University of Social Sciences and Humanities Subject: Teaching Practice 2
TESOL Cert. Program- Module 2 Instructor: Mr. Nguyen Dang Nguyen
PERSONAL REFLECTION PAPER
Writer: Vũ Thị Phương Linh
Topic: How have you been aware of pedagogical applications of textbooks to meet
learners’ needs?
Today, with the rapid development of technology, teachers are allowed to take
advantage of many different external sources to facilitate their lessons in order to meet
the students’ needs. Specifically, teaching and learning languages are no longer limited
only in textbooks; however, it is still essential for teachers to be aware of applying
pedagogy in using available materials so that students can develop their language aspects
as well as language skills to the fullest.
Pedagogical instructions given by teachers can help students not only gain deeper
learning of language focuses in textbooks, but also apply that use of language to their
daily lives, and to their own personal experience.
In fact, teachers may only be given textbooks without any professional
development or additional curriculum resources which can be challenging for them to get
students involved all the time in class. It can also be difficult if the textbook is outdated
or not well-designed in terms of instructional practice. Moreover, having students who
may be at different levels of English in class is another common situation teacher often
have to handle. As a result, compulsory textbooks hardly fit everyone’s proficiency in
class. Therefore, students who find the contents are not up to their levels will easily get
bored while learners who cannot catch up with the others are likely to give up. That is
the reason why educators should know how to adapt the textbooks to engage all students
in class activities.
First of all, contextualization is of great importance to enhance students’
understanding of what they are going to learn at the beginning of every unit. Particularly,
it is far more important for teachers to help students realize the contexts in which the
language is used than only teach them separate aspects and skills as listed in the textbook
one by one. Consequently, by the end of the unit, students will be able to apply
vocabulary and grammar structures they have learned to produce something about
specific topics. In other words, students are expected to develop their four language skills
as the learning output from the through task-based activities included in textbooks. In the
old days, traditional teachers emphasized on students’ learning by heart new words and
grammar rules for little practical use, but for tests and examinations only. This way of
learning and teaching has gradually developed students’ negative attitude towards
English because they find it is no use studying a language without being able to use it in
real life. In contrast, if students can apply what have been taught into producing both
spoken or written projects, they will find learning a language much more enjoyable.
Secondly, there are several ways to make the lesson more interesting by replacing
parts of textbooks with more culturally familiar and real-life topics. Sometimes, topics
discussed in given textbooks are not interesting enough to get students involved. In that
situation, teachers can revise tasks in textbooks and personalize them based on students’
interests and experience. For example, teachers can supply some texts about the world’s
hottest issues from authentic newspapers, magazines or websites in teaching reading and
then ask students to make an outline of what they have read and even design some
questions to test their critical thinking. Furthermore, learners can also apply these
knowledge from these extra reading texts to develop their speaking and writing skills
through pairs, groups or individual works. Also, young learners nowadays may prefer
popular songs to designed audios in the books when study listening. Thus, teachers can
choose song with lyrics relating to the topic and create some activities for students to
practice listening skills. This does not only help students have some fun in studying but
also expose them to grammar structures used in the songs which is a good illustration of
integrating skills in teaching language.
Last but not least, making use of technology in education and teaching languages
is a necessary skill that every 21st- century teacher should master. Nowadays, there are
thousands of online sources such as videos, websites and applications that support
learning languages, especially English. This makes it more essential for educators to be
aware of combining textbooks’ content and online materials in planning their lessons. To
some extent, E-learning allows students to have a more enjoyable learning experience
and provide a good opportunity to develop their self-study skills as well. Instead of
teaching only what are mentioned in textbooks, teachers can assign students some online
projects to help them better consolidate what they have learned at home. Specifically,
educators can create some quizzes or assignments by using Google Form or Google
Classroom to check students’ understanding about something already discussed in class.
More importantly, students should also be taught how to do online research as well as
choose authentic online materials to support their studies at school. By doing so, students
can get access to a wider sources of knowledge and are no longer limited in their own
learning.
In summary, students’ needs in the modern society are not only to expand their
knowledge base, but also to understand how to use that knowledge in authentic and
relevant real-world scenarios and contexts, as well as connect concepts from lessons with
situations in their own lives. Thanks to this, they can advance their critical thinking,
effective communication and greater autonomy as well. Therefore, pedagogical
applications of using textbook is no longer focus only on basic memorization but
integrating skills development through task-based learning method. This requires the
ability of educators to contextualize the language, adapt the textbook to make it more
suitable for their students’ culture, personal interests and experience as well as use
technology efficiently in teaching English.
