WEEK 1

Personal Reflection
1. What do you think are “materials for language learning and teaching”? Try to use your own
words to show your understanding?
2. How do you usually use textbooks in teaching? / How do you see your teachers/peersusse
textbook in their teaching?
3. What do you think about using TED Talks videos, movie cuts, etc. for language teaching?
Language teaching
- TRADITIONAL: Overt presentation of information
- UPDATED: Anything done by materials developers or teachers to facilitate the learning
of language. (Tomlinson, 2011)
- Teaching can be:
+ direct (transmitting information overtly)
+ indirect (helping learners discover things themselves)
+ pre-emptive (aiming to prevent problems)
+ facilitative (helping learners do something)
+ responsive (responding to a language need when it occurs)
+ remedial (aiming to remedy problems)
- Awareness: learners do not learn what teachers teach but what they want and need to learn.
- Teachers:
+ implementers of materials
+ providers of opportunities for learning
+ givers of knowledge

Language learning

- Learning can be: (Tomlinson, 2011)

+ explicit (learners aware of when and what they are learning)
+ implicit (learners not aware of when and what they are learning)
+ of declarative knowledge (knowledge about the language system)
+ of procedural knowledge (knowledge of how language is used)
- Received declarative knowledge vs. Discovered awareness

+ helping learners receive knowledge + giving learners sample of the

about language items/features they are language in use (ideally those
learning perceived to be relevant and engaging)
+ assumptions: the knowledge helping + making them stimulated to make
them understand and produce language discoveries themselves about how a
+ problem: partial, not perceived as language feature is used
interesting/useful, unlikely to become + Language Awareness Approach
intake facilitating acquisition and
effective use
Materials: anything used to facilitate the learning/acquisition of a language (instructional
materials)

- Textbooks
- Institutionally prepared materials
- Teachers’ own materials, etc.

Basis for: learners’ language input and learners’ language practice

- Forms of materials: linguistic, visual, auditory, kinesthetic

- Presentation formats of materials: print, audios, videos, CD-ROMs, Internet, Live
performance, display
- Function of materials:
+ as a source of language – instructional
+ as a learning support – experiential
+ for motivation and stimulation – elicitative
+ for reference – exploratory

Roles of materials:

- A resource for presentation materials (spoken and written)

- A source of activities for learner practice and communication interaction
- A reference source for learners on grammar, voc, pronunciation, etc.
- A syllabus (reflecting learning objectives that have already been determined)
- A support for less experienced teachers

For teachers: primary teaching source, basis for content of lessons, balance of skills, kinds of
language practice
For learners: major source of contact with language

 Authentic materials: not design for language learning and teaching (for communication
instead): magazines, newspapers, recorded conversations, photographs, etc.
 Produce in order to communicate rather than to teach
 Authentic tasks: involving the learners in communicating to achieve an outcome, rather
than to practice the language. (tasks that learners are going to perform in real-life
settings)
 Non-authentic materials: designed and intended for language learning and teaching:
textbooks, CDs, etc.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using authentic materials in language teaching???
Tasks vs. Exercises

- Meaning-focused - Language used as a means

- Language used to achieve an outcome - Form-based
 - To practice “correct language - Language used as an end
production”

Personal Reflection: Are there any differences between Materials Development and Teaching
Methodology/Teaching Practice

BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
R
 1. Is there any difference between “coursebooks” and “textbooks”?
2. Why is it important to consider the availability of core components in a coursebook
package?
3. What factor(s) of a coursebook (package) should be examined when we consider it
for use? Why?
4. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of using coursebooks?

