Devika. M.G.
IInd Semester B. Ed.
Option: English
INTRODUCTION
Officially English has a status of
assistant language, but infact it is the most important language of India. English is very important in some systems –
legal, financial, educational, business – in India. That is the reason why Indians give such
importance to English Education. English
became the first language in Indian Education.
Our present curriculum is based on
the approach if Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). It gives systematic attention to the
functional as well as the structural aspects of language. Theorists like Little Wood Hymes and Krashen
have contributed to the idea that language learning should be based on using
the language communicatively more than practicing the skills. Thus our curriculum promotes CLT in it. Activities that involve real communication
promote learnings. So the curriculum besides
being CLT oriented has been revised to be task oriented also. Learning process is supported by
language. These principles are the
pillars of our revised curriculum.
In tune with the above curriculum
course books of classes V to X were revised starting from class V in 1998. The course materials of each standard
consists of a course book, a practice book, a supplementary reader and a
sourcebook. The tasks have been made learner-centered,
learner friendly, activity based and process oriented. They contain a wide variety of discourses,
conversations, script writing, etc. related to real-life situations. Moreover, Continuous and Comprehensive
Evaluation (CCE) has become the vein of the teaching-learning process.
WHAT IS MEANT BY
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL?
Instructional materials are primarily
a medium for delivery of content, the teacher reiterates and builds on the
content. Curriculum is defined by the
content of the textbook. The teacher
himself has to be a resource and he should promote communication process among
all the students in the class, in between pairs and with the students. He is the organizer of activities, a guide
and a counselor.
There is a new package of
instructional materials for teaching and learning English as a second language
in the schools of Kerala. They have been
prepared under the initiative and supervision of the SCERT, Kerala with the
involvement of educational experts and experienced teachers.
There are five books in the package,
three meant for students’ use, one for the teachers and one for the teacher
educators. They are: English Course
Book, English Work Book, Supplementary Reader, Teacher’s Source Books and
Teacher-Educator’s Manual.
1.
COURSE BOOK (TEXT BOOK)
The Course Book is known
as Intensive Reader as it is intended for detailed study. It was called textbook previously. In India, the first instance of printing text
books can be referred back to 1824, in Calcutta where a press was installed and
textbooks were printed. The Course Book
should be in concord with the approach and content of the curriculum designed
for a particular subject class and age group.
With regard to English it incorporates materials for English language
study according to the accepted approach and principles. In the absence of other materials and sources
the course book becomes a prominent tool in the hands of the teacher as well as
the learner.
CHARACTERISTICS/QUALITIES
Ø It is helpful to the teacher and the
student to realize the prescribed vocabulary and structures.
Ø The vocabulary and structures are
selected and graded according to the principles from easy to difficult, from
simple to complex and from familiar to unfamiliar.
Ø It gives scope of revising earlier
vocabulary and structures and also to affirm passive vocabulary.
Ø Functional aspects are given
priority.
Ø It enables to develop the language
skills in a balanced way.
2. PRACTICE BOOK (WORK BOOK)
The SCERT, Kerala views the Practice
Book not as a separate one but as a part of the course book, meant for the
learner to put to use the knowledge he has gained from his course book to new
situations. Using language is more
important than learning about it.
Therefore, such tasks as for using language is given priority in the
Practice Book. The teacher is not
expected to help the students when they can help themselves and do what they
can do themselves. As part of the tasks they can work in groups or
in pairs.
The importance of the Practice Book
will be clear from the fact that 40% weightage is given to its worksheets as
examinations are based on them, where as only 35% weightage is given to the
content of the course book. There are
twenty or more tasks for the students in each of the seven worksheets in the
practice book for class VIII designed by the SCERT, Kerala. In the practice books the worksheets are
linked with the corresponding writs of the course books.
3.
SUPPLEMENTARY READER
Supplementary Reader also known as
non-detailed textbook is prescribed in addition to the detailed textbook. While the textbook is for detailed study the
Supplementary Reader is meant for extensive reading, affirming passive vocabulary
and structures and for developing self study skills. Its position is in between the textbook and a
library book. They are intended to
consolidate and supplement what the students have learnt in the detailed
textbook. In dealing with it the
teacher’s task is only to help the students remove what stands in the way of
their understanding.
Usually the contents of the
Supplementary Reader will be a collection of stories, history of inventions and
discovers, or a novel or play in abridged form.
The language would not pose much problem because most of the words and
structures will be those they have learnt earlier. Each lesson is followed by hard words and
their contextual meanings and comprehension questions. The supplementary readers offer varied and
extensive learning experiences and opportunities to get in touch with various
cultures including that of the English language.
4.
SOURCE BOOK
Source Books aid and
guide the teachers. There are source
books for classes VIII to X. In addition
to these, there are source books on evaluation for the teacher. These are prepared by educational experts and
experienced teachers through a series of workshops. The teachers’ source book serve as a handbook
more than in its conventional sense and it helps the teacher providing him with
additional materials and information. A
special feature of the book is that it gives enough freedom to the teacher in
the choice of methodology or even content not conceded or suggested in the
book. It also gives the teacher a
variety of situations, examples, exercises, tasks and activities to be chosen
from among for classroom use. Source
book gives the important instructions to the teacher and a variety of exercises
corresponding to the units in the course book.
CONCLUSION
In the revised curriculum, work in
groups or pairs has been given much emphasis because it would help the students
develop interest and skill in interaction with in their social circle. Another innovation is instead of awarding
marks numerically and assigning ranks, grading system was introduced in 2005,
with a view to reduce the unhealthy competition among the students and
parents. The teacher became free to
choose materials from outside the curriculum as the student’s exposure and
background would be in different denominations in relation to being rural or
urban. The teacher himself has to be a
resume and he should promote communication process among all the students in
the class, in between pairs and with the students. He is the organizer of activities, a guide
and a counselor. So this package of
instructional materials is a helping aid for the teacher.
REFERENCES
iv.
Dr.
Sivarajan. K, English Language Education, Calicut University, 2007.
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