Many teachers are considering whether to use materials or not in language classrooms.

1. A view on Dogme Approach – Materials or not? 2010
HCM Open University, VN
1. Do we need materials? Why?
The answer is “Why not?” According to Brian Tomlinson (1998) materials refers to "anything
which is used by teachers and learners to facilitate the learning of a language" and "anything
which is deliberately used to increase the learners' knowledge and or experience of the
language". “Materials could obviously be cassettes, videos, CD-Roms, dictionaries, grammar
books, readers, workbooks or photocopied exercises…. newspapers, instructions given by a
teacher….” (p.2). Materials are necessary and sufficient conditions for teaching and learning. We
need materials to support our lessons and activate our learners. Teachers, especially
inexperienced teachers need good textbooks as an orientation for their teaching. It’s a great help
if teachers know how to exploit textbook and related materials. However, some look the textbook
as a burden. They try to finish what they have to, based on what the curriculum assign them to
do. The curriculum designers usually look at the surface of the books and make curricula, they
don’t even meet the subjects once.
One of the reasons for using wrong textbook and related materials is related to Vietnamese
testing system. In fact, most of colleges and universities in Vietnam haven’t established
placement testing system, except for international centers, but generally what is worth testing is
not tested and what tested is not worth evaluating and “testing things that are testable”. As the
matter of facts, multiple choice testing is preferable nationwide. Students are unintentionally put
into the wrong place. Then, the chosen textbook is for all without noticing to their levels,
characteristics (age, gender…), English background, interest and other things. As we know, there
are three basic kinds of learning mode which are visual (for those who learn through seeing),
auditory (for those who learn through hearing) and kinesthetic (for those who learn from moving,
doing and touching). For each type of learning, we have certain textbooks, related materials and
methods that fit.
2. The Significance of Selecting Good Materials
I totally agree the idea that “teachers teach best when they are not tied down by published
materials or elaborate syllabi” They have freedom in selecting and integrating materials from
different sources in order to enrich their teaching. Teachers sometimes get stuck in their
textbooks since there are some topics or parts in the textbook chosen which are not appropriate to
their subjects. No one but the teacher can determine which materials meet their students’ demand
and suit their students. Teachers just feel free to do what really works in their classroom. From
the interaction in real classrooms, teachers can analyze and figure out their learners’ real needs,
levels and interests. From that integrated materials are formed for that context. Actually, not
many schools give teachers such kind of freedom. The matter here is not only what textbooks or
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2. A view on Dogme Approach – Materials or not? 2010
HCM Open University, VN
materials we use but also how we use them. According to Dianne F. Dow (2004) “The best
textbook is not the one you adopt but the one you adapt”. In many cases, teachers and students
rely heavily on textbooks. This may cause boredom among students and the teachers themselves.
Therefore, be careful in selecting materials on consideration of teaching and learning context can
bring benefits for teaching and learning. It’s crucial to carefully select good textbooks. Because
no textbook is perfect, there should have a combination of textbooks which can match learners’
levels, their needs, their learning styles and the like.
However, I partly agree with “teachers are free to develop interactions with the students”. In
other words, teachers cannot always feel free to do that. The idea is good sometimes in the
classrooms. Teachers should take advantage from what students talk in order to exploit the topic
and expand the volume as well as the range of English. Yet, it can’t be possible for teachers to
teach without any published materials since the remarkable teaching and learning style is
textbook-based and teacher-centered. In addition, Southeast Asian learning style is a bit passive,
obedient and respectful to teachers. They come to class with the hope of getting new knowledge
from teachers. Another characteristic of Vietnamese students is that they can’t focus thoroughly
one topic, discussion usually changing from one to another without their notice. As the result,
teachers usually lose their control if Dogme applied. However, this doesn’t mean that teachers
have to be tied down by those kinds of textbooks.
According to N.S PRABHU (1990), “there is no best method”, Dogme is also not an exception.
In fact, Dogme is ideal and doable in the real classroom in Vietnamese context to some extent.
For those teachers who have experienced in teaching can sometimes use this method as an
inspiration to change the atmosphere. As the matter of fact, teachers sometimes get stuck in their
lessons just simply because the topic is too far away from their knowledge and the students’. At
that point, teachers should throw out their textbooks and focus more on the learners and exploit
the situations in order to develop real conversations. That doesn’t mean that teacher throw out
their textbooks all the time. On the contrary, textbooks are considered as an effective tool for
teaching and learning. It is no doubt that textbooks are necessary. Textbooks give inexperienced
teachers ideas to teach. A good textbook plays a very important role in language teaching and
learning. Therefore, choosing a good textbook out of millions of textbook is not an easy work.
