textbook nevertheless remain a contentious issue for many teachers and researchers. There appears to be very little research, however, on the exact role of textbooks in the language classroom. Allwright (1981) suggests that there are two key positions. The first –deficiency view- sees the role of textbooks or published materials as being to compensate for teacher´s deficiencies and ensure that syllabus is covered using well thought out exercises. The difference view, on the other hand, sees materials as carriers of decisions best made by someone other than the teacher because of differences in expertise. For many, however, both the deficiency and difference views challenge teachers ´professionalism and reduce them to classroom managers, technicians or implementers or others ‘ideas.
The Role of Materials in the Language Classroom: Finding the Balance. What about meeting learner needs? How can a course book meet the needs of a specific group of students? This discussion is divided into two sections. The first looks at attitudes to teaching materials, including textbooks, and explores two opposing points of view. For some, commercial materials deskill teachers and rob them of their capacity to think professionally and respond to their students. The second part of the discussion explores eight key assumptions which the author believes should underpin materials if they are to enhance the learning environment of the classroom. PREPLANNED TEACHING MATERIALS – HELPFUL SCAFFOLD OR DEBILITATING CRUTCH? Concern whether pre-prepared materials can meet individual learner needs is part of the dilemma teachers face in trying to implement learner-centred language programs in a group setting. Textbook nevertheless remain a contentious issue for many teachers and researchers. There appears to be very little research, however, on the exact role of textbooks in the language classroom. Allwright (1981) suggests that there are two key positions. The first –deficiency view- sees the role of textbooks or published materials as being to compensate for teacher´s deficiencies and ensure that syllabus is covered using well thought out exercises. The difference view, on the other hand, sees materials as carriers of decisions best made by someone other than the teacher because of differences in expertise. For many, however, both the deficiency and difference views challenge teachers ´professionalism and reduce them to classroom managers, technicians or implementers or others ‘ideas.
9._catalan_l._summary_chapters_7_and_8.docx