The most updated learning theories show that foreign language learning should be Student- centered. This approach suggests educators to take care of how learners work, what they need and what their interests are. When teaching English as a foreign language, materials and other pedagogical tools must be developed according to the specific group of learners’ needs in order to address students appropriately and effectively. Teachers must focus on their specific teaching situation.
There has been a need to adapt, create, and adopt different materials to support the lessons. Nowadays, there is an endless list of materials that helps students engage in their learning, and it is the instructor’s task to evaluate it to benefit students directly. In addition, selecting materials is not an easy job; it has become a real challenge. The idea of designing the best materials lies upon how well teachers know their students and having clear goals, objectives and principles.
The most updated learning theories show that foreign language learning should be Student- centered. This approach suggests educators to take care of how learners work, what they need and what their interests are. When teaching English as a foreign language, materials and other pedagogical tools must be developed according to the specific group of learners’ needs in order to address students appropriately and effectively. Teachers must focus on their specific teaching situation.
This task becomes more interesting with the use of complementary materials. When materials are used properly, they become a trigger of opportunities for learners. Materials should be authentic and must invite students to use the foreign language to succeed in real-life situations and in their classroom environment. However, I cannot teach a course based on a textbook only. I need to understand that textbooks are massive material; they are not designed for our specific teaching situation. On the other hand, textbooks do have many other advantages. When selecting a textbook, I usually pay attention or just think about the main objectives of the course, the learners’ level, age, motivation, cultural clues, publishing date, and practicality to modify activities according to a student’s specific situation, content, and syllabus. In addition, if the textbook has interactive activities, flexibility to add or change particular aspects, an affordable price, a clear layout, illustrations and clear language usage I would take the advantages of using it. In selecting materials teachers need training, or at least taking a look at Tomlinson’s principles of materials development.
Pedagogical materials do have a great positive impact on students' language skills. I hope teachers motivate themselves to create or adapt their own material to really meet learners' needs.
