USING MATERIAL
Teachers and students recognize the importance of using materials, since the teaching process is made easier and materials may be used to explain, exemplify or practice the content presented to students. Materials can represent a source of motivation for students when these materials change the dynamics of the class routines through the possibility of manipulating objects, accessing audiovisual material or promoting interaction with others. Materials, if chosen adequately, can promote the integration of language skills by addressing language and content in a holistic way( Hinkel, 2006). In terms of learning styles( Reid, 1995) and intelligences( Gardner, 1993; Armstrong, 1994), materials can also help the teacher address the individual differences of students. Additionally, the use of materials helps teachers motivate students by“ bringing a slice of real life into the classroom and presenting language in its more complete communicative situation”( Brinton, 1991).
Presently, the rapid growth of technology offers many more options than those proposed by Allwright in the 1980s or by Brinton, McDonough and Shaw in the 1990s. Supyan( 2004), Tomlinson( 2005), Harmer( 2001), Kitao and Kitao( 1995), among others, report on the benefits of various options provided by CALL, especially concerning the possibility of responding to students’ needs in a more individualized way. As a part of the new materials available now for language teaching, we can find an overwhelming amount of papers reporting on the advantages and disadvantages of the use of the new technologies in language teaching.
Materials are considered a key element in language teaching and may have the same status in language instruction as students, teachers, teaching methods and evaluation. These five elements are interrelated. Thus any change introduced to any of these elements will affect the others. Defining a closer relationship between materials and students’ motivation, Peacock( 1998) found that materials considered“ enjoyable” and“ useful” increased the on-task behavior in English classes. Consequently, students became more involved in the learning tasks.
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