Materials That Make a Difference  -  Task Variety with Silvina Mascitti

In Episode 19, we are talking with Silvina Mascitti, both a passionate EFL teacher and materials writer and the very creative mind behind EFL Creative Ideas.com.

Silvina generously provides the ESL training community with a trove of dynamic ideas through her website and we at Business Class particularly enjoy collaborating with her on materials for our own online training platform.

Listen here as we delve into – task variety…a pillar of materials writing and a key ingredient in a great ESL session.  We dive deep into what engages our learners, and the all-important role of task variety in that, in order to turn out great learning experiences.  

We’ll be taking a look at working with course books, self-created materials, and the dogme approach which involves little or no preparation by working with emergent language. You don’t need to be a materials writer to benefit from Silvina’s tips. On the contrary, by understanding the building blocks of a great session, you, the trainer, can maximize your session with more effective techniques.

Silvina breaks down the question, “what makes good material?,” and gives us her valuable insights. She highlights the essential elements of materials writing such as engagement, interaction, relatability, representation and inclusivity. All-important, brain-friendly ingredients for good learning such as repetition, emotion, fun, and avoiding cognitive overload are explored.

Silvina shows us the value of squeezing  the most out of your existing materials or creating dynamic exercises out of a situation at hand  – and explains how these two approaches not only coexist peacefully but in fact, enrich a session with their diversity.

It’s a great conversation chock full of ways to improve your sessions with a few tweaks. Don’t miss out.