DIDACTIC MATERIALS
The teaching materials used to facilitate the learning process must maintain coherence with other elements of a curriculum: objectives, content, methodology and evaluation of teaching and learning.
The development of curriculum materials will depend on several factors: the learning objectives, the students’ needs, the mental processes that we wish to strengthen or the social environment in which they will be used.
To select didactic materials we must wonder if:
Therefore, the selection of the manual or textbook depends on our way of teaching, our didactic principles, our philosophy of education, according to the learning/teaching situation, to the students (children, adolescents, adults, professionals, etc ) who will take part of the learning process.
It is important to have the textbooks as a guide but we need to make the adjustments in order to satisfy the students needs and interests. We must select subjects, themes that will attract the student interest and desire to work with enthusiasm, and learn the language more and more. A good teacher will try to create special didactic materials for each group of students (since they are unique), students and teacher together making decisions, taking care of the different learning styles.
My advise is to select textbooks in Spanish without translation. If some translation is necessary, the teacher or a dictionary will do the job to clarify the meaning to the student.
The teaching materials used to facilitate the learning process must maintain coherence with other elements of a curriculum: objectives, content, methodology and evaluation of teaching and learning.
The development of curriculum materials will depend on several factors: the learning objectives, the students’ needs, the mental processes that we wish to strengthen or the social environment in which they will be used.
To select didactic materials we must wonder if:
- they are consistent with the educational project, the methodology (the professor and student role), the objectives, the contents and the learning procedures;
- there is a balance in the treatment of the different curriculum contents: concepts, skills, and attitudes; the space dedicated to each communicative skill; etc.
- they are flexible and adaptable to a variety of events that take place in the teaching-learning process and the diversity of learners;
- they develop the teaching and learning autonomy;
- they are suitable to the learners’ needs and the context of learning;
- they are significant, i.e. consider knowledge, interests and values of students;
- they have a didactic gradient along the learning process;
- they are authentic samples of language and communicative activities;
- they are contextualized referring to a situation of communication;
- the instructions are clear in terms of linguistics.
Therefore, the selection of the manual or textbook depends on our way of teaching, our didactic principles, our philosophy of education, according to the learning/teaching situation, to the students (children, adolescents, adults, professionals, etc ) who will take part of the learning process.
It is important to have the textbooks as a guide but we need to make the adjustments in order to satisfy the students needs and interests. We must select subjects, themes that will attract the student interest and desire to work with enthusiasm, and learn the language more and more. A good teacher will try to create special didactic materials for each group of students (since they are unique), students and teacher together making decisions, taking care of the different learning styles.
My advise is to select textbooks in Spanish without translation. If some translation is necessary, the teacher or a dictionary will do the job to clarify the meaning to the student.
Examples from Editorial Difusion -Spain : Gente Joven, Aula internacional, Gente, A la una, a las dos y a las tres,...........
