Author: Adrian Tennant | Published on 1 April 2023

 

Question: Can you only use materials designed for teaching in your lessons?

Answer: No. There many things around you which can be used. 

Teachers often say they need more resources. When they say this, they often mean commercially produced materials like:

  • textbooks
  • worksheets
  • CD ROMs

However, some of the best materials are everyday things that are around us. For example:

  • realia
  • magazine pictures
  • our learners

Real objects are great for teaching vocabulary. You can also ask learners to write a short story using one or more objects as a prompt (or to be included in the story).

Magazine pictures are good for teaching objects that are too big to bring into class. They can also be used for other activities. For example, as prompts for a story or role-play.

Finally, our learners are a great resource. Remember, they already know lots of things and they can learn a lot from each other.

What can you use that’s around you to teach your next class?

Glossary

Realia: objects from real life used in classroom instruction by educators to improve students' understanding of other cultures