Information collection & exchange

 Insufficient numbers of textbooks 
TEFL Volunteers frequently face the problem of insufficient or nonexistent texts, or the problem of trying to 
work from out-dated or poorly designed books. The basic strategy developed by many Volunteers consists 
of supplementing the books through creative use of other media. Rejecting the books outright may dismay 
your students, who consider their books their passport to educational success and who measure their 

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progress by the number of pages covere
our students' needs and at the same tim
d in your classes. By supplementing these books, you can respect 
e accomplish your goal of offering good EFL classes. 
an take the form of displays of the classroom newspaper or other group project work of the 
ground 
igger than Indra's. He's just put it on the floor in the corner.") 
c
are tried 
and true ways of explaining grammatical structures. 
is 
ava
signed 
to 
writing 
ma
M-20), 
emphasizes locally produced materials and 
var
Wh
phasis 
aw
in the 
cur
method 
Total Physical Response (TPR), which can be used e
supplementary activities. 
St
Despite the fun and energy you bring to your classes, you may experience resistance to your innovations. 
Be
es. You 
ma
cational 
suc
ition of 
ed
marks in school and passing national exams. While not denying your 
own need to improve and innovate in your EFL classroom, you will need to take into account your students' 
perceptions of their needs and to be sensitive to the burden of family expectations they are carrying. 
y
upplements c
S
type discussed in the previous section. In addition, introducing real objects whenever possible will
your classes in the physical reality of your students' world. A TEFL Volunteer in Nepal brings agricultural 
ols to his class and uses them to teach comparatives, possessives and prepositions of place. ("Shekhar's 
to
scythe is b
A reative use of your blackboard skills will help your students. Stick people and simple diagrams
Action English Pictures by Maxine Frauman-Prickel 
ilable through ICE (Manual No. ED 123). This book contains 66 reproducible picture sequences de
provide stimuli for listening and speaking while texts created by students provide reading and
terial. The Audio-Visual Communication Handbook, also available through ICE (Manual No.
provides examples and methods for producing and using a 
iety of audio-visual aids, including flipcharts, filmstrips and puppets. 
ere appropriate, that is if your students need oral communicative English, you can shift the em
ay from books to aural/oral activities. For example, while following the structures laid down
riculum you can add songs, story telling sessions and role plays. Chapter Two discusses the 
ffectively in situations where textbooks require