“The use of supplementary materials for teaching children in EFL classes”

(1)

UNIVERSIDAD TÉCNICA PARTICULAR DE LOJA La Universidad Católica de Loja

ESCUELA DE CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN MENCIÓN INGLÉS

DISTANCE SYSTEM

“The use of supplementary materials for teaching children in EFL classes”

Research done in order to achieve the Bachelor`s Degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Author:

Ramos Tituana, María del Cisne

Advisor:

Ms. Lizaldes Espinosa, Orlando Vicente

Cariamanga - Ecuador

(2)

CERTIFICATION

Ms. Orlando Lizaldes CERTIFIES THAT:

This research work has been thoroughly revised by the graduation committee.

Therefore, authorizes the presentation of this thesis, which complies with all the norms

and internal requirements of the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja.

Cariamanga, March, 2012.

………

(3)

CONTRATO DE CESIÓN DE DERECHOS DE TESIS DE GRADO

Yo, María del Cisne Ramos Tituana, declaro ser autora del presente trabajo y eximo

expresamente a la Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja y a sus representantes legales

de posibles reclamos o acciones legales.

Adicionalmente declaro conocer y aceptar la disposición del Art. 67 del Estatuto

Orgánico del Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja que en su parte pertinente

textualmente dice: “formar parte del patrimonio de la Universidad la propiedad

intelectual de investigaciones, trabajos científicos o técnicos y tesis de grado que se

realicen a través, o que el apoyo financiero, académico o institucional (operativo) de la

universidad”.

………

María del Cisne Ramos Tituana

(4)

AUTHORSHIP

The thoughts, ideas, opinions and the information obtained through this research are the

only responsibility of the author.

..….………

María del Cisne Ramos Tituana

(5)

DEDICATION

I thank much to my God for having heard my prayers and having given me courage to

look forward.

To my dear parents and brothers for giving me good advices and believing in me

To Eco.Ana Gates for her unconditional support at any moment. Thank you very much.

Dear. Eco. Ana

To my advisor for guiding me and leading me

With love and affection.

(6)

―The use of

supplementary material

s for teaching children in EFL classes‖. This research was

done at a public school in Cariamanga, Loja province. To develop this investigation

the following objectives were settled: to identify and analyze supporting materials

used for teaching children in EFL classes; to describe and analyze each one of the

supplementary materials used in EFL classes in terms of pertinence (content),

appropriateness (student’s needs), and quality; and to determine the frequency and

variety of the supplementary material used in the observed classes.

Consequently, this is a very important issue because it allows knowing

whether or not teachers use adequate materials, if these are pertinent, appropriate and

how their quality is in order to help and motivate students in their learning, creating a

relaxing environment and making the class understandable.

At this point, it is worth mentioning some previous studies, which deal with

the influence of new technologies in the learning process of a foreign language and

have an impact in young audiences, giving students and teachers some learning

alternatives. On this matter Mutr (2011) mentions that online teaching can be adapted

to any learning style; based on this, it can be said that online and traditional learning

complement to each other and encourage students to learn a new language in several

ways with useful resources to acquire the new language; but on the other hand not all

learners have the opportunity to access to online learning, making it sometimes

difficult and limiting for students.

It is also important to mention that traditional materials do not provide a wide

(9)

which give students a variety of activities to develop and several alternatives for

learning.

Regarding technology, Pausel (2001) states that new technology trends as

internet and computers allow better communication and interaction, giving teachers

and students several learning alternatives in a modern way, but unfortunately some

students do not have enough knowledge to handle technology, so it was necessary to

prepare them to facilitate access to this service. Also, the economic factor was an

issue, especially when students have work for different situations, and, for this

reason, the access to these important resources was not possible.

On the other hand, Chuo, Shiao, & Kung ( 2002) mention the use of web

pages with educational purposes. Based on English learning as a foreign language;

those pages, which are mainly, recommended by the teacher are used by students for

a better understanding of the target language. This study validates the use of websites

for English learning. As a result, it can be concluded that these websites are useful

and modern tools for learning, because they provide several alternatives to find

information when they are adequately used. It is also important to mention that some

students were poorly interested in learning and using the websites suggested by the

teacher; on the contrary, they investigated about their own concerns and preferences.

In other words, students and teachers who are interested in using adequate

supplementary materials in the classrooms will get benefits, and as a result, both

(teachers and students) will have more motivating and interesting classes as well as

an exciting environment for education. Also, as a future English teacher, it is

(10)

Through the field research it was evident that the use of supplementary

material gives students and teacher a wide range of interaction with the target

language, making the teaching-learning process appealing for students.

The main interest and effort with this research work is to obtain the Bachelor`s

Degree in EFL teaching, as well as to present important information that may set up

basis for further studies on the use of supplementary material to teach EFL classes

because, based this issue has been poorly investigated in our city, and it is important

to make English teacher aware on the importance of supplementary material and how

(11)

METHODOLOGY.

To develop this research study, first the bibliographic information was

gathered. After that, 4th, 5thand 6th grade students were observed and surveyed in order to collect the information needed for the analysis and interpretation of results;

the supplementary materials used by the teacher in class were also observed, as well

as the pertinence, appropriate use and quality. On the other hand, students completed

a survey about what kind of material they would like the teacher to use in class and

whether they like this material or not. In addition to that, the teacher completed a

survey about some aspects of the supplementary materials such as: the type and use

of these materials used for teaching English as a foreign language.

Setting and Participants

This field research was done in Cariamanga at a local school, where 10 classes

(4th , 5th and 6th grade) with eight, nine and ten years old children were observed in order to analyze the kind of materials that were used by the teacher. The students

were surveyed and this gave me a better idea about what and how supplementary

materials were being used by the teacher in the English teaching-learning process.