COURSEBOOKS
All the materials are public for language teaching and learning are called textbooks (a lot of fields)
e.g. Solutions (in general)
But when we consider deciding to use it for teaching called coursebooks. Any textbook ca become
a coursebook. (focus only on language teaching and learning – multi-skill syllabus)
- Coursebook has the other name is Students’ book
e.g. We choose Solutions to teach English (focus on teaching English’s aspects)

Coursebook package: Students’ book, Teacher’s book, Workbook, CDs, digital resources
2. Student’s book provide the main context
Teacher’s book provide instruction for teacher to make their teaching freely
3..Language contents: skills (LSRW), items (GVP)
- Levels: language or cognition RELEVANT & APPROPRIATE to learners (need, cognitive
level, language proficiency level)
- Outcomes/Objectives:
- Continuity/Progression: sequencing & grading
- Recycling: repeated exposure (progressively implemented)

Arguments AGAINST using coursebooks:

- Not catering for all students’ needs
- Limiting teachers’ creativity and initiative
- Limiting language exposure
- Content/examples may not be relevant/appropriate
- Content may not be at the right level
- There may be too much focus on one or more aspects of language and not enough on others
- There may not be a right mix of activities
- Activities, readings, visuals, etc. may be boring
 - The material may be outdated
- The timetable for completing the tasks unrealistic

MATERIALS FOR TEACHING VOCABULARY

1. What have you known/learned about vocabulary teaching?
2. What do you think are the most important issues in teaching vocabulary?
__________________________
1. Active/passive vocab, what words to teach, topic, frequency,
- Meaning, use in context, form [spelling, pronunciation]

How do we decide what words to teach? – using technology, think, evaluate, they are suitable.
appropriate or not
- Thousands of different words >< a limited amount of class time
- Teaching most USEFUL words to learners
- Usefulness
Beginner level: Essential Word List (1st 1000 – K-1)
Intermediate level: 2nd and 3rd 1000-word frequency level (K-2)
Advanced level: according to needs (AWL)
What does teaching vocab involve? – spelling – pronunciation –

How we teach vocabulary?

Output: productive
General rule: 1 (completely/substantially) unfamiliar word iin 50 running words (not literally
Có dủ 4 kiểu hoạt động trải dài 4 strands of
EXAMPLES: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
1. Memorize the correct meaning and form of target words about ưeather
2. Accurately recall the meaning and form of target words in simple written and spoken
weather reports
3. Use target words to describe the weather in certain places
SEQUENCE: An example lesson plan
A1 Ask Ss to think about a place for their weekend vacation
Ask them to list the info about the place they need to know
 Introduce the topic: Weather
A2 Provide the input: written sentences including target words (with clear context)
Ask Ss to read the sentences and discuss in pairs/groups the meaning of target ửods
Give Ss pictures/images relevant to target words: Ss match words with pictures/images
A3 Give Ss simple weather descriptions from which target words are used but have been removed
Have Ss work in pairs/groups to fill in gaps with target words
Confirm answer
A4 Have Ss listen to audio weather reports
Have Ss read weather reports aloud
A5 Ask Ss to use weather apps/webs to search for weather forecast in their chosen place (A1)
Ss use info to discuss what to bring/do on their vacation
A6 Wrap-up

APPROACHES TO TEACHING READING

1. Comprehension-based approaches

2. Language-based approaches
3. Skill/Strategy based approaches
4. Schema-based approaches
TEACHING LISTENING
1. TOP-DOWN
2. BOTTOM-UP
3. TOP-DOWN
4. TOP-DOWN
 ORDERING ACTIVITIES IN A LISTENING LESSON
1. Play recording; Ss then compare answers in pairs; tell me their answer. If
correct, continue; if not, play recording again, etc.
2. Play recording; Ss then compare answers in pairs; tell me their answer. If
correct, continue; if not, play recording again, etc.
3. Play recording; Ss then compare answers in pairs; tell me their answer. If
correct, continue; if not, play recording again, etc.
4. Lead into a communicative activity based around the topic of travel
problems.
5. Set task: “How many people are speaking”, “Where are they?”
6. Introduce topic: long-distance buses; discuss a little: “Anyone been on one
in England or the United States?”
7. Set task: “Here is your bus ticket” (different destinations for different
students). “Which bus number must you catch?”
8. Set task: “Why is the old lady worried?” “What suggestion would you make?”
(The task requires listening to and interpreting a longish section of the
recording.)
9. Show picture of bus station. “Where do you think this is?”, “What’s
happening?”, etc.