Buying Resources for the SL Classroom
It is not uncommon for teachers, whether beginning their career or starting at a new school, to find themselves in a difficult position when it comes to access to resources. As second languages are not considered core subject areas, the funds available for new language resources are hard to come by and often minimal if they do exist. As such, teachers can find themselves using out-of-date textbooks and adapting the material found within to meet current curricular standards and the needs of students. But what happens if you do find yourself with funding to purchase new resources, where do you begin?
How do I know which resources I can choose from?
Beginning to look for resources can be an overwhelming task. One place to start is with your local bookstores; they sometimes have catalogues of teaching resources that will allow you to get a sense of what is out there and which resources interest you from the outset. At this early stage of the process, it is important to follow the old adage “Never judge a book by its cover”; you want to look for resources that will give you maximum mileage—in other words, which ones will be able to cover as many of the curriculum components as possible, which will allow you to supplement as you desire and/or require, and which cover all components of language learning (speaking, reading, writing, listening, culture). The best resources may not be the flashiest ones, so take some time to review all that is available to you!
In terms of finding resources that have been approved for use in your region, the first source to consult is your educational governing body. In Alberta, for example, the Ministry of Education publishes a database of authorized resources for each subject area taught in the province; the list for your language can be found by going to the Alberta Education website, http://education.alberta.ca/, choosing your subject from the Program of Studies list, and following the links to learning and teaching resources where you will find the database. While these lists are tailored to meet the curricular standards of Alberta’s education programs, teachers outside of the province can use them in order to get some ideas of what is available.
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I’ve found a few different resources I like, how do I know which one to choose?
If you are using a website like Education Alberta, once you have searched the database and found some resources you think might meet your needs, you will be given information about where you can go to “preview” the resources. Previewing the resources is the best way to know if they are suitable for you and your students, if they do in fact meet the curricular outcomes that need to be covered, and if they work with your teaching approach (i.e. if they leave enough room for you to supplement with different activities). In Alberta, previewing means visiting one of the locations listed on the website and being able to review a hard copy of the resource, whether it be a textbook, video or audio.
When deciding on textbooks, it is important to keep in mind which education levels you are buying for; in other words, are you buying resources for all junior high grades (7-9), all high school grades (10-12), just one grade level, etc. If you need to buy resources for several grades, it is important to think about textbook series—do you like the series at all grade levels, or are only certain levels suitable for your needs? If you decide the entire series won’t meet your needs, then you need to think about and plan for which other textbooks you will use that will still meet the program requirements and provide sufficient consistency for the students from year to year. In short, buying resources for more than one grade level is not an easy task, rather one that requires careful time and attention on the part of the teacher.
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I’ve had a chance to preview the resources and have chosen the ones I want; now what?
Once you have chosen the resources you would like to purchase for your program, you will then have to present your school administration with your request. The best approach to this would be to explain why you have chosen the resources you have chosen; explain how they follow the program of studies, how they meet the needs of the students, how you feel about being able to work with them and adapt where needed, etc. In this way, your administration will know that you have done your research and have carefully selected resources that will make the most of the funding you have been given.