there is no "right method" there are no "right materials"
The context of language teaching
McDonough and Shaw, 1993
learner characteristics
how different aspects of the
learners might affect
planning
Age
topics chosen and
types of learning
activity
interests
specification of topics and learning activities
level of proficiency in English
teachers will know this
Aptitude
can most usefully be
thought of a specific
talent
mother tongue
may affect the treatment
of errors or the selection
of syllabus items
Academic and educational level
to determine intellectual
content, breadth of topic
choice, or depth to which
material may be studied
Attitudes to learning
to teachers, to the isntitution, to the
target language itself and to its
speakers.
Motivation
at least insofar as it can be anticipated
Reasons for learning
carry out quite a detailed analysis of needs
Preferred learning styles
will help in the evaluation of the suitability of different methods
Personality
can affect methodological
choices
setting
The role of English in the country
The role of English in the school
The teachers
Management and administration
Resources available
Support personnel
The number of pupils
Time available for the programme
Physical environment
The socio-cultural environment
The type of tests used
Procedures for monitoring and
evaluating the language programme
itself
Syllabus types in coursebooks
Grammatical
or structural
The syllabus input is selected and
graded according to grammatical
notions of simplicity and complexity
Functional-notional
Functions
what people do through language, and
itemises the communicative and
interpersonal uses to which language is put.
Notions
as the more abstract categories
which language is able to express
Situational
A set of everyday situations that the learners could be
expected to find themselves in, and in which they would
need situationally specific language
Topic-based
Uses topics or themes as its starting point
Process syllabus
Specify the result of
instruction and also
learning taks and
activities
Procedural syllabi and task-based syllabi
Is based in the belief that linguistic and communicative competence is
acquired through engagement with meaning, not through focusing
learners on structure
Content-based syllabi
Experiential context provides the point of departure for the
syllabus, is isually derived from some well-defined sunject
area
Reference: Universidad IEXPRO. (n.d.) Materials and resources in EFL.