Teacher Training Course Materials & Resources

Supplementing Materials
Look at the teachers’ problems with coursebooks and discuss what solutions you
would suggest. There is one example.

Teachers’ problems with the Solutions Strategies

coursebook material (What could you do?) (How would you do it?)

1. The reading and listening Change the level of Choose readings and listenings which match the level
material in the coursebook
the material. of students.
is too difficult.

2. The coursebook has the Add new exercises

Look for more interesting and motivating activities
students doing the same with innovative
with extra material
things in each unit. activities

Add new/longer texts

to complement the Create some more difficult tasks for the students.
3. The texts and tasks in the exercises. A. Write extra questions or add a paragraph
coursebook are too short.
Replace the texts of your own to a text.
and tasks

4. There is very little Use material with native-speakers in the listening

authentic material for Add more activities. activities, and for reading, use articles written by
listening and reading. speaker authors (real articles)

Change the order of

5. The tasks in the the tasks. Plan a new order for the units and create new content
coursebook are in the
Add new activities according to the main aim.
same order in every unit.
with extra practice.

6. The texts and tasks in the Change the length of

Summarize the texts in order to make them shorter.
coursebook are too long. the texts.

For listening activities, use audios with people with

7. The reading and listening Replace the material
different accents and in more complex situations.
material in the coursebook with more difficult
is too easy. tasks.
Use some audios for films or real situations.

Include more speaking practice interactions (peer to

8. There is little free Add more speaking peer, peer-to whole class, in groups)
speaking and no writing
practices and writing For writing, make students write about a certain topic,
practice in the
activities. then make them discuss in groups, or in pairs or to
coursebook.
the whole class.
Teacher Training Course Materials & Resources

A. Write extra questions or add a paragraph of your own to a text.

B. What about using songs as listening material?
C. Cut up texts/provide multiple recordings and do jigsaw reading/listening tasks, so
that students have less to read or listen to.
D. Re-write the tasks to make them easier. Ask more general questions.
E. Use productive skills materials from other coursebooks or from the internet to
provide fluency practice.
F. Reduce texts by removing a difficult paragraph or break recorded material into
‘chunks’ or sections.
G. Use the internet to find interesting articles for students to read.
H. Use different interaction patterns. Cut up tasks to make them matching tasks or
ordering tasks.
I. Re-write the tasks to make them more challenging. Learners need to read for more
detailed information or need to predict answers before they read or listen
J. Do the activities in a different order. Students can cover sections of the book that you
don’t want them to look at.