Procedures

In order to develop the literature review many books, journals, dictionaries,

online dictionaries, web sites, notes, among others were used.

Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in order to do the analysis and

interpretation of results. The qualitative method took into consideration aspects like:

(12)

method was applied in order to make a frequency analysis based on the observations,

surveys and my personal opinion.

On the other hand, techniques as note-taking and cards were used to collect

the bibliographic information while the surveys and direct observation forms were

needed to complete the required information for the analysis.

To analyze the data, it was necessary to evaluate the type of supplementary

material used to teach children, considering: visual, audio, audiovisual, realia, and

online variables, basic aspects for this research. After that, it was important to

consider the pertinence, appropriateness, quality of the material and finally the

frequency of its use in each grade, in order to establish the use percentage in class

and to determine whether or not the teacher handled the materials in the right way.

To carry out the analysis and interpretation of the results, the qualitative

analysis was used to contrast two aspects: first the pertinence of the theme, objective

of the class, where I could give my criteria about it, and then the appropriateness

related to the students’ level and understanding; for example: their age, level of

knowledge, among others which were important aspects for doing the analysis as

well as the quality of the materials used in class. In contrast, the quantitative analysis

showed how frequent supplementary materials were used in each class. All the

collected information was analyzed and based on it; conclusions and

(13)

DISCUSSION

Literature Review

The Literature Review is a very necessary and important aspect to carry out

the following research work. It will help us recollect the bibliographic data from

different sources and apply it to the research work. It is important to know several

topics associated to theme

―The use of supplementary materials for teaching children

in EFL classes‖.

Therefore, it is necessary to know which supplementary materials

are useful and appropriated to teach English to children.

I consider that it is very important to get familiar with several concepts

associated to the theme and to know the relationship between the topics that will be

researched, such as: Teaching a Foreign Language, the Learners (age, learner

differences, and motivation), the Learning Styles, Teaching Techniques, The

Different Contexts for Teaching, the Supplementary Material, and some previous

studies that will guide to develop scientific contents of the theme.

Teaching a Foreign Language

For teaching a foreign language it is important the integration of the four

principal English skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking), this integration is

very important in the communication and it considers different curriculums that are

necessary in the learning process. Thus, it is very important to emphasize the study

of different view-points provided by different authors.

“For the teaching of any foreign language, it is important the integration of

the four basic abilities: Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking” Nesterenko

(14)

learning in the student, motivating them to develop these skills as the teaching

process becomes more complex for them.

At present, English is a very important subject that has to be taught to

children or for personal preparation because it helps them to express in another

language.

Saville (2006) suggests the importance of knowing the amplitude of

opportunities that the English language offers, especially in communication,

appraising the interculturalness of those who are learning English as a foreign

language.

English is widely used in the learner’s immediate social context and it could

be also used for future travel or other cross-cultural communication situations.

In spite that the four basic abilities are related to each other, it is essential to

teach them by phases. Thus, Murcia (2001) mentions that there are curriculums that

are very innovative and have a good compound in sound-writing system which is

important in reading and writing; considering learning styles that are essential for

student to learn a foreign language in a better way.

In short, it is important to know the different perspectives of the authors about

the integration of abilities, amplitude of opportunities especially in the

communication and the different curriculums, being necessary and fundamental

aspects when learning a foreign language.

Learners

When it comes to teach a foreign language, it is important to know the factors

that influence the student’ learning, as age, learner differences, and motivation.

Saville (2006) considers that it is only a belief to imagine that children are

(15)

depends of the “success” that each student wishes to catch and the multiple factors

that influence a better comprehension of knowledge such as: individual and physical

differences; intellectual and cognitive skills.

Also, Saville (2006, p.82) states:

The differences that we explore here are age, sex, aptitude, motivation, cognitive style, personality, and learning strategies. Some of the relevant research looks at neurological representation and organization such as the research reported above in the section on language and the brain), some is of an experimental nature (which manipulates variables and makes direct claims about cause and effect), and some relies on“good Language Learner”.

Without underestimating the value of the contribution, Alvear (2010)

mentions that motivation intends to make us understand that each individual in the

learning is identified for the degree of attention devoted to it. Therefore, it is

necessary to use correct tasks, methods and techniques, interesting and pertinent

activities, get students to arouse the interest of learning English as a foreign

language.

In the same way, Hurd (2004) says that it is impressive to notice individuals

who for personal need, work, or performance in the field of business have seen the

importance of knowing another language that allows them to integrate and to

participate with the world market. It opens the need to learn and prepare for

situations that definitively improve the performance. For this reason, the interest of

learning has to be of good quality; then, the motivation occurs. Consequently, it is

important that the teachers know the appropriate techniques that have to be used in

class to satisfy the needs of the students learning the language.

(16)

Furthermore, it is essential to encompass all attitudes and knowledge for a good

understanding, and an excellent performance in the students.

To summarize, these concepts that were given by different authors who show

that age, learner differences as individuals or physicals, and the motivation are

necessary and important elements in the learning of a foreign language because these

influence students.

To sum up, age, motivation and learner differences are aspects that influence

students’ interest when learning another language and these aspects help the teacher

to know the strengths and weaknesses of the students and the learning style they

have.

Learning Styles.

Hurd (2004) states that each human being is an individual entity, with unique

capacity, possessor of his own cognitive level; for this reason, it is interesting and

necessary to acquire successful strategies although not only them, but also the

variables of referent capacity affirm and collaborate to the students the confidence,

security and interest in the thematics that definitely are the summary to the sacrifice,

dedication, and desire of personalized overcoming.

