Teaching Materials in EIL and Evaluation of Coursebooks | 21st century Skills Training and Project Based Learning

    Hi folks! How have you been? Today, I'll be sharing my reflections on Week 6, which was the last session of our first module. I still remember our first meeting in this training program. I have always been eager to attend to the meetings and been looking forward to get in discussions. The team was full of bright ideas and I was always learning something new or extending my ideas. I also sincerely thank our dear instructor Melda Yılmaz. It was a very well-structured program: each activity, each detail was created and selected on purpose. I have learned a lot in this process. Now, it is time to apply what I have learned.

    In this session, webasically talked about EIL (English as an International Language). We based our discussions on Aya Matsuda's Teaching Materials in EIL (I highly suggest you to read it to learn about material evaluation) The main aim of EIL is to prepare the learners to use English in order to become a part of globalized world.

    The key point of this session was to help our students develop awareness of and sensitivity toward differences and learn to respect them. I learned that coursebooks do not reflect the complex reality of English today. Most of them select British or American English as the model language, which is totally ok as long as learners are prepared to encounter other varieties of English as well. We analyzed some coursebooks both before and during the session. While some of them succeeded in reflecting intercultural differences and global topics, some were focused on only British or American cultures. The missing point in all of them was the local culture which was again normal since the coursebooks were not created by Turkish authors. Therefore, teachers should supplement additional materials such as newspapers, scripts, audiovisual materials, official and personal websites to compansate these points. Having familiar contexts, starting with what students already know facilitates the learning process. 

    Coursebooks are not the only materials teachers have. We can make use of anything as a material yet we should be careful selecting them as they are the input that support students with global issues. The variety of language and its appropriateness to students' needs and local context, raising awareness about linguistic diversity and variety of cultural elements and price should be taken into consideration while getting materials. The materials may not be enough sometimes just as I mentioned above. In those cases, we need supplemental materials to cover our students' needs. While selecting supplemental materials, we should, firstly, identify the learners' needs, check whether they meet the needs of the students and decide how to fill in those gaps. To identify the needs of our students, we can ask their opinions about the lesson and materials at the beginning of the course or we can even conduct surveys.

    At the end of this session, I learned that exposure to different registers and styles allow students to understand that English is heterogenous and dynamic just as their own language. I also created an activity based on global language issues with my group members. I will share the activity in my following blog post. So, keep in touch with me, take care and stay safe! Love ya!

Zey.