Teaching Grammar in the ESL Classroom - Why Create Your Own Material?

In an earlier article I discussed creating you own material for the ESL classroom. In this article I explain further the reasons that I believe make creating your own material worthwhile.

Repetitive Textbooks

I feel most textbooks that have been written are rehashing stuff over and over again. In general, the only things that change are the pretty pictures and the multi-roms. Creating your own material is rewarding to both you and to your students.

You Know Your Classroom

The main reason I believe that creating your own material is worthwhile is that you more than anyone else knows just what makes your classroom tick. You know what the students react to, what they enjoy, what stimulates their minds. This makes you the authority when deciding what material to use. No, it seems logical to suggest that if you know what material is best for your students then you should give it to them.

Relevant Material

An advantage you have over textbooks is that you know what the students are interested in. You can create material that reflects their neighborhood or city, the people they know, or local news that is current.. Automatically you will gain the interest of the students when you mention the local park with the rusty swing, or Mr. James the local butcher, or ask students to give their opinion on the price of hot dogs at the school cafeteria. Text books will try to do this, but it nearly always looks generic.

Imagine presenting a short listening exercise based around an interview you did with a local policeman. You will gain an attentive crowd in the classroom immediately.

The Key Components

Remember to make sure that your material focuses on;

Form

Function

Practice

Application

Writing

Self-test

In future articles I will address each of these points.