Woolfolk (2007) says that many different styles have been described and that

the difference between deep and surface approaches to processing information in

learning situations. Learners who have a deep–processing approach see the learning

activities as a way for understanding some fundamental concepts or meanings. They

tend to learn for the sake of learning and are less concerned about assessment, so

motivation plays a role as well.

On the other hand, learners who take a surface-processing approach tend to

(17)

to be motivated by rewards, grades, external standards, and the desire to be evaluated

positively by others.

Conner (2007) considers that the capacity of learning and processing each

knowledge is different in each human being. That is to say, each person learns in a

different way, with different styles and in different situations. For this reason, it is

very important that the teacher develops adequate alternatives such as methods and

techniques to make possible, successful and viable the learning of the second

language.

To conclude, the different strategies, thematics and aspects help students to

increase their motivation, self-confidence; being very important that teacher develops

adequate alternatives such as methods and techniques and knows as to work

appropriate with it.

Teaching Techniques

The different techniques that a teacher uses in his or her class will help the

students develop their English skills and therefore the students will be motivated,

showing interest to participate in class. That is why, it is important to know the

importance of some techniques and the ones that should be applied in the students,

considering aspects such as: age, level of knowledge and other factors.

Then, Raimes (1989) reports that techniques help to learn with certainty and

permit us to be able to understand what the speakers manifest, dialogue with them in

a comprehensive form, hold the interpersonal speaker-listener relation.

Thus, the teacher must consider the knowledge in the multiple forms of

teaching and get a fix between the most important methods and techniques to use

(18)

easier and faster. It allows them to have a clear objective of the activity to be

developed in class; for example:

-role playis a technique where the player, in this case the student, acts out

an specific character related to what is being taught in class. It lets the student

enjoy the learning with enthusiasm and finish the class with satisfaction.

- set of drawings, is another precise technique which is helpful to make

students understand the class and develop activities in a more successful and playful

way, so activities such as playing cards and observing drawings can be applied.

- Diagrams, charts, graphs, maps, are practical tools in the learning

process as a good regulating and motivating technique for a successful learning,

giving students practical and dynamic knowledge that can be applied in further

studies. Therefore, not only good techniques ensure correct knowledge but also they

play an important role in the use of appropriate vocabulary for writing.

Huang (2008) mentions that in practice, role plays can be used with stories,

because students are asked to memorize English words to increase reasoning skills

and motivation for learning. Consequently, role plays are still a good experience in

the inter-learning, allowing interaction in different ways and they also improve

listening and speaking skills.

Finally, Grant (1987) says that five, seven, and ten year old children perform

different activities depending on their age. Some of the activities can apply“the use

of symbols”, “generalize and systematize”, which allows kids to do more interesting

and relaxing activities and also find out the correct word pronunciation by

(19)

To conclude, it is easy to see from these few explanations that there are

several techniques that can be applied in the students and some of them can be used

in relation to their age, too.

The Different Contexts for Teaching

These are the first variables that have to be considered in learning design in

order to achieve better learning and retention. Therefore, it is necessary to know

about dual language, which is a way of teaching in two languages like the case of

English and Spanish. It is also important to know how the social position has an

impact on this field and in the training institutions where the teacher can go through

all these experiences and adapt to an academic form.

Hinkel (2011) claims that knowledge of a dual language takes place over

investigation, as also history and traditions of a reality that encompasses diversity of

patrimonial tongues in the educational aspect and the fact is to recognize that their

implications at the school and their standards in the learning are multiple which

intent to persevere and develop skills in the learning of a new language.

In addition to knowing different teaching contexts, it is important to highlight

the significance of aspects such as motivation and instructional techniques which can

help the student to develop skills in a playful and relaxing way. Broth & Everto

(1978)

Dunham (2009) agrees with the opinions that had been mentioned above and

believes that they are relevant for addressing multiple contexts which the teacher has

experienced and adapted to an academic form in childhood centers and other

educational institutions. With the teachers’ guidance, students can be easily adapted

(20)

It is easy to see from the mentioned explanations that the contexts give

students and teachers a broad level of adaptability that is meaningful to each learner.

It is necessary to consider the different aspects that intervene in the learning of a dual

language, and to know their positive and negative effects.

After having analyzed the teaching contexts, it is important to mention how

the use of supplementary material will be useful and meaningful in the process of

learning a foreign language.

Supplementary Material.

Teaching a foreign language has to be done in the best way possible.

Teachers need to know the tools that they are going to use for this purpose and know

how to use them in a fun and creative way. For this reason, it is essential to keep in

mind the importance of supporting material and different types of variables

(materials) which give alternatives to teaching a foreign language in a better way.

Araya (2007) reports about the importance of supplementary material and

emphasizes its use as a resource to obtain better results in learning a foreign

language, supplementary materials makes the class more fun and creates a relaxing

environment. The teacher should know what material will be favorable for the class

and if the material will help the students to learn better. When using complementary

material for teaching grammar, thestudents’knowledge increases and they develop a

critical thinking. Consequently, this permits the students to get their own perceptions

of the reality.

When using supplementary materials, teachers must be very aware of the

material they are going to use, the need to know that an error in selecting the

adequate material can direct to negative factors that affect the intellectual and

(21)

On the other hand, in the process of teaching - learning, the activities and the

used materials should be efficient to permit students develop intellectual capacities

and have a fun class environment.

Peacock (1997) also agrees over the importance of the materials which should

be authentic, motivating and above all relaxing. Personally, I can say that the books are useful and necessary resources, but the ideal is to seek, investigate and show

adequate material as complement to practice the language; with the appropriate

material, the teacher can prove security, support and fixation in the given class.

