Integrated-skills based syllabus for primary schools

The course paper consists of content, introduction, two chapters, conclusion reference and glossary.


CHAPTER I Why are the ELT materials and procedure the way they are?

1. 
   ELT materials as a social product .
   

Not only is language at the center of the intellectual cosmos, but also of human existence. It is essential to achieving many of our goals and vocations, a source of artistic satisfaction and simple enjoyment, and one of the most important means of expressing our negative or positive thoughts toward others. People utilize language for a variety of goals, including life planning and remembering the past, exchanging experiences, thoughts, and emotions, and identifying with those who speak the same language.
Some members of the community are capable of doing so in multiple languages. The capacity to take a fuller role in the life of one's own nation or the chance to emigrate to another, the best way to widen one's literary and cultural horizons,the expression of one's political rights or religious views are all advantages of knowing a second language. It impacts people's employment and potential futures, as well as their lives and identities. In a world where more individuals likely know two languages than one, language acquisition and language instruction are crucial to the daily lives of millions.
As a response to the expanding use and increasing complexity of multinational language teaching materials, the intention may be viewed as part of a larger effort to give teachers, learners, educational administrators, and even materials authors and publishers more control over the materials with which they are involved. At the implementation stage of classroom use, determining as precisely as possible what we are purchasing when we adopt a particular coursebook should assist us in determining the need for any additional courses of action, such as, as I have argued elsewhere, either rejecting the materials or making the materials themselves a critical object.
A clearer understanding of materials and the forces they embody should also enable the realization of alternatives and the overall direction innovation may need to go during the design phase. I would say that awareness of the intrinsic nature of materials and awareness of the processes that create this nature are essential ingredients in the expression of the materials-related requirements and expectations of language teaching and learning professionals. It is essential to emphasize, however, that the current thesis does not attempt to address the materials implementation stage. My focus is on the materials themselves, their proposed content and methods of instruction, and not on what may really occur in specific classrooms.
It must be acknowledged that analyzing and describing the forces that shape the design of materials is considerably distinct from analyzing and explaining the forces that shape "materials-in-action." What occurs in classrooms and what outcomes result from the usage of resources depend on a number of additional elements, not the least of which is the reinterpretation of materials and tasks by both teachers and students. Breen describes tasks-as-workplans as those predesigned tasks offered to teachers and learners as a 'frame' for learning opportunities, as opposed to tasks-in-process, where teachers and learners bring their own personal redefinitions into the context of a particular classroom setting. ²
Materials for English language teaching (ELT) are crucial for foreign language education. They define the quality and quantity of input, the affective and cognitive engagement of language learners, what is to be taught, language teaching methodology, syllabus structure, teacher and learner training, and what is to be taught. Learners acquire language when they comprehend messages; that is, when they are exposed to sufficient understandable examples of a language. In an English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) country such as Turkey, where ELT materials are the primary source of English language input, the selection of appropriate ELT materials is crucial. Brown, 2007; Grossman and Thompson, 2008. [1]
Learners have more opportunities to be exposed to English in their daily lives in today's globalized society. Through the use of computers, the internet, the media, and films, students can obtain authentic input. Nevertheless, they are not yet widespread, and not everyone has access to them. They are also not grouped methodically to aid language learning. Since they are authentic and not designed for language instruction, they are typically incomprehensible to language learners. Thus, the quality and quantity of English input learners receive is generally constrained by the ELT resources available to them. It may be inferred that EFL materials significantly influence the amount and nature of input EFL students receive, and thus the rate and level of language acquisition[1:1] Affective elements are at least as crucial as input factors for a successful language education, it is noted. According to the theory, the amount of interest influences the level of motivation, and a high level of student interest guarantees high motivation [7] ELT materials that give instruction that is sensitive to learners' linguistic levels, offer variety, and present information in a way that is accessible and pleasant boost learners' involvement in the teaching/learning process and predict their level of success in L2. In order to follow the academic program, a group of computer engineering majors at an English-medium university in an EFL country attend an English preparation course. These pupils' needs are tailored to a certain field. They will study books on computer programming and perform computer-related tasks throughout their education. Therefore, the materials should enhance the academic language abilities of the pupils to support their education in their subject. These students require not just language skills but also early background knowledge and terminology in their profession to enjoy a smooth transition to their subsequent education by becoming academically, cognitively, and linguistically equipped and ready for the following year.
If they study English with generic ELT materials, it is evident that this type of education cannot adequately prepare them for their future studies [2:1] Thus, the fit between the resources and the requirements of the learners supports both the cognitive and emotive engagement of the learners and predicts their level of L2 achievement. Consequently, ELT materials and classroom activities should fit the linguistic, cognitive, and academic levels and interests of learners and be developed so that students may readily relate to them and have optimal exposure to L2. [6] ELT materials govern not only input, student engagement, and classroom activities, but also instructor behavior. They act as a curriculum for numerous teachers. In the majority of schools, teachers have no curriculum of their own and rely solely on the course specified in the ELT materials. They simply assign the lessons in these materials to specific weeks, and their curriculum is complete.
In addition, ELT materials serve a training function for teachers. They instruct teachers, particularly novices, on how to present a topic, teach skills, plan a unit, and complete various responsibilities. When teaching a language, teachers typically adhere to the sequence, strategy, and tempo established by ELT materials. Thus, ELT materials outline teachers' attitudes about language teaching and their classroom practices. These ELT resources become indispensable teacher educators [6]
In other words, materials constitute, if not constitute the majority of, the foundation of language teaching approach. Similarly, learners are led on how to study/learn a foreign language by direct/indirect assignments and hints in ELT materials, which are the result of particular trends and methods to language instruction. For instance, if they prioritize learning strategies, some assignments are added into instructional materials in order to develop/improve students' utilization of specific learning techniques. Each exercise influences their understanding of language acquisition and how to enhance language abilities, grammar, and vocabulary. In short, the selection of ELT materials has a substantial impact on the language teaching/learning process and the success of an ELT program in an EFL context [4] The availability of ELT materials is an additional issue that should be addressed. There are numerous ELT publishers and resources available on the market.
This has both benefits and drawbacks. It can boost the likelihood of selecting the most suitable option from so many possibilities. On the other hand, it increases the workload associated with evaluating ELT materials because every candidate EFL ELT content must be examined. Devote a great deal of time and effort to the ELT materials evaluation procedure as a result. Moreover, ELT materials are generated commercially and are intended for a wide student community. They are too generic and not tailored to any particular learner population. ³
Consequently, it is essential to choose the one that fulfills the needs and interests of the students, fits a particular setting, and facilitates the attainment of language teaching/learning objectives. It should also be kept in mind that there are no perfect ELT materials, and that the one that best meets the criteria established by teachers must be selected. Educators are able to adapt the material to their circumstances with less effort if they select the best applicable option from the numerous available. Evidently, evaluating and selecting ELT materials is a scientific endeavor, and to accomplish this arduous effort, a scientific criterion based on results from linguistics, pedagogy, psychology, and other relevant domains must be applied. [9] This results in the evaluation of ELT materials from a variety of perspectives. By defining precise evaluation criteria, a framework can be created for an educated, professional evaluation and selection, which in turn determines the success of EFL courses. Otherwise, the erroneous decision would squander time, effort, and money. Moreover, it may demotivate both teachers and students and consign EFL instruction to failure. How should the ELT materials evaluation be conducted if its significance is so great? This study evaluated the ELT materials selection process in Istanbul, Turkey high schools. As a result of this research, a framework for evaluating ELT materials is proposed.

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