Materials development

(LANGUAGE LEARNING)

MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT

Hasan BİLOKCUOĞLU

Wednesday, January 7, 2015 prepared by Hasan BİLOKCUOĞLU

CONTENTS

Introduction

What is ‘Material’?

What is ‘Materials Development’?

Forms of Materials

The Roles of Materials

Authentic vs. Non-Authentic Materials

Advantages and Disadvantages of Authentic Materials

Advantages and Disadvantages of Textbooks

Evaluating Texbooks

Significant Considerations in Evaluating Textbooks

Factors involved in the Development of Textbooks

Criteria for Textbook Evaluation

Adapting Textbooks and Significant Considerations

The Nature Of Materials Development

Preparing Materials for a program: adv&disadv.

Final Words and Conclusion

References

A Short Video 2’22’’ (tips for selecting, adapting and using textbooks)


I N T R O D U C T I O NM AT E R I A L ( S ) : P r o f . B r i a n To m l i n s o n

( 2 0 0 3 ) d e f i n e s t h a t :

The matters or substances from which something can be

made

Tools or apparatus for the performance of a given task

Having a logical connection with a subject matter or the

consequential events or the knowledge of which would

significantly affect a decision or course of action


MATERIALS (JAMES D.

BROWN, 2007)

any systematic description of the techniques and exercises

to be used in classroom teaching

the key in developing sound materials is to ensure that

they are described and organized well enough so that

teachers can use them with no confusion and with a minimum

of preparation time


WHAT ’S MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT?

‘Materials development is both a field of study and a practical

undertaking.

As a field it studies the principles and procedures of the design,

implementation and evaluation of language teaching materials’

(Tomlinson

2001 : 66)


WHAT’S MATERIALS

DEVELOPMENT?

anything done by materials developers or teachers to facilitate the learning

of the language (teaching)

a conscious process which consists of the committing to memory of

information relevant to what is being learned (learning)

anything which is done by writers, teachers or learners to provide sources of

language input and to exploit those sources in ways which maximize the

likelihood of intake

the supplying of information about and/or experience of the language in

ways designed to promote language learning


INTRO. ( C O N T ’ E D )

Teaching materials are one of the most crucial components in most language

programs since

They generally serve as the basis for much of the lang. input learners

receive

They provide what should be learnt and practiced in a 4 walled

environment.

They may serve as a form of teaching training, particularly for the

inexperienced teachers.


FORMS OF MATERIALS


T H E R O L E S O F M AT E R I A L S A C C O R D I N G T O

C U N N I N G S W O R T H ( 1 9 9 5 )

A source for presentation (spoken or written)

A source of activities for learner practice and communicative

interaction

A reference source for learners on grammar, vocab.,

pronunciation, and so on.

A source of stimulation and ideas for classroom activities

A source for syllabus

A support for less experienced teachers who have not yet

gained confidence in teaching.


Any materials which are not

designed for learning and

teaching purposes

Magazines, newspaper, TV

broadcasts, recorded real

telephone conversation,

photographs, and the like

Any materials which are

designed and intended for

learning and teaching

purposes

Textbooks, CDs for

listening, and the like

Authentic materials Artificial materials


USEFULNESS OF

AUTHENTICITY

They have a positive effect on learner motivation.

They provide authentic cultural info about the TL.

They provide exposure to real language

They relate more closely to learners’ needs

They support a more creative approach to teaching.

( Phillips&Shettlesworth, 1978; Clarke, 1989; Peacock, 1997)


USEFULNESS OF

AUTHENTICITY ( C O N T ’ E D )

Help prepare learners for the ‘real’ world of communication

Guide learners towards the language they need for their particular

context

Motivate learners to communicate, because they help make

communication ‘real’.

Authentic texts are quick and easy to find


JAMES D. BROWN (2007)

‘’It takes energy and creativity to devise authentic contexts and

meaningful interaction, but with the help of a storehouse of teacher

resource materials, it can be done.”


CRITICS

Artificial (created) materials can also be motivating.

Authentic materials often contain difficult language.

Artificial mat.s may be superior to authentic mat.s as they

are generally built around a graded syllabus.

Authentic materials preperation is time consuming.


