An explanation about how to choose the best materials for your English class.

1. SELECTION AND USE OF
COURSEBOOK MATERIALS
Unit 24
Mondaca Sifuentes Paulina Elena

2. Coursebook materials are all the materials in a
coursebook package that we use in the classroom to
present and practice language, and to develop
learners’ language skills.
What are coursebook materials ?

3. A coursebook package usually includes a student’s book,
a teacher’s book, and audio and/or video recordings.
What includes a coursebook package ?

4. The teacher’s book often includes :
➔ the tapescript( the words learners hear).
➔ Audio script or transcript (the written version
of exactly what learners hear on these
recordings).
➔ Lesson plans
➔ Extra or suggested activities
➔ Audio and video recordings
➔ A workbook or activity book ( extra material
practice)
➔ CD-ROM or extra material on a website.

5. Teachers base their selection of teaching materials on a needs analysis. In
other words, a study of learners’ level, language needs and interests, using
questionnaires, interviews or diagnostic tests.
The teacher task is to select the material that best matches the description of
all the learners in the class. This information from the needs analysis helps to
build a class profile.
How do we select and use coursebook materials?

6. ➔ Is the material visually attractive ?
➔ Is the material well organized ?
➔ Is it culturally appropriate?
➔ Is it suitable for young learners’ age
and their needs and interest?
What questions should we ask, when selecting
teaching materials?

7. ➔ Will the topic(s) be motivating to suit
the age, gender, experience and
personal interests of your learners?
➔ Is the material at the right level ?
➔ Does it give learners enough
opportunities to use the language ?
What questions should we ask, when selecting
teaching materials?

8. If the answer to any of these questions is no...
➔ Replace with materials keeping the same focus/aim from another
book or resource (supplementary materials).
➔ Adapt the course material, in some way to make it suitable for
learners.

9. ➔ Extending material
➔ Shortening material
➔ Changing the methodology
➔ Changing the level of the material
➔ Reordering material
➔ Making use of all the resources in the book
Strategies to adapt materials

10. Extending material
Problems
➔ The task or exercise is too short.
➔ The learners need more practice
Possible solutions
➔ Write extra items, following the
same pattern.

11. Shortening material
Problem
➔ The task or exercise is too
long.
Possible solution
➔ Give different parts of the
text or task to different
learners.

12. Changing the methodology
Problem
➔ The task doesn’t suit the learners’
learning style.
Possible solution
➔ Change the interaction pattern,
e.g. use a matching tasks as a
mingling activity ( learners move
around to found their partners).

13. Changing the level of the material
Problem
➔ The texts or tasks are too easy
or too difficult.
Possible solution
➔ Make material more/less
challenging.

14. Reordering material
Problem
➔ The activities in the units in the
book always follow the same
sequence.
Possible solution
➔ Change the order of the
material, e.g. ask learners to
cover up a page or part of a
page, so that they focus on what
you want them to do first.

15. Making use of all the resources in the book.
Problem
➔ There is not enough practice
material in a particular unit
Possible solution
➔ Use extra material from the
book: grammar summaries,
word lists, lists of irregular
verbs, etc.

16. Coursebooks vs teachers
Coursebook provides:
➔ Situation/ Context
➔ Pictures
➔ Dialogues (conversations between
two people) and texts.
➔ Task and exercises
Teacher provides:
➔ Warmers
➔ Instructions
➔ Role- plays
➔ Homework tasks

17. References
➔ Brown, H. D. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language
pedagogy. Pearson Education.
➔ Spratt, M., Pulverness, A., & Williams, M. (2011). The TKT Course Modules 1, 2
and 3 (TKT Course). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
doi:10.1017/CBO9781139062398j