Houghton Mufflin Company (Wikipedia, 2009) suggests that there are

available materials which permit students learn their second language. It is very

important to use audio material which permits them to listen to the correct sounds of

words while the visual material allows students to process information where the

ideas are interconnected. Also, audiovisual materials permits to observe impressions,

and listen at the same time, the eye as special channel in the teaching/learning of this

second language and “realia” that permit students to use real objects to link them

with the real word and know the meaning that gives to understanding. Another

important aspect to take into consideration is“online material”which allows students

to investigate and look for alternatives that permit them to learn the second language

in a better way.

In summary, these concepts that were given by different authors show us that

the use of supplementary materials help to understand better the class and motivate

students to improve the work they do in the classroom, resources such as realia or

visuals should be used for doing an authentic, motivating, understanding and above

(22)

Thus, this part of the literature review is concluded, the opinions expressed

by excellent authors help us understand better the importance of supplementary

material and this information can be applied in various fields of knowledge.

Previous Studies

These studies done by different authors are very interesting and important

because most of them mention the influence of the new technologies in learning a

foreign language, awaking a lot of interest in the younger audience; these studies

provide students and teachers different learning alternatives. For this reason, it is

necessary to have a clear explanation of the importance of previous studies.

Mutr (2011) stated that “online teaching can be adapted into the individual

learning styles”. For this, it is important the help of a recent and above all a very

practical methodology; as is the analytical method which allowed to deliver a

detailed account of each one of the aspects and to analyze all processes about online

and traditional learning where several concepts had to be carefully studied to find the

most important and relevant aspects.

The study was conducted in Chicago in which it was found that online

learning complements help in the understanding and learning of English. This

analysis led to important conclusions like the followings:

The online learning inside of the traditional learning is a complement to each

other that promotes the study of the language in the students although it varies in

different forms, being a necessary and essential resource in studying a language if we

expect to learn, but inside of online learning there is a problem that not all learners

have the opportunity to access to resources like the internet, making it sometimes

(23)

Also, in the conclusions of this first study, it was found that traditional

materials do not allow a wide selection of activities or resources as the modern

services, where students have a variety of activities to develop; in other words, the

online learning is adaptive while the traditional is not as much, it is based only on

what you physically have in your classroom.

It was reported in this study that technological or online materials must be

presented constantly as they are needed and adapted, and; in same way, investigating

the ones which are updating constantly because although these are very modern, they

are not always the only new novelty, each day the scientific field is broader.

On the other hand, Pausel (2001) says that new technology trends as internet

and the computer allow us to transport to the same time when the event occurred,

letting us know other cultural dimensions, and scientific advances in real time in

order to learn another language.

Personally, I can say that nowadays, if all this knowledge would have been

imagined a few years ago, it would have been thought that it was product of the

fantasy.

Also, for this previous study which took place in France, the analytical

method was used because it has been proved to be the most competent and it allowed

them to analyze the different circumstances of the students. That is to say, the

knowledge of each one (intellectual) and the economic factor were the two aspects in

consideration for this study, in which the most relevant ideas and important details

were found, and they could clarify the process.

Among the conclusions, it was identified that these resources allow us to have

(24)

sufficient knowledge to enter or to manage this mean, and another factor is the

economic factor which is a precedent today, it strongly affects them, especially when

the students have to work for multiple situations that do not allow them to access to

adequate and technological resources.

Chuo, Shiao, & Kung (2002) states a study about “the students’ perceptions

of English learning through EFL websites” considering that some students are more

or less interested in learning and entering these websites. That is, 73% of students

were a little interested in learning English through websites suggested by the teacher,

using this medium as is the internet and only 26.5% indicated that they were very

interested in learning in this form, but there was a problem that some of the students

were very interested and others little interested.

This study was done in Taiwan where the analytic and quantitative methods

were used. The quantitative method allowed them to know the percentage of students

more and less interested in visiting these websites suggested by the teacher when the

analytic method permitted to understand the information and find the most relevant

conclusions, ideas and details which permitted to understand what goals the students

enter to this mean (websites) with, where the teachers did the practice or application.

As conclusions, this investigation demonstrated that when the teacher

suggests to visit a particular website, the students will soon wander to other fields not

interesting or look for their own preference, which sometimes mislead them from the

true intentions of the teacher in the specific scope of their teaching.

For this reason, it is very important to constantly oversee the children,

adolescents when they have access to the internet because it can be negative in many

(25)

Tsubaky & Nakayama (2004) mention a study about a group of highly

proficient Japanese students in which they considered the use of advanced organizers

while trying to improve reading and listening skills.

The conclusions were evident because the students who used the advanced

organizers were able to capture and understand the aspects of reading better than

those who did not apply it. That is to say, the students who applied this resource did a

good summary of the reading, with good grammatical structures, signals for

Chronological order of words, phrases and the most important: good ideas and

details.

Definitely, the use of organizers helped students to have an idea of what

reading is and they did not have any difficulties to summarize the reading, they all

had important, clear and precise ideas.

Finally, Richards (2011) reports a study about the role of textbooks in EFL

classes. For this study, there were experienced and inexperienced teachers who had

to teach a class in English.

This application was done with teachers of a school, in New York in which

the analytic method was applied to find the most important ideas and details. These

aspects allowed the analysis of textbooks which helped English teachers to teach in a

better way.

To conclude, this research demonstrated that textbooks helped both:

experienced and inexperienced teachers to become more familiar with the topic, have

a clear class, faciliting the learning process of the students and making the best use of

the limited time available. Therefore, textbooks will still play an important role in

(26)

successful performance on the exercises and help the teacher to create effective

lessons and good activities.

