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This section covers the different types of material we have available to use for our class. It also touches on what we as teachers should be aware of when using course books such as difficulty. Starting off we want to be aware that there are two different forms of materials we can use as a teacher which are as follows: authentic materials or created materials. Authentic materials is material that we can find in our everyday lives which is focused on more relevant information. Newspapers, magazines and songs for example are all authentic materials and could be great for student use as they are relevant to the current time and age which could spark more interest in students. However the fact that they aren’t designed for EFL students could prove difficult to select the right level of material that reflects the students difficulty level. Created materials are all designed by teacher to replace or supplement material from a course book. They can be graded to the level of the students. These materials commonly consist of crosswords, word search puzzles, gap fill activities and picture stories. Course books are great to use as they can provide security for both students and teachers alike. It allows less time to be spent on creating a new syllabus and materials from the start. If the course book is well designed it should have a good balance between grammar, vocabulary and skill work. There are several disadvantages from using course books such as is doesn’t always fit the specific needs of students. It can also cause the teacher to become lazy as they seek not to keep the class interested with new working material and might demotivate learning progress. It can also prevent the teacher from analyzing particular problems that the students might encounter. When planning a lesson, course books can allow teachers to adapt the material in such a way to spark more interest in students. It allows teachers to find new ways to match the book to students needs. This will allow the lesson to be planned around the students and not completely focus on the book. For a teacher to adapt the book to the students needs we can use 4 of the following options: omit, replace, supplement or adapt. Lastly its crucial that we analyze the books before using them for the class. These are just a few of the following factors we need to keep in mind when choosing the right book. Make sure it is locally available and is affordable for all students in the area. The methodology should have a good balance between study and activation. There should be a vast use of skills within the book that practices the students writing, reading, listening and speaking. Lastly its important to make sure that the syllabus is of the right level to the students language difficulty.