CRITICS ( C O N T ’ E D )

Authentic materials are reading texts that were written by native speakers and

published in contexts designed specifically for native-speaker consumption,

with no thought given to non-native accessibility. The topics, language, syntax,

structure, etc., are all pitched at a target audience of native speakers and

offered through media intended primarily for native speakers; thus, they are

mainly much more suitable for the highly advanced students only.

Authentic materials may contain culturally inappropriate content

Authentic reading texts are usually quite long, which usually leads

to demotivation.


ADVANTAGES OF TEXT

BOOKS

They provide structure and a syllabus for a program.

They help standardize instruction.

They maintain quality.

They provide a variety of resources.

They are efficient.

They can provide effective language models and input.

They can train teachers.

They are visually appealing


POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

They may contain inauthentic language.

They may distort content.

They may not reflect students ’ needs.

They can deskill teachers

They are expensive.


EVALUATING

TEXTBOOKS :S O M E S I G N I F I C A N T

C O N S I D E R AT I O N S

A book might be ideal in one paricular situation since it may perfectly match the

needs of that situation, like it may have just the right amount of material for the

program, it may be easy to teach, it may call for little preparation, or it may

equally cover all the skills and grammar points. Yet, it may not be quite suitable

in a different situation. For instance, it may contain too little material, it may not

be sufficiently challenging for both the teacher and the students, and the

grammar points may be insufficient. As for an example, see the grammar points

in Oxford Business English-Profile 1 and Oxford English for Careers series-

Nursing 1 !


B E F O R E E V A L U A T I N G A T E X T B O O K , W E S H O U L D C O N S I D E R T H E F O L L O W I N G

Q U E S T I O N S

The role of the textbook in the program

A textbook mostly determines the syllabus and objectives

will it be employed with small or big classes?

will learners be expected to buy a workbook as well or should the

textbook provide all the practice students need?


B E F O R E E VA L U AT I N G A T E X T B O O K , W E S H O U L D

C O N S I D E R T H E F O L L O W I N G Q U E S T I O N S

( C O N T. ’ E D )


The teachers in the program

How experienced are the teachers in the program and what is

their level of training?

Are they native speakers of English? If not, how well do they

speak English?

Do teachers tend to follow the textbook closely or do they use the

book simply as a resource?

Are teachers free to adapt and supplement the book?

B E F O R E E VA L U AT I N G A T E X T B O O K , W E S H O U L D

C O N S I D E R T H E F O L L O W I N G Q U E S T I O N S

( C O N T. ’ E D )


The learners in the program

Is each student required to buy a book?

What do learners typically expect in a

textbook?

Will they use the book in class and at

home?

How will they use the book in class? Is it

the primary source of classroom activities?

How much are they prepared to pay for a

book?

FAC T O R S I N V O LV E D I N T H E D E V E L O P M E N T O F

C O M M E R C I AL T E X T B O O K S

The books representing the interests of the author

The books representing the interests of the

publisher

(Byrd, 1995; Werner, et.al., 1995)


CRITERIA FOR TEXTBOOK

EVALUATION

According to Cunningsworth (1995) there are 4 criteria for evaluating textbooks

They should correspond to learners’ needs. They should match the aims andobjectives of the lang. program.

They should reflect the uses (present or future) that learners will make of thelanguage. Textbooks should be chosen that will help equip students to uselang.effectively for their own purposes.

They should take account of students’ needs as learners and should facilitatethier learning processes, without dogmatically imposing a rigid ‘method’

They should have a clear role as a support for learning.


CRITERIA FOR TEXTBOOK

EVALUATION ( C O N T . ’ E D )

Furthermore, Dudly-Evans & St. John (1998) suggest that the following

questions should be asked when selecting ESP materials:

Will the materials stimulate and motivate?

To what extent does the material match the stated learning objectives

and your learning objectives?

To what extent will the materials support the learning process?


ADAPTING TEXTBOOKS

Dudly-Evans & St. John (1998) highlight that a good material provider

(teacher) needs to be able to:

select appropriately from what is available

be creative with what is available

modify activities to suit learners’ needs

supplement by providing extra activities ( and extra input)


S I G N I F I C A N T C O N S I D E R AT I O N S I N

A D A P T I N G T E X T B O O K S

Modifiying content

Content may need to be changed because it may not suit the

target learners, perhaps because of factors related to the

learners’ age, gender, social class, occupation, religion, or

cultural background


S I G N I F I C AN T C O N S I D E R AT I O N S I N AD A P T I N G

T E X T B O O K S ( C O N T . ’ E D )


Adding or Deleting Content

The book may contain too much or too little

for the program. For example, a course may

focus primarily on listening and speaking

skills and hence writing activities in the

book will be omitted.


