Teach English in GAoba Zhen - Wuwei Shi

Unit 17 introduces the most commonly utilized teaching equipment in TEFL classrooms. All equipment has its own set of advantages and disadvantages and should therefore be used as a supplement to a coursebook and in conjunction with a number of others to best serve both teachers and students. A whiteboard or blackboard is probably the most used piece of classroom equipment. It will likely be utilized in some form in every lesson. When using the board, instructors must be sure to pre-plan any information to be written (paper reference can greatly aid with this throughout a class session), make sure writing is large and neat, keep the board organized by concept or topic as much as possible, utilize different colors and underling to highlight key concepts and points, only write essential material, write material accurately, keep board clear of irrelevant information when moving to a new topic and finally, make sure the board is clear at the end of a lesson for following instructors. Interactive whiteboards, or IWB, incorporate computer technologies into a whiteboard either through an actual screen or projections. They offer all the benefits of a physical board while allowing combinations with newer applications. Due to the unpredictable nature of new technologies, it is essential that the instructor makes him or herself as familiar with the IWB as possible before class and always have backup materials prepared in the event of failure. Overhead projectors utilize prepared overhead transparencies to provide an alternative to board writing in presenting a lesson. Transparencies also allow the instructor to edit and add to them as issues arise during a class period. Visual aids refer to any real object, photograph or picture brought in to supplement or replace a written instruction materials. They provides benefits over board work in that they provide a visual focus for students and are more likely to elicit verbal responses during appropriate classroom activities. Worksheets and cards are most effective to supplement coursebook materials during study phases. They can be included as part of a coursebook, created by an instructor or found from outside sources. Audio materials can take the form of cassettes, recorders, CDs, podcasts and mp3 files. Although not stated outright in the material, I would assume that cassettes and recorders are now almost completely outdated and replaced by digital media, such as mp3s and digital recorders, providing the same function of giving students practice in listening comprehension and the ability to record their own speech both during and outside class. CDs provide similar benefits but with the bonus of greater control over playback than tapes. Some coursebooks may include CD for use in conjunction with other materials. Podcasts can provide real, authentic examples of conversations topics which are relevant and interesting to students. Videos, DVDs and video recording offer many of the same benefits as audio materials but also provide a visual focus for students which may greatly aid in focus and retention. It is important that the instructor insures a classroom is properly equipped and arranged so that any video materials can be properly viewed and heard by the entire class. Video recording offers these same benefits in relation to audio recording and with the proliferation of smartphones allows recording to be easily accessible to and undertaken by most students for activities outside of class. Dictionaries act as a vital resource for student comprehension, both English-English and native language to English. While native language to English dictionaries are a near requirement for lower level courses, their use should be discouraged in more advanced courses in favor of pure English-English texts to aid in understanding of meaning and pronunciation. Resource books are any additional textual sources used to aid in instruction. They may be published by the same institution as a coursebook or maintained by a school in order to aid instructors and supplement course work. The increase in accessible computers in many parts of the world provides a major resource to schools and classroom able to afford them. Computers incorporate the functions and benefits of many other pieces of classroom equipment into a single unit and additionally provide access to external sources of study aid such as email correspondence with other students and instructors, access to online resources such as podcasts, Youtube videos, research and study websites, online study games and activities, libraries and online dictionaries. Despite all of these benefits, it is essential that an instructor does not rely too heavily on computers if they happen to be available and still keep a variety in terms of how lessons are delivered to students and the types of communication which take place in the classroom.