Finally, after having finished with these important points of the literature

review and previous studies, I can conclude the following: every method, technique

or material will not be enough if there are not well-trained teachers. Every teacher

needs to be committed to give their students a high-level education. Planning of

activities in advance is necessary to be organized and know what to do in a class and

being prepared is another part that should always be kept in mind, when teachers get

engaged to teaching, they will achieve personal satisfaction and will know that the

(27)

Results Qualitative Tabulation

Chart One:Type of supplementary material used to teach children

Variable Indicators Yes No

Visual

flash cards _

power point presentations

maps _

pictures _

charts _

handouts _

posters _

word cards

white/ black board _

Audio

songs

dialogues _

stories tales

Audiovisual videos

movies

documentaries

Realia objects(toys,plants,fruits)

Online websites

Author:Maria del Cisne Ramos

(28)

Chart two:Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary material used to teach children V ar ia b le Indicat ors 1 st cl ass 2n d cl ass 3r d cl ass 4t h cl ass 5t h cl ass 6t h cl ass 7t h cl ass 8t h cl ass 9t h cl ass 10 th cl ass P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . Vis u al flash cards power point presentati ons maps pictures Charts handouts posters word cards white/bla ck board Au d io song dialogues stories tales Au d iv is u al videos movies document aries Re alia objects (toys, plants, fruits) O n li n e websites

Author: María del Cisne Ramos

(29)

Chart three:Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary material used to teach children V ar ia b le Indicat ors 1 st cl ass 2n d cl ass 3r d cl ass 4t h cl ass 5t h cl ass 6t h cl ass 7t h cl ass 8t h cl ass 9t h cl ass 10 th cl ass P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . V is u al flash cards power point presentati ons maps pictures charts handouts posters word cards white/bla ck board A u di o song dialogue stories tales Au d iv is u al videos movies document aries Re alia objects (toys, plants, fruits) O n li n e websites

(30)

Chart four:Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary material used to teach children V ar ia b le Indicat ors 1 st cl ass 2n d cl ass 3r d cl ass 4t h cl ass 5t h cl ass 6t h cl ass 7t h cl ass 8t h cl ass 9t h cl ass 10 th cl ass P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . P er t. A p pr op . V is u al flash cards power point presentati ons maps pictures charts handouts posters word cards white/bla ck board Au d io song dialogues stories tales Au d iv is u al videos movies document aries Re alia objects (toys, plants, fruits) O n li n e websites

(31)

Quantitative Tabulation

Chart five:Frequency of use of supplementary material.

Variable Indicators 4th grade (8 years old approx.) 5th grade (9 years old approx.)

6th_grade

(10 years old

approx.) TOTAL PERCENTAGE

f f f f %

Visual

flash card 1 2 3 4.1 power point

presentation

maps 1 1 1.4

Pictures 4 3 4 11 15.1

charts 3 3 6 8.2

handoubts 10 10 20 27.3

posters 1 1 1.4

word cards

white /black board 10 10 10 30 41.1

Audio

songs

dialogues 1 1 1.4

stories tales Audiovisual videos movies documentaries Realia objects (toys,plants,fruits Online websites

TOTAL 73 100%

(32)

Description, Analysis and Interpretation of Results

This research has analyzed the use of supplementary materials for teaching

children in EFL classes. In this section: percentages charts of the material used in

class, variables and indicators will be detailed.

A qualitative and qualitative analysis will be included in this research project.

For the qualitative analysis different support materials will be analyzed, these

materials were used in the observed classes in the three different grades, describing if

they were pertinent and appropriate; the quality of the used material will also be

analyzed. The quantitative analysis will be presented according to an analysis of

frequency of the used material in each class based on the observation, surveys,

interviews and my personal approach.

Qualitative Analysis

4thgrade/ 8 years old White board

According to English Collins Dictionary (2011), a white board is used to

display written information to an audience”. In the first class it was a useful tool for

teachers and students. The topic of the class was “professions” and they had to use

the present simple, the verb to be, and the class objectives were to make students

understand vocabulary and grammar. For this purpose, the material used was

pertinent because it helped students to clarify all their questions and mainly to learn

grammar so that they could perform the tasks required by the teacher. Personally, I

can say that this material helped students to find solutions about the points that were

(33)

appropriate in relation to thestudent’slevel of understanding due to the fact that they

were able to voluntarily participate in class without being afraid to make mistakes.

Finally, the quality was considered to be good because the teacher wrote some

sentences that were good references to explain the grammatical structure. Also, it

helped students to improve their vocabulary and provided feedback.

Handouts

This material was very useful and necessary in the first class, since it was an

adequate resource in which students completed some sentences that were already

printed out. Like the material already mentioned before, handouts were pertinent and

appropriate. It was pertinent because it allowed students to carry out different

activities, after hearing the teacher's explanations. According to my opinion, this

material was a successful key in this class which enabled the students strengthen

their skills through exercises. On the other hand, it was appropriate to observe how

the students participated in class where the teacher checked their tasks and if

necessary, the students had to repeat the exercises in order to correct a few mistakes.

The teacher always encouraged them by saying that making mistakes is

normal when learning. Finally, the quality was considered to be good by looking at

what the teacher had used. He checked the exercises done by the students, and this

permitted him to know the level of understanding of their students and what

materials he should apply more frequently.

Pictures

(34)

photograph, painting, among other. Introductions and Greetings was the theme in the

second class in which the following objective was set: to develop in the students the

ability of introducing each other, giving and asking for personal information. Pictures

were pertinent and appropriate. They were pertinent because the pictures helped

students to learn specific vocabulary such as: “hello, hi, how are you?” This type of vocabulary was applied when the students practiced a dialogue between them.

