1. Materials and Teaching Techniques
Materials & Methods for TESOL
Leigh Lawrence
July 21, 2012

2. Teaching English Language
Skills
Goal of general English courses:
To improve students’ skills in all
four components of the language
(speaking, reading, writing, listening)

3. Teaching Grammar
One of the most difficult areas of language to teach
Your understanding of grammar will help in addressing
challenges and errors made by ELLs
to enable students to carry out the grammar point that
you are teaching for communicative purposes

4. Teaching Grammar
Teaching Tips/Grammar:
Students need overt, explicit instruction
No need to master all rules of grammar--only the rules
relevant to the task
Make it fun!!!
Facilitate understanding by teaching the grammar points in
the target language.
Limit the time you devote to grammar explanations to 10
minutes
Present grammar points in written and oral ways to address
the needs of students with different learning styles.

5. Teaching Listening
Listening
the ability to process, understand, interpret, and
evaluate spoken language in a variety of situations
(World Class Instructional Design and Assessment
Consortium Resource Guide, 2007)

6. Teaching Listening
Language learners use listening as it serves as the
foundation for language development, comprehension,
and identification of relevant/non-relevant information
Listening comprehension needs to be an interactive
process (TPR)
Keep in mind that complete recall of all information is
unrealistic in designing listening activities

7. Teaching Listening
Stages of Listening:
Pre-listening: state the purpose of listening
Listening task: the actual listening for obtaining
information or gist and then doing something with it
Post-listening: allows students to evaluate success in
carrying out the task to integrate listening with other
language skills

8. Teaching Listening
Activities offering practice in
Listening skills development:
Listening to a teacher give instructions
Listening to someone give a planned speech
Listening to someone in an unplanned monologue (i.e.
going on and on about something)
Listening by taking part in a conversation

9. Listening Strategies
techniques that help your students to comprehend and recall
information. Strategies are categorized by how your
students process the information
Top-down strategies
Listener based strategies where the student uses background
knowledge of a topic
Bottom-up strategies
Text-based where the student relies on the language in a text to
derive meaning

10. Teaching Listening
Examples of listening language instruction:
Listening and repeating
Listening/Answering Question
 Task listening

11. Teaching Speaking
Speaking
oral communication used in variety of
situations for a variety of
purposes and audiences (WIDA, 2007)

12. Teaching Speaking
ELL’s speaking needs are related to social conversation,
instructional conversation, and work-related conversation
Speaking requires ESL students to know how to produce
specific points of language such as grammar,
pronunciation, or
vocabulary.
Teaching speaking is challenging

13. Teaching Speaking
Teach speaking around “functional uses”
Prep students before the speaking activity
Drills, answering verbal cues, interactive
conversation, role-plays, oral presentations,
discussions, debates

14. Teaching Reading
Reading
The ability to process, understand, interpret, and
evaluate written language, symbols, and
text with understanding and fluency
(WIDA, 2007)

15. Teaching Reading
We read for a variety of purposes:
Main idea
Learn information
General comprehension
For enjoyment
Goal: gain fluency in silent reading with a high level of
comprehension

16. Teaching Reading
Suggestions
Pre-reading
Do not overload
Use relevant material
Be cognizant of reading levels
Allow dictionaries
Read in pairs

17. Teaching Writing
Writing
written communication used in a variety of
forms for a variety of purposes and audiences
(WIDA, 2007)

18. Teaching Writing
Writing requires skills specific to the process of writing
Most language learners do no unconsciously gain those
skills; they need instruction in them
Learning to write takes time
Meaningful learning and intrinsic motivation

19. Teaching Techniques
Synonymous terms to describe techniques include task,
activity, procedure, practice, exercise, strategy
Task-a specialized form of a technique
Activity-anything learners do in the language classroom
i.e., role-plays, drills, games, songs
Procedure-moment to moment techniques, practices, and
behaviors that operate in teaching a language
Practice/Exercise/Strategies—aka “techniques”
Techniques—various activities that either teachers or
students perform in the classroom

20. Selecting Teaching
Techniques
“Get to know your students”
Pay attention to non-verbal behavior
Select according to appropriate proficiency level
Teach according to your situation

21. Categories of Teaching
Techniques
Manipulative
Techniques are controlled by the teacher
Communicative
Techniques encouraging open-ended and/or unpredictable
responses by students
Both can be used at all proficiency levels

22. Teaching Techniques
Language Drills/Repetitions
Total Physical Response
Games
Songs
Models and Change-outs