Priority Area: Learning

By Professor Latoya Murray H.

We are surrounded by many kinds of people and each day we encounter with many others that can bring lots of joy to our lifes as well as those who can do the opposite.

Believe it or not, teachers have great power when it comes to students because they can create an outstanding human being or destroy the human part in an individual. We need to understand that our students are very fragile beings, with lots of emotioanal stages that in some cases can burst in an ocean of caos. So we must find ways to reach to our students with out damaging their esteem or bringing them down.

For this reason, we must bare in mind that our students are different and they learn in a different manner. Some are very slow while others are quick. Therefore, we must always think about the learning strategies and apply them to our material before we go in to our classrooms to teach our kids. 

But what is a learning strategy? Learning strategies are those systems that students use to learn. There are many kinds of strategies. There are strategies to improve memory, reading, listening, speaking, writing, even to improve comprehension. Strategies that are always  positive with great outcomes are the motivational strategies. This is because they help in building one's self-esteem and keeps the person wanting to better each day that goes by.

There is nothing better than to see our students develop great confidence within them and turn out to be wonderful professionals, and we can help to that using our "power" in the right way.

Textbooks: Evaluation for Selection and Analysis for Implementation

By Professor Latoya Murray H.


An interestig reading about textbooks used for the teaching of English and the process they go through before being introduced to students is Evaluation for Selection and Analysis for Implementation.

Many teachers have the thinking that textbooks are only for students to use but Patricia Byrd, writer of this book states that textbooks used in class are very important not just for learners but also for teachers because when it comes to teaching with textbooks students and teachers are searching for the exact same things. A textbook is composed out of three essential elements which are: content and explanation, examples, and exercises.  It happens to be that these elements are the same that both sides are looking for when it comes to the learning  and teaching of English.
When we decide to use a textbook in our classes we need to ask ourselves questions about whether the  book is going to fulfill the learner's needs, that is if it's interesting and draws their attention, if the explanations are clear enough for them to understand, do they provide opportunities for students to use the language in a meaningful way, among many other questions. teachers as well need to make questions on how well the texbook used in class will help in their student's evaluation and other important points.
So to conclude, in the future when thinking to use a textbook take time to ask yourself if it is suitable for you and your students.

Principles for Effective Materials Development

By Professor Latoya Murray H.

When it comes to teaching, there are many things that need to be taken into account.  Such is the case of the material that we use to develop our lessons.

The kind of material that we use plays an important part in our classes because it can either bore students or motivate them.

Brain Tomlinson author of Principles of Effective Materials Development has proposed at least 15 principlpes for material development.  According to the writer, material used in class should expose students to language in authentic use, provide the learners with opportunities to use the target language to achieve communicative purposes, achieve impact in the sense that they arouse and sustain the learners' curiosity and attention stimulate intellectual and emotional involvement, just to mention some of the principles. These are very important principles that as teachers we must have in mind when creating or innovating material for our lesson development.