Teaching Learning Materials: The Reviews Coursebooks, Games, Worksheets, Audio Video Files
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Teaching Learning Materials: The Reviews Coursebooks, Games, Worksheets, Audio Video Files
Anak Agung Sagung Shanti Sari Dewi
English Department, Faculty of Arts, Udayana University
Abstract
Teaching learning materials (TLM) has been widely recognised as one of most important components in language teaching to support the success of language learning. TLM is essential for teachers in planning their lessons, assisting them in their professional duty, and use them as rosources to describe instructions. This writing reviews 10 (ten) teaching learning materials in the form of cousebooks, games, worksheets, and audio video files. The materials were chosen randomly and were analysed qualitatively. The discussion of the materials is done individually by presenting their target learners, how they are applied by teachers and students, the aims of the use of the materials, and the role of teachers and learners in different kind of TLM.
Keywords: TLM, teaching, learning, teachers, students
I INTRODUCTION
According to Lewis (2016) teaching learning materials (TLM) refers to “a spectrum of educational materials that teachers use in the classroom to support specific learning objectives, as set out in lesson plan” (k6educators.about.com). It is generally believed that TLM indeed support students learning and the teaching learning success. Besides helping teachers to construct a better lesson plan, TLM also assist teachers professionally, and use them as rosources to describe instructions. For instance, when a teacher decides to teach new vocabularies one day, his teaching materials will help him to set specific learning goals, plan how he will conduct the class and decide what instructions will be best applied.
Teaching learning materials come in many shapes and sizes. In an active based learning, TLM is employd variously so that students can have interactions with each other as much as possible. Games as a fun activity, for example, will keep students engaged and interested in learning a new skill. Similarly, an ilustrated story book used by a teacher as his teaching material for his young language learners, will help his students to not only develop their visual literacy, but also will increase their appreciation of arts. Meanwhile the use of textbooks in the classrooms as a common teacher material will guide teachers and their students in the teaching learning process.
Lingual: Journal of Language & Culture (Volume 7, No.2, November 2016) English Department, Faculty of Arts, Udayana University
This writing focuses on the discussion of 10 (ten) examples of teaching learning materials which were sellected randomly. This writing gives ilustration of who is the target learners of different TLM, how the TLM is applied, the aims of the use of the TLM, and the role of teachers and learners in different kind of TLM.
II MATERIALS AND METHOD
This study adopted library reseach technique which was done by collecting the data from 10 (ten) rosources which relate the topic. They include coursebooks, games, worksheets and audio video files as follows:
A book composed by Redston and Cunningham (2006) entitled face2face.
New Cutting Edge which was written by Cunningham et al (2005).
96 games for beginners in ESL: Secondary Beginners Materials
ESLgold.com,
Teaching Grammar with Fun.
Tell us what you did in the past. In www.esl-galaxy.com & http://www.english-4kids.com/
Can I borrow your…? In http://www.churchillhouse.co.uk,
sport, with sixteen kinds of sports vocabulary provided.in Worldwidecopyright.com Say 2 things about the picture game which was taken from www.english-4kids.com). A audio video file taken fromTolearnEnglish.com
The collected data was then analysed descriptively in order to give a review of the use of the teaching learning materials: their target learners, their applications, their aims, and the role of teachers and learners in their implication.
III RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The first English teaching resource discussed in this writing is a book composed by Redston and Cunningham (2006) entitled face2face. As a general English course book for pre-intermediate level of young adult and adult students, this book is designed with its focus on developing students‘functional and social language need in their day-to day communication. The educational principle behind this resource is to develop learners’ ability to communicate effectively in today’s world.
Indeed, the common goal of communicative language teaching is to bring language learners into closer contact with the target language (Zimmerman, in Coady and Huckin, 1997, p.10). And by the application of communicative language teaching in the classroom, the lessons presented in the book can be enriched by adding some more materials which emphasis ‘communication through interaction’ in order to develop students’ competence with sufficient proficiency in communication.
