TESOL Baoji

First, the unit distinguishes between authentic and non-authentic materials and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each. Authentic materials may be interesting to the students, providing real material in English, but much care must be taken in selecting authentic materials since they are obviously not graded for language level and may include content that could be socially or culturally offensive to the class. The unit talks about designing materials and worksheets for use in class. It is suggested that any worksheet or activity should not only be introduced with verbal instructions, but also the teacher should demonstrate the activity or complete an example in front of the class to help them understand what is expected of them. The teacher should not rely on asking the students if they understand, but rather ask a more specific question (or series of questions) that shows that the students understand. The unit also discusses lesson planning, including all of the information that should be included in the plan. We are reminded, however, that a lesson plan is just a plan. As the teacher interacts with the students, he may see that the plan needs to be adapted during the class if an activity is not working to achieve the purpose of the lesson.