We must pay attention on different factors such as teaching and learning styles and methods as
well, students’ levels and interests, characteristics and English background of learners, materials
and evaluation. Fortunately, Matthew Peacock provides us a good checklist in “Choosing the
Right Book for Your Class”. The checklist gives the great assistance for teaching in choosing
“the right book” for “the right students”. It’s no doubt that a good textbook play not less
important role on teaching and learning and choosing a good textbook is much more important
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3. A view on Dogme Approach – Materials or not? 2010
HCM Open University, VN
and requires much more effort. Indeed, a good textbook provide teachers guidance and
supplement of ideas. According to Albert Newton Raub, a good textbook ensures these following
characteristics:
Characteristics of a good textbook
- It should be Logically Arranged: each fact or principle should be connected to the previous
knowledge. Furthermore, textbooks should be from personal to general topics and what is in
the textbooks should be closely connected. Some textbooks chosen in some schools are not
really logical in the way units arranged. Some textbooks, each unit is separately divided into
small fragmentary parts. Albert Newton Raub states that “A logically-arranged textbook
induces logical modes of thought”.
- A Textbook should be Clear: the language should be clear in order not to confuse the
students.
- A Textbook should be Interesting: A good textbook should be made interesting by its
arrangement and the contents as well. The principles and facts should be illustrated by
examples, pictures, mind maps and the like. These attract students’ attention, helping them
remember longer and logically systematize their knowledge. In fact, the more attractive the
comprehensible input exposes, the more the intake occurs.
- A Textbook should be Brief: A good textbook should not too detail but “the best books
always leave much for the teacher to add or for the learner to find out for himself”.
Obviously, “no textbooks can cover all of the ground” (Albert Newton Raub) and there are
no textbooks suitable for all skills. Therefore, in order to give comprehensible inputs,
teachers must supplement and add to the instruction related to the topics.
- The Style of a Textbook should be a Model: Kenji Kitao (1997) suggests that a good textbook
should have “correct, natural, recent and standard English”. The language must be clear
enough for comprehension.
- The Textbook must be Adapted to the Capacity of the Student: the style, language as well as
the matter presented must be adapted to the capacity of certain class, certain objects.
- A Textbook should be Attractive in Appearance: the more attractive the inputs are, the better
the information flows into students’ minds. A good textbook should be in “good paper,
attractive illustrations, and good-sized, clear type”.
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4. A view on Dogme Approach – Materials or not? 2010
HCM Open University, VN
3. Some misconceptions about textbook:
a. The textbook should be taught in its entirety without addition or deletion
Some schools give very strict syllabi without addition or deletion any parts. Actually,
a lot of teachers follow exactly what the course books and syllabi tell them to do.
Only teachers in the classrooms know what need to teach, what need to delete and
what need to add in order to suit their students’ needs and enhance their learning. It’s
concerned to the matter of not adoption but adaptation. As a result, in order to make
the lessons more interesting, teachers need great effort in selecting different visual
and auditory materials. Internet and other textbooks play great help. Besides,
creativity of teachers in building materials for gaming is another source to promote
learning.
b. The textbook is the whole course
Nowadays, there are not less schools and centers choosing only one course book for
the whole course (from four to six months). In fact, teachers need different materials
which can encourage students’ attitudes towards learning. A good text book should be
auditory, visual and attractive enough to get students attention. For example, teachers
can combine different textbooks such as Talk Time for listening and speaking skills,
Oxford Word Skills (2008) specialized in vocabulary, with plenty of interesting topics
and attractive pictures, Top Notch, World Link…
4. Conclusion:
It’s very important that schools’ policies should give teachers freedom in choosing
materials to cope with a certain subject. Teachers shouldn’t look at materials as if it were
a burden, but guidance. In addition, it depends on the situation; teachers can decide
whether they should use materials or just simply “throw them away” for a while.
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5. A view on Dogme Approach – Materials or not? 2010
HCM Open University, VN
References:
Albert Newton Raub (2009). School Management. School Aids (p.49-56)
Dianne F. Dow (2004). Evaluating Classroom Teaching Materials
http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/ICCT/ResandLinks/evaluating.html
Eli Hinkel (2005) Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning. In Brian
Tomlinson, Chapter 8: English as a Foreign Language: Matching Procedures to the Context of
Learning (137-153)
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Zhenhui-TeachingStyles.html
Kenji Kitao (1997). Selecting and Developing Teaching/ Learning Materials, IV (4)
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Kitao-Materials.html
Matthew Peacock. Choosing the Right Book for Your Class
Suzanne Irujo (2006). To Use a Textbook or Not to Use a Textbook: Is That the Question?
http://www.coursecrafters.com/ELL-Outlook/2006/jul_aug/ELLOutlookITIArticle1.htm
Tomlinson, B. (Ed.). (1998). Materials development in language teaching. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
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6. A view on Dogme Approach – Materials or not? 2010
HCM Open University, VN
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