The second resource is a student book of New Cutting Edge which was written by Cunningham et al (2005). This elementary level course book combines the comprehensive syllabus and teaching resources which does not only focus its lessons on the four English skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), but also on the grammar and vocabulary building. Similar to the first resource, this book also brings the real world to the classroom as well as organizes such activities, tasks and practice in meaningful contexts.
According to Littlewood (1982, p. 22), one of the roles of teacher in functional communication activities is to set up situation of information gap in which the students have to overcome, or structure a situation of a problem solving. Since the book also consists of those activities in several lessons, hence, the classroom should consist of no more than 20 students. This will enable the teacher to monitor and assess the development of every student effectively in attaining the goal of the language learning.
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96 games for beginners in ESL: Secondary Beginners Materials is the third book which is taken as the resource discussed in this writing. The games provided in the book are designed for the language development of secondaryaged learners of non-English native speakers in the beginning level. There are six games sections involved in the book, namely: structural/functional games and communication games which were designed to develop students communication skills using language the students may already have; vocabulary games which states the vocabulary items with main structures covered, as well as pronunciation practice; maths games and science games which consist of maths and science topic to develop students ability to communicate in those areas.
Games can promote the communicative ability in language learning. “Even if the game involves discrete language items, such as a spelling game, meaningful communication takes place as students seek to understand how to play the game and as they communicate about the game: before, during, and after the game” (Wright, Betteridge, & Buckby, 2005 in www.georgejacobs.net/MIArticles/Games%20for%20Language%20teaching.d oc).
The fourth resource, which was taken from a website: ESLgold.com, provides some practice of students’ English skills. One material was picked to be discussed in this writing regarding grammar knowledge for high intermediate level students: Continuous Conditional. In this resource, students are given adequate explanation of how the conditional can be applied in sentences as well as the types of continuous conditional which each has its different form and function before they proceed to the exercise section. For example, there two forms of Present Unreal Conditional + Continuous they are
If-clause: [were + present participle] and Result: [would be + present participle]. These forms are used to discuss imaginary situations which could be happening at the time of the speaking.
It has been widely agreed that as computer-related technology develops, it assists learners to endorse their learning. It helps to develop students’ metacognitive skill (Simonson &Thompson, 1997, p. 7) which refers to self knowledge awareness and cognitive control during problem solving (Montaque, 1992, in Simonson &Thompson, 1997, p. 8). Indeed, such material as has been briefly explained above may become a support for students who wish to improve their knowledge of English independently.
Another teaching resource is Teaching Grammar with Fun. This activity focuses on grammar/language structure with its objective is to practice wh-question form. There are two parts involved in the activity, they are: accuracybased pairwork matching activity that is done by filling in the gaps with the correct form of auxiliary verb in wh- questions; and communicative mingling activity which is to practice students’ fluency in using wh- questions.
As Birns (1984, in http://www.monografias.com/trabajos18/the-communicative-approach/the-communicative-approach.shtml#what) asserted that language is an interpersonal activity which involves interaction and that has obvious connection with society, this kind of activity is perceived to be suitable to be applied in elementary level classroom of secondary / adult learners, which will help to promote learners improvement in using effective English in their communication.
The sixth resource was taken from www.esl-galaxy.com & http://www.english-4kids.com/ under the title Tell us what you did in the past. As a ‘talking football’ board game, this material targets young learners of all levels and all class sizes and is aiming at practicing simple past tense by joining the verbs with words of time and appropriate expression. Since the pictures on the board was designed as the learners are likely to encounter the real football field and are equipped with football equipment such as balls and cards (yellow and red cards), this game becomes interesting. This activity will promote learners’ communicative competence in their language learning. As quoted from http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pdf_extract/XXXII/4/270, when learners are continuously provided by enough real life situations, gradually, the teachers will experience to see the real use of the language by the learners.
This resource, which was taken from http://www.churchillhouse.co.uk, is another activity that targets young learners with its goal is to develop learners fluency in using English Under the topic Can I borrow your…? , the students play the card game by collecting as many groups of objects as possible. During
the game, the students have to produce some expression regarding the topic (they ask and give response) and the one who has the most group (of the object) is the winner.