Personally, I think that this material increased students’ ability to communicate and

use their imagination which was a great help for them to understand. It was also

appropriate because it allowed students to have a better understanding of the topic

and to formulate their own ideas according to what they observed in the pictures. For

these reasons, this material was considered to be of a good quality since it was used

adequately and contained a lot of important ideas and details, allowing students to

express their ideas and use appropriate vocabulary.

Handouts

This was another material used in the second class. Although this material

was used frequently, it was very useful and adequate for students to understand the

class. It helped them to be able to complete exercises in them, and give relevant

information about what was required. According to my opinion, this material helped

students improve passive vocabulary and to increase fluency and accuracy which is

an important key in the process of learning English.

It was also appropriate to observe how the students participated in class

where they asked and answered questions done by their classmates. When students

made mistakes, the teacher corrected them and made them notice their mistake, so

(35)

considered to be good because the students were capable of responding to the

exercises that the teacher requested. This proved the teacher that students could

understand and that it was useful to them.

White board

White board was another material used in the second class. It was quite

relevant for the grammar explanation. The teacher used it to explain how the present

simple is formed, and to write some greetings and introductions. So I believe that, it

was used appropriately because it allowed students to clarify their ideas and answer

all their questions about the topic of the class. They could also use the right words to

express themselves and to have a dialogue between partners which was a necessary

and important point in the class. Personally, I think it gave them the opportunity to

correct their mistakes as they participated in class.

Besides, it was related to the students’ level of understanding. The students

actively participated in class where they had a good performance in the

pronunciation, and could increase their fluency level and were able to say coherent

words and phrases. Also, I considered the material to be of good quality because the

teacher wrote several sentences and according to them he explained the grammatical

structure, letting the students correct their mistakes.

Maps

According to Raimes (1989, p. 42 ) ,“Maps are a valuable resource in the

language-learning classroom. Not only do they provide a visual framework for the

(36)

which the topic was questions and answers using the verb To Be. To teach

grammatical structures was the objective. It was used pertinently, allowing students

to have a guide to understand the class in a better way. This was demonstrated when

the students could write a variety of sentences. As a result, they could improve their

writing skills. In my opinion, students learnt a great deal about writing and

vocabulary was taught through of the maps.

Also, this material was used having in consideration aspects such as, age,

gender and others. Students could understand it, interpret it and summarize the main

ideas and details. They were adequately used and the teacher was able to write down

sentences that were crucial for the students to identify grammar, and truly understand

it.

Handouts

This material was used in the third class. It was used frequently, and I

consider it was necessary for students to carry out their activities and although they

did make a little of mistakes, they had the opportunity to learn of them, besides; there

was a variety of activities which contained examples already done by the teacher so

that they did not have to work alone. This helped students to be more interested,

organized, and accurate in their activities. According to my opinion, this material

helped students improve their writing, identify and correct their errors. For instance,

after learning about how questions and answers in the present simple are formed,

students did a variety of sentences likeAre you student?orIs he a teacher?that were

(37)

On the other hand, it was also appropriate to observe how the students did

make sentences, where they corrected them when it was necessary, encouraging

teacher to read what they had written, understand their suggestions and in turn

respond to it. Finally, I can say that the teacher was very creative since he created

easy understanding sentences which the students could use and consequently work

with their activities in a correct way.

White board

White board was a material used in the third class which was a frequent aid

during all the class. The teacher used it to explain the grammatical structures and it

helped the students to reinforce the grammar, and vocabulary that was taught. After

that, the students wrote sentences like are you a teacher? or are they doctors?

Consequently, they became involved with the topic and objective. Personally, I think

that the material gave students the opportunity to express what they learnt, to take

risks and reinforce their learning. It was also related to the students’ level and

understanding. The students participated in class where they had a good performance

in writing, they were able to write coherent sentences and were able to find the right

words. The teacher wrote several sentences and according to them he explained the

grammatical structure, permitting students to ask questions or say their ideas.

Therefore, it was used correctly.

Flash Cards

According to English Collins Dictionary (2011), flash cards are just cards

(38)

objectives were to teach students the different personal pronouns, structure and its

uses. Flash cards’ help was very important, it enabled students to learn the different

personal pronouns, memorize them and be able to use accurate vocabulary and

proper pronunciation. In my opinion, it gave them the opportunity to develop

listening and speaking skills and the ability to respond accurately.

It was amazing to listen to the different pronunciations and grammar used by

the students and see that they could express themselves clearly, giving great

responses and participating in class. Speaking about the material, it was very useful

and interesting since the teacher wrote the different pronouns and elaborated

sentences as a guide for the students to pronounce words correctly and learn

vocabulary

Handouts

The handouts used in the fourth class were very important and as it was

explained above, these helped students to learn the different personal pronouns

through exercises in which they had to complete the activities and as they were eager

to learn more. Students had to perform different activities. One of the activities they

had to do was to read the pronouns and create sentences. In my opinion, this material

helped students to develop their abilities and gave them the opportunity to learn

English by making use of personal pronouns and understanding its meaning.

Also, students participated a lot, showing their interest in learning more, of course, it

is also an important way to know the level of learning that students have. It is

essential to highlight the importance of helping students to become independent

(39)

they had to recognize the different personal pronouns and underline them in the

following passage:

I am Luisa.

Marcelo is my best friend. Marcelo‘s birthday is on March 24. It

is next Friday. Let‘s organize

a surprise party from him.

Mmm, Lourdes….let‘s see,

you can make some popcorn, right. Then, as you can see, this activity was very

motivating for the students and helped them to practice vocabulary related to

pronouns, making them achieve a higher level of knowledge.

