As you visit classrooms, you probably notice that most, if not all, of those classrooms use a standard textbook series. The reasons for this are many, depending on the design and focus of the curriculum, the mandates of the administration, and/or the level of expertise on the part of classroom teachers. | ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES For teachers: Provide consistent syllabus, well-chosen vocabulary, language exposure For students: Reassuring: preparation and review of lessons Providing visualization Not always appropriate for teacher and learners Boring, stifling Omitting Replacing Adding Adapting Omitting – not use a lesson from textbook (use ‘pick-and-choose’ approach instead) Replacing – use teacher’s own materials dealing with the same language or topic. Adding – for more motivated and engaging activities with the language or topic. Adapting – use the same basic materials in another way What we can do with a static collection of words: Personal engagement: focus on meanings Discussion +guiding questions Which words have a positive meaning? Which words have negative meaning? List 5 favorite words from the list What we can do with a static collection of words: Word study: focus on pronunciation, word formation, word combination Elicitation Make a list of words which are stressed on . | ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES For teachers: Provide consistent syllabus, well-chosen vocabulary, language exposure For students: Reassuring: preparation and review of lessons Providing visualization Not always appropriate for teacher and learners Boring, stifling Omitting Replacing Adding Adapting Omitting – not use a lesson from textbook (use ‘pick-and-choose’ approach instead) Replacing – use teacher’s own materials dealing with the same language or topic. Adding – for more motivated and engaging activities with the language or topic. Adapting – use the same basic materials in another way What we can do with a static collection of words: Personal engagement: focus on meanings Discussion +guiding questions Which words have a positive meaning? Which words have negative meaning? List 5 favorite words from the list What we can do with a static collection of words: Word study: focus on pronunciation, word formation, word combination Elicitation Make a list of words which are stressed on first, second, and third syllable How many adjectives can be changed into verbs? Make new words by matching the ones in the list. Setting a situation: A customer complained to the head office of “The Old Trusted Bank” The bank manager was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt when meeting customers. Why did he do it? What’s wrong with it? The students write telephone dialogues and then act them out.
