Curricular Material Design for Engaging English Classes

Posted on Jun 28, 2024 in Teaching & Education

1. Introduction

One of the main functions of teachers is to plan carefully the teaching/learning process as it is set in Order 130/2023 January 23rd. In addition to this, according to the LOMLOE, the Royal Decree 157/2022 and the Decree 61/2022 (in Madrid), the main goal of foreign language teaching is > (general objective f). For this reason, not only the elements of the curriculum have to be adapted to the students’ characteristics, but also the resources used in the teaching-learning process.

As teachers, we must also be involved in the selection of materials and the resources used in our classroom. Nowadays, there’s a wide variety of teaching materials available both in the market and on the Internet, but the best aspect is that currently we also can design materials to introduce in class.

Moreover, the course book usually provides the practical classroom syllabus but it is also necessary to use other supplementary materials (reading texts, audiovisual materials, worksheets, flashcards, etc.) to introduce or review language items.

Throughout this topic, I will deal with the production of curricular materials in the foreign language area. In the second part of the topic, I will analyze the criteria we have to consider to choose the most suitable textbook according to our reality. Later on, I will deal with those materials that can be used to develop our students’ communicative competence. The last part of the topic will be devoted to students’ active participation when elaborating supplementary materials. Finally, I will compile the main ideas in a brief conclusion and I will also enumerate the main bibliography used in the development of this topic.

2. Curricular Material Design for the English Class

As stated in the introduction, there is a wide range of English language teaching materials on the market, which cover many approaches, situations and methodologies. As teachers, we are usually involved in the difficult task of selecting the most appropriate materials for our students. To carry this difficult task out, Harmer (1983) pointed out two main aspects to bear in mind: the approach to be followed and the characteristics of students.

2.a. Variables Affecting the Selection of Materials

On the one hand, the current legislation incorporates the Communicative Approach to develop students’ Communicative Competence.

Therefore, to select materials according to the Communicative Approach, we must first consider the priority of the skills when students are using English since, as the Curriculum establishes (Decree 61/2022), oral skills have to be emphasized over written ones. Secondly, we must select materials that use language as the instrument of communication, present language items within context and contemplate the creation of new learnings from previous ones.

On the other hand, materials should also consider students’ age, knowledge of English, needs, etc.

2.b. Types of Materials to Develop Communicative Competence: Authentic and Non-Authentic Materials

Bearing in mind these aspects, I will explain the two main types of materials we can take advantage of to develop Communicative Competence: authentic materials and non-authentic materials.

Nunan (1988) defines authentic materials as those materials that have been produced for purposes other than teaching language. They can be video clips, recordings of authentic interactions, extracts from television or radio programs, newspapers, magazines, maps, etc.

Authentic materials provide examples of real language, they are very motivating for students that experience a great sense of achievement at having worked with real English and they are a direct link between the class and the world outside the classroom; however, most are very difficult to use with beginner levels, or the topics are not related to students’ interests. Some examples are:

• Printed materials (worksheets, flashcards, board games, posters, comics, projects, labels, etc.).
• Audio-visual materials (online games, videos, online worksheets…).
• Realia: real materials such as coins, magazines and newspapers.

Nowadays, there are many options to design attractive and dynamic materials with websites such as Canva (to create templates), Pixton (to create comics) or MindMeister (to create mind maps).

Moreover, teachers also have access to multiple educational websites where multiple materials are shared and can be adapted (TeachersPayTeachers, Twinkl, Pinterest, Liveworksheets, Genially…).

As far as non-authentic materials are concerned, we can define them as those materials that have been especially designed for teaching purposes. In early stages we should use this type of materials since the language they contain is adapted to the children. Within this type of materials, Harmer (1983) distinguished 2 main types of materials:

1. Artificial Texts: Have been made to illustrate a particular language point at the presentation stage.
2. Simulated Authentic Materials: Seem to be real. They are used because they contribute to the students’ acquisition of communicative competence. Students need to have practice in texts that look authentic to acquire the linguistic skills.

The advantages of using non-authentic materials are that they are easy to handle, and they adapt to the children’s level of competence.

Taking into account all the points studied along this topic, I will briefly deal with the last part of the topic which will be devoted to the involvement of students in material designing.

3. Criteria for the Selection of a Textbook

A very common non-authentic material used in class is the textbook. However, choosing the correct one is one of the most difficult tasks we can find as teachers since, sometimes we cannot appreciate the suitability of a book until we have worked with it. Furthermore, we cannot forget that a textbook provides the classroom with a practical syllabus that contains objectives, contents, activities, evaluation and cross-curricular topics.