White board

White board was another material used in the fourth class. It was used

frequently during all the class. The teacher explained about the personal pronouns,

structures and its uses, then students could ask questions based on what they had

observed. For example, after the teacher explained about the personal pronouns and

how sentences were formed using these pronouns, students wrote their own

sentences and then they had to write them on the board for being corrected by the

teacher; then he discussed what details should be changed. In my opinion, this helped

students combine sentences using vocabulary and pronouns. Consequently; they

could work on different activities according to the explanations given by their

teacher.

This material was appropriate for the students’ level and their understanding,

students could participate in class and had a good performance, the material helped

them to increase writing and speaking skills because they wrote and read their

sentences. The teacher wrote several sentences and according to them he explained

(40)

Pictures

This material was used in the fifth class. The topic of the class was: sentences

using the personal pronouns. Review pronouns and practice vocabulary to describe

professions was the objective of the class. This material contained some professions

and pronouns. This material was useful for students to elaborate their own sentences.

It was possible to find sentences and pictures that showed professions like “…they

are firemen, you are teachers …” the application of these sentences triggered their

imagination and they could express their criteria. Personally, I must say, that it

permitted students make predictions, and suppositions about the topic and analyze

what will happen next. Also, it was important to notice that there were some pictures

corresponding to professions which help students to have a understanding and a

stimulating focus forstudents’attention, given a focus of interest for students and be

able to develop their own sentences adequately. Speaking about the material, it was

very useful and interesting as a guide for the students to use their imagination and to

develop a wide variety of activities, gathering more vocabulary knowledge and

sentence structure.

Handouts

Continuing with the analysis, handouts was another material used in the fifth

class where some professions and pronouns were used to form sentences After

making some sentences such as: I am a student, you are an engineer, it was

noticeable that the students had understood and were able to complete the activities

set by the teacher. In my opinion, it helped students to elaborate sentences that

combined vocabulary and pronouns. Consequently; they could perform their

(41)

The students had to use the different pronouns and professions when writing

sentences and they had to differentiate pronouns and professions. For example: two

columns to work with were given, column “A” for personal pronouns and column

“B” for professions. Students had to combine the two columns and see what

sentences they could elaborate. Students felt encouraged to participate and work in a

better and fun way. This activity was very motivating for the students since they had

the opportunity to increase their vocabulary and most importantly, their interest in

learning the language.

White board

White board was used in the fifth class as it has been in the other classes. It

was very important for the teacher to organize tasks and ideas so that the students can

work with some exercises without making it difficult. It also encouraged students to

think for themselves. For example, after the teacher explained the personal pronouns

and professions and how sentences were formed using these two aspects, students

had to write their own sentences and then on the board so that the teacher could

correct them, then he discussed what details should be changed. In my opinion, it

helped students become familiar with different kinds of sentence patterns and expand

their linguistic knowledge.

The material was related to thestudents’ level of understanding because they

were able to actively participate in class, and they were able to use the correct

vocabulary in speaking and writing. The material was used appropriate because the

teacher wrote several sentences and according to them he explained the grammatical

(42)

Pictures

In the sixth class, Sing a song in English was the theme of the class for which

the objectives were the following: to develop writing, listening and speaking skills,

and to review the present tense. With these objects students could make use of their

imagination. They had to discuss and write about what they had observed, make

comments and suggestions. For this exercise, there was a picture about a boy who

was playing guitar and singing a song to represent the use of simple present, the song

was titled : Do you like pizza? In which writing, speaking and listening skills could

be practiced. According to my opinion, this material made the classroom

environment more relaxing and pleasing to the students, helping them to develop the

communication skills and build communicative competence.

The material was appropriate to their age, level of knowledge and learning

style of students. The pictures helped them to use their imagination, and it made their

learning process easier. This material was considered to be of good quality because it

permitted students to express their preferences, abilities, skills, which ensured that

the English was being practiced.

Handouts

This was another material used in the sixth class. It was frequently used in

previous classes, too, and it is a necessary material for students to understand the

song when the teacher sang it. Related vocabulary and grammar were given to the

students so that they could understand the song and sing it perfectly. I think that, this

material encouraged students to use the vocabulary in speaking and writing. In

(43)

In the class, we were able to observe how the students could sing, using the

grammar and vocabulary that is an essential aspect of helping students to learn

English and organize information from speaking, listening and writing. Finally, I can

say that the teacher was very creative because he wrote the song which had several

known words and repetitive lyrics like: I want to know, Do you like pizza?, No, I do

notMaking use of these resources, the students could easily understand grammar and

practice vocabulary in a fun and relaxing way. Therefore, I consider that this material

was used adequately.

White board

White board was another material used in the sixth class. This material was

very important for the teacher to explain grammatical structures and its uses, it was

useful to illustrate the meaning of the song as well. Here, for example, the teacher

explained about the Present Tense sentences, the students recognized different kinds

of statements and at the same time they could explore new information. In my

opinion, it helped students increase their vocabulary for a productive use, it

encouraged students to learn phrases and give them a purpose for speaking and

writing.

It was appropriate for the students’ level and understanding, the students could

speak and make notes. That is, after listening to the song, they made notes and asked

question. Students were asking if the sentences from the song were interrogative or

not, which demonstrates the students’ interest. This material was used adequately and

(44)

Pictures

In the seventh class, Demonstrative Pronouns was the topic of the class for

which the objectives were the following: to teach students the different

demonstrative pronouns, structures and uses. This material permitted students to use

their imagination and students discussed and wrote about that they observed, they

made comments and suggestions. Among these pictures, there were some that

showed different demonstrative pronouns. As examples, there were pictures about a

child near a pencil, a boy far a book and according to those, the students used their

imagination and expressed their ideas about what they were observing. My idea is

that, this material allowed students to be engaged to writing. They wrote a list of

details and read them in the class where the teacher corrected their errors, so they

could correct them and improve their notes.

