MANAGING RESOURCES

&
AFFECTIVE ISSUES IN THE
LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
BY:
HILARIA LPEZ
JOS GONZLEZ
Using commercial teaching text.

Making the most of teachers manual.

Exploiting resources that lack a teachers guide.

Electronic support.

Using computers in the classroom.

Visuals and realia
COMPREHENSIVE
COURSE SERIES
SUPPLEMENTARY
SOURCE BOOKS
USING COMMERCIAL
TEACHING TEXTS
COMPREHENSIVE
COURSE SERIES
Multilevel coursebooks

Provide the basic syllabus
and center of materials on
which a course is based.
SUPPLEMENTARY
TEXTBOOKS
Usually one or two levels

Support programs that are
based in fundamental series or
programs created by the
teacher.
BOTH


Facilitate the introduction of new ideas.

Can be used in many different ways:
Teachers experience
Context and environment
Institutional philosophy
Needs and interest of the students.

Represent a type of teacher training tools

Save time.

criticism
Do not provide learners needs.

Main disadvantage: lesson plan (limit
the possibility to satisfy learners needs)

They are extremely blunt instruments

Wide content
Created without learners input
Based on assumptions
Can limit creativity
taboo topics: crime, homosexuality,
single-parents families.
Points to consider to select a
textbook
Practice and activities included.
Progression of language items:
What has to be learnt
Summarizing what has been studied.
Learning strategies
No textbook is going to be a perfect match for
your students
The teacher is expected to balance the
students needs with the content.
MAKING THE MOST OF THE
TEACHERS MANUAL
Includes useful guides to the materials they accompany.

Acts as a teacher training course.

Provides information on general guidance on language
teaching methodology and tips on classroom
management.

Should indicate alternative sources for teachers to
improve their knowledge.
Exploiting resources that lack a
teachers guide
Principles to introduce pedagogical materials
(adapted from Nunam, Lockwood and Hood (1993))
1.Introducing a unit of work
Explain the objectives: to clarify the purpose of the
unit and directions to do the activities (class
discussion).

2.Warm up
To motivate students
To provide content (grammar, vocabulary)


3. Listening
Listening for main ideas or details.
Open or closed book.
To play the recording once, twice.
Monitoring, feedback.

4. Reading
Starts by making predictions.
Authentic or adapted text
Type of text strategy.

5. Writing
Provide variety usually in general courses
focused on developing oral language skills.
Writing process (purpose, model text, peer
evaluation.


6. Speaking
Good chance to use the language.
High structures: drills, dialogues.
Slow structures: role plays,

7. Info-gaps and role plays
Difficult to manage in larger classes.
Explain the purpose of task.
Decide group arrangement, cards, time, feedback.

8. Pronunciation
Minimal pairs exercises out of context.
Fluency and intonation in context can be provided
by using short practice dialogues presented in
books.

Title
Text
9. Grammar
Deductively?
Inductively?
Sure about the rules?

10.Out of class

Activate the language outside.
Encouraging learner independence.

11.Language review

Encourage sts to review and to reflect what
they have learned
(checklist, self-assessment)
ELECTRONIC SUPPORT

Act as complement (visual support).

Show authentic language use in context.

Are used to motivate sts to produce
language (e.g. role plays, class discussion).


VIDEOS

Syllabus and video integration:

through the specific language structures and
functions that have already been taught.

USING COMPUTERS IN THE
CLASSROOM
Carry out tasks that are impossible in other media.

Complete tasks more easily (writing, editing).

Sts work through some exercises alone.

Sts do exploratory work which is not assessed by the
computers (They see their own decisions)
High structure use of computers:
Conventional drills and practice exercises.
Computers never get tired as teacher.

Low structure is better:
Interactive group work (simulations, problem solving).
Computer as electronic blackboard
Concordances in language learning:

Sts identify patterns that exist in a language
Cooperatively
Independently

Let sts explore the context in which words occur.

Visuals and realia
Complement the input provided by
textbooks.
(cultural background, new vocabulary)

Help to stimulate motivation and interest
(Practice narrative essays)

Show sts how language is used in real life.
HELP TO BRING THE LANGUAGE
CLASSROOM TO LIFE
PRINT/VISUAL
AUDIO
1. The selection of appropriate material lead
teachers to accomplish a successful classroom
management.

2. The instructional materials selected in
language teaching should
maintain the learners interest and
attention,
be suitable to the learners needs and level,
provide examples of how language is used
and opportunities for authentic language use,