Different authors have established some criteria to select the most appropriate textbooks. In this sense, Harmer (1983) prepared an evaluation form divided into different headings that contain a set of questions whose responses were just yes/no as well as an additional comment. Depending on the answers, if there were more positive than negative aspects, it means that the textbook is suitable. These parts are the following:

1. Approach: It should be in line with the demands of the Spanish Educational System, that is, have a communicative aim, treat the transversal contents of the curriculum, include socio-cultural aspects, etc.
2. Organization of the Course: It must distribute the contents proposed for the cycle in RD 157/2022 progressively, from easier to more difficult ones, etc.
3. Practical Considerations: If the textbook is suitable for students, its price, the availability of the rest of the elements (CD’s, workbook, teacher’s book, websites, communication technologies, etc.).
4. Layout and Design: Both elements have to be attractive for students. We cannot forget that students need a visual backup in the presentation of each new language item.
5. Activities: We have to check that there is oral language input and a wide variety of communicative activities within a realistic context.
6. Skills: It must emphasize oral and receptive skills over written and productive ones.
7. Guidance: On the one hand, the textbook has to provide clear explanations about the use of materials for teachers. On the other hand, as far as students are concerned, the materials have to be clear, easy to follow and have well-defined objectives.
8. Complementary Materials: It is important to provide different materials to work on a single content, that is one of the statements of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) orientations, to ensure that all students are exposed to a comprehensible input. Flashcards, workbooks, wall charts, games, puppets, etc. should be valued.

3.a. Advantages of Using a Textbook

Once we have established the main criteria we have to consider when selecting a textbook, it is time to deal with how textbooks should be used. Halliwell (1992) suggested that a textbook helps both, teacher and students in many aspects.

According to this author, a course book helps the teacher in the following aspects:

• It provides a structured and sequenced program.
• It includes a wide range of materials.
• It involves less preparation time.

On the other hand, the advantages of using a textbook for students are the following:

• It gives them a sense of security.
• It enables them to develop autonomous learning.
• It is a reference for checking and reviewing.

Nevertheless, despite using a textbook, we have to prepare some additional practice to reinforce some particular points and even we will also have to go back to revise units with specific difficulties. Moreover, course books have one main drawback since they always use the same structure. Thus, we as teachers have to introduce variety to work on each unit in a different way.

Therefore, it can be stated that one of the main tasks that teachers have to carry out is the elaboration of materials. However, we can take advantage of already explained authentic materials, simulated authentic or different artificial materials apart from the book. Regarding this last one, we can make our students participants of the design as I will explain in the next block.

4. Pupils’ Participation in Materials Design

According to the current Curriculum, students are the center of the learning process. Therefore, as we have to develop student-centered teaching, one of the best ways to take into account their needs and characteristics is by making them active participants in the material design process.

If we get students involved in the design of materials, we will improve their motivation and interest towards the learning process and, consequently, the results will also improve.

Some useful techniques to involve students in such a difficult task are the following:

• Show students the characteristics of the activities that appear in the textbook and ask them to think about designing similar activities.
• Students can also suggest the materials they would like to work with (games, songs…).

But how can our students collaborate in materials design? Bringing photos, brochures, letters, flashcards, a list of words or a storybook. Sometimes materials are not needed, and we can ask students to bring ideas about a new game, a joke or an invented story, etc.

We can’t forget that students are the center of the learning process, for that reason, they are valuable sources for communicative purposes adding freshness and variety in lessons as for example when we use students’ clothes to make a description, asking about their preferences or asking them to share personal information (description of the family, a past story, etc.).

5. Conclusion

As a conclusion, I would like to point out that the English classroom is the place where most learning situations and opportunities for communication take place. For this reason, materials and resources are so important in the creation of meaningful contexts and successful teaching/learning situations.

The course book is, perhaps, the most important source of materials in the English class, but it should not be the only teaching/learning tool.

Moreover, it is also required that children take an active part in producing didactic materials to get involved in the teaching process but also to improve their motivation and interest towards their learning process. If we can apply all these aspects in the teaching/learning process we will be closer to providing our students with a quality education.

6. Bibliography

• Crystal, O. L. D. (2018). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (3rd Reviseded.). Cambridge University Press.
• Hymes, D. (1972). On Comunicative Competence (in Sociolinguistics). Penguin.
• Jakobson, R., & Halle, M. (2017). Fundamentals of Language. Andesite Press