The material was used according to their age, level of knowledge and

learning style because even though they made some mistakes, students were able to

correct them. So the pictures helped them to use their imagination, learn from their

mistakes and write any idea and anticipate the topic before they had all completed

information to carry out the objectives. This material was considered to be of good

quality, it was used adequately and successfully because it permitted students to

express their ideas, details about they were observing.

Handouts

Continuing with the analysis, handouts was another material used in the

seventh class. It contained sentences such as, this is my father, that is my book and

(45)

think that the material helped students to elaborate sentences linking vocabulary and

demonstrative pronouns. Consequently; they could work on their activities, which

was a good way to get feedback.

The students used the different demonstratives pronouns and professions in

different activities where they had to write sentences and differentiate pronouns and

professions. For example, they had two columns, column “A” for personal pronouns

and column “B” for professions. A and B permitted them to make a variety of

sentences. For example: this is my teacher, that is my book. This activity was very

motivating for the students so that they can create a variety of sentences and increase

their interest of knowing new interesting vocabulary in learning English.

White board

White board was another material used in the seventh class which was

frequently used in all class. It was very important for the teacher to explain the

grammatical structures and it helped the students to reinforce grammar and

vocabulary that had been taught concerning demonstrative pronouns. After that, the

students wrote a variety of sentences such as, this is my father, that is my book. As a

result, they became involved with the topic and objective, a necessary and important

aspect in this research. I think that this material gave students the opportunity of

expressing themselves, be corrected about what they had learnt.

The material was related tothe students’ level and understanding because the

students could participate in class where they had a good performance in writing.

With this material, they were able to write coherent sentences and express

(46)

them he explained the grammatical structure, permitting students to ask questions or

express their ideas. Consequently, it was used correctly.

Charts

Charts are graphic designs used to show information, according to the topic.

In this class, these showed information about some kinds of animals, important

aspects to make sentences used the demonstrative pronouns, too. The charts were

used in the eighth class, for which the topic was demonstrative pronouns ( in singular

form) using names of animals and the objective was the following: to provide

grammar knowledge, using names of animals. Charts permitted students to do

effective communicative tasks that were derived with help of this chart. Here, the

students looked for information presented visually and they worked with it and

applied in their writing exercises. For example, they had to work with two columns,

column “A” for demonstrative pronouns and column “B” list of animals”. A and B

permitted them to explain the topic. For example:This is my dog, That is my catwere

some examples which were useful for students to differentiate their grammatical

structure and use. My understanding is that this material allowed students to process

and convey information based on what they had observed that after it was corrected

by the teacher.

Also, this material was used according to aspects of students such as, age and

among others because the students understood, interpreted and summarized the main

ideas and details, writing good sentences so that I can say, it was adequate,

permitting students provide real information about of the topic, and consequently,

(47)

Handouts

Continuing with the analysis, handout was another material used in the eighth

class. It contained sentences such as, this is my cat, that is my bird and among other

where the students completed the activities with help of those. It means knowing that

they are trying to do the best. I believe that this material helped students to realize a

variety of sentences linking names of animals and demonstrative pronouns.

Consequently; they could elaborate their activities, a good way to get feedback and

learn to link sentences

The students used the different demonstrative pronouns and names of animals

where they had to write sentences and differentiate between these two topics. For

example, they had two columns, column“A” for personal pronouns and column“B”

for list of animals. A and B permitted them to do a variety of sentences. For example:

this is my pig, that is my cat were some examples that the students realized to get

enough experience of these sentences and can assimilate them. Then, according I

could understand, this material was very motivating and successful for the students

to become familiar with the grammar and encourage them to work independently.

White board

White board was another material used in the eighth class which was used

frequently in all earlier classes. It was very important for the teacher to explain

grammatical structures and uses. Here, for example, the teacher explained about how

the sentences are formed with demonstrative pronouns using names of animals, then

(48)

opinion, it helped students increase their vocabulary, link sentences and improve

their writing skills.

The material was related to the students’ level and understanding because

students participated in class a lot and they did sentences without unnecessary

difficulty. It means knowing what they are trying to do the best, experiencing the

grammar in linguistic contexts and exploring information about a wide variety of

vocabulary. This material was used adequately and the teacher wrote some sentences

using the vocabulary and according to them the teacher explained the grammatical

structure, permitting students to ask questions or express their suggestions.

Charts

Charts were used in the nineteenth class in which the topic was: negative

demonstrative pronouns ( in singular form) using names of transportation systems

and the objective was the following: to provide grammar knowledge, using names of

transportation systems. Charts permitted students to do effective communicative

tasks that were derived with help of this chart. Here, the students looked for

information presented visually and they worked with it and applied it in their writing

exercises. For example, they had two columns, column “A” for negative

demonstrative pronouns and column“B”list of animals”.A and B permitted them to

explain the topic. For example: This is not my dog, That is not my cat were some

examples which were useful for students to differentiate their grammatical structur .I

think this material allowed students to process and convey information based they

“The use of supplementary materials for teaching children in EFL classes”

Cariamanga - Ecuador

CONTENTS

―The use of

s for teaching children in EFL classes‖. This research was

―The use of supplementary materials for teaching children

in EFL classes‖.

Marcelo is my best friend. Marcelo‘s birthday is on March 24. It

is next Friday. Let‘s organize

Mmm, Lourdes….let‘s see,