Games proffer students a fun and relaxing atmosphere (http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Chen-Games.html). While playing games most participants will make efforts to win, and do not pay much attention to the correctness of linguistic forms. This helps them to ease the fear of negative judgment, in which is one of the primary factors that inhibits them from using the target language with others (Horwitz and Cope 1986, in http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Chen-Games.html). The use of such a game described in the previous paragraph can reduce students’ anxiety, as well as encourage their speech fluency that will support the achievement of the language learning.
Learning English pronunciation was chosen to be the eighth resource to be discussed in this assignment. The material was taken from Worldwidecopyright.com with the target learners is low beginners and very young learners. The topic is sport, with sixteen kinds of sports vocabulary provided. It is presented in a very simple way, that is by only clicking a word and there will be a voice pronouncing the word heard. In order to support the learners’ learning, each word in this material is completed with stressed syllables which helps learners to produce correct pronunciation of English words.
Many teachers have been avoiding giving a special time for pronunciation teaching. But, some believe that learners should learn pronunciation as a basic in communication. (http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/Articles/Teaching_Pronunciation.htm) . Some materials are now provided to make the drills (the way how to teach pronunciation) more fun and less stressful. And as for parents who do not feel satisfied with their children’s’ English pronunciation (which they learn at school) can provide the kind activity explained in the first paragraph, to support their children’s English language acquisition.
Another game which will support students’ fluency and confidence in using English to communicate is Say 2 things about the picture game (taken from www.english-4kids.com). In this game students take turns to roll the dice, and say two sentences about the picture where they land. The motivation to win the game will give the students confidence to practice their language that will promote their fluency in target language communicating.
The excitement roused while students are playing games offer another variety to the serious process of language learning. ((Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000 in www.georgejacobs.net/MIArticles/Games%20for%20Language%20teaching.d
oc). The Say 2 things about the picture game can be applied in young learners’ language learning in order to add interest which will maintain their efforts to learn.
The last resource was taken from TolearnEnglish.com, which is similar to resource four, is designed for learners who want to learn English autonomously. In this resource, there are audio video files provided in which the students can choose according to their topic of interest. One material under the topic active and passive voices gives the students pictures of how the voices are used in sentences. Firstly, they are given indirectly, by means that the students listen to some active/passive sentences in a story. But then some written examples are provided which will help learners to have a better understanding on the uses and forms.
When computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is introduced to help teachers to optimize their teaching materials and language learning with the support of computer (Dunkel, 1991) it is actually parallel to activate the students learning. Some resources provided in the internet can be utilized by teachers as supplement materials to be given to students in order to enrich the students’ knowledge in their language learning.
IV CONCLUSION
As a spectrum of educational materials that are used by teachers, teaching learning materials indeed give supoort to the achievement of the learning objectives. From the 10 (ten) TLM discussed above it can be concluded that there are indeed various kind of them which are applied in diffrent techniques with different instructions to achieve different specific aims.They, in fact, support the dunamic atmosphere in the classroom, which will bring about advantages to the success of the learning. With dufferent applications of instructions and teaching learning materials, the learning activities will be seen as a fun and interesting process and will give positive impact to those who involve in it.
REFERENCES
Cunningham, S., Moor, P., & Carr, C. (n.d.) New Cutting Edge: Elementary.
England: Pearson Longman.
Karmel, J., (1984). 96 games for beginners in ESL: Secondary Beginners Materials. Australia: Australian Government Publishing Service.
Lewis, Beth., (2016). TLM – Teavhing Learning Materials. Retrieved October 15, 2016 from (k6educators.about,com)
Littlewood, W., (1982). Communicative Language Teaching- An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Reddston, C., & Cunningham, G. (2005). Face2Face. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Communicative language teaching. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communicative_language_teaching.
Communicative Approach. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11, 2009, from
(http://www.aber.ac.uk/~mflwww/seclangacq/langteach9.html)
English4kids (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2009, from http://www.english-
4kids.com/
Teaching Pronunciation. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2009, from
(http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/Articles/Teaching_Pronunciat ion.htm
The Communicative Approach in English as a Foreign Language. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11, 2009, from
Lingual: Journal of Language & Culture (Volume 7, No.2, November 2016) English Department, Faculty of Arts, Udayana University
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