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This unit raised many points about course materials that impact any learner, be they taking individual lessons or lessons in a traditional classroom. Without materials, the teacher is just a person without a compass or map. Because students expect materials, choosing engaging ones is crucial; you could lose several students quickly just by being perceived as having nothing from which to teach. As we move more into the digital age, and more publishers focus on digital or hybrid content, I hope that English-teaching classes are managing to resist this trend. As a growing body of research shows, actually writing with pens or pencils and the act of connecting letters greatly improves comprehension. Even though textbooks and worksheets might seem old-fashioned to some learners, it must be the case that having a tactile connection with role-play cards and workbooks or anything to hold and pass around better connects people to the learning process. As the unit states, obviously it is important what is in those materials. Once in a great while, you might encounter a book that is so complete that it barely needs supplementation, but my prior experience working for an educational publisher tells me that this is an anomaly. Differentiation is key; if the materials don't accommodate various levels, it does not matter how eye-catching the engaging dialogue pictures are. I have heard teachers complain about Spanish or French textbooks for the American market that if the photographs looked dated that their students would disengage, but I think with any materials, if the teaching points are well-crafted, it should not really matter if the characters are wearing dated clothes or using old technology. If anything, that could provide a teachable moment. The teacher could point at the picture of someone talking on a wall telephone if the students have smartphones and ask students to discuss the differences - that alone can be tailored for vocabulary about technology, or it can be a grammar point to use \"different from\" and \"the same as\" - a flexible teacher working under budget constraints or inherited materials can make the best of such a situation.