A D A P T I N G T E X T B O O K S ( C O N T . ’ E D )


Reorganasing Content

A teacher may decide to reorganise the

syllabus of the book, and arrange the units

in what s/he considers a more suitable

order, or within a unit s/he may decide not

to follow the sequence of activities in the

unit but to reorder them for a particular

reason.




Addressing Omissions

The text may omit items that the teacher

feels they are important. For example, a

teacher may add vocab. activities or

grammar activities to a unit.

SIGNIFICANT CONSIDERATIONS IN

ADAPTING TEXTBOOKS ( C O N T . ’ E D )


Modifiying Tasks

Exercises and activities may need to be

changed to give them an additional focus.

For axample, a listening activity may focus

only on listening for information, so it is

adapted so that students listen a second or

third time for a different purpose.




Extending Tasks

Exercises may contain insufficient practice

and additional tasks may need to be added.

T H E N AT U R E O F M AT E R I A L S D E V E L O P M E N T

The goal is to create materials that can serve as resources for

effective teaching. The writer starts with a learning goal in mind

and then seeks to create a set of activities that enable that goal to

be reached. Shulman (1987) describes the transformation phase

of this process as consists of:

(i) Preperation: crtitical interpretation and analysis of text;

structuring and segmentation, development of curricular repertoire,

and clarification of purposes


T H E N AT U R E O F M AT E R I A L S D E V E L O P M E N T ( C O N T . ’ E D )

(ii) Representation: use of representational repertoire that

includes analogies, metaphors, examples, explanations, and so

on.

(ii) Adapting and tailoring to student characteristics:

consideration of conceptions, preconceptions, misconceptions,

and difficulties; language, culture, and motivations; and social

class, gender, age, ability, aptitude, interests, self-concepts,

attention


PREPARING MATERIALS FOR A

PROGRAM

In cases where institutionally developed materials are being considered for a lang. program, both the adv.

and the dis adv. of setting up a materials development project need to be carefully considered at the outset.

ADVANTAGES : Advantages of building a materials development component into a

program include:

Relevence: Materials can be produced that are directly relevant to students’ and instutional

needs.

Develop Expertise: Developing materials can help develop expertise among staff, giving them a

greater understanding of the characteristics of effective materials.

Reputation: Institutionally developed materials may enhance the reputation of the institution by

demonstrating its commitment to providing materials developed particularly for its students.

Flexibility: Materials produced within the institution can be revised or adapted as needed, giving

them a greater flexibility than a commercial coursebook.


DISADVANTAGES

Disadvantages also need to be considered before embarking onmaterials development

Cost: Quality materials take time to produce and adequate stafftime as well as resources need to be allocated to such a project.

Quality: Teacher made materials will not normally have the samestandard of design and production as commerical materials, hencemay not present the same image as commerical materials.

Training: To prepare teachers for materials writing projects,adequate training should be provided.


ROWNTREE (1997)

Rowntree (1997) points out that good materials should:

arose the learners’ interests

remind them of earlier learning

tell them what they will be learning next

explain new learning content to them

relate these ideas to learners’ previous learning


ROWNTREE (1997) C O N T . ’ E D


get learners to think about new content

help them get feedback on their learning

encourage them to practice

enable them to check their progress

help them to do better

FINAL WORDS

To sum up, the ability to be able to adapt commercial

textbooks in these days is an essential skill for teachers to

develop. Through the process of adaptation, the teacher

personalise the text, making it a better teaching source, and

individualise it for a particular group of learners. Normally,

this process occurs gradually as the teacher becomes more

familiar with the book ( and when s/he becomes more

experienced in teaching)


CONLUSION

A textbook is only as good as the teacher, and a textbook is just one tool, perhaps a very important tool, in

your teaching arsenal. Sometimes, teachers over rely on textbooks and do not consider other aids or other

materials for the classroom. Some teachers reject a textbook approach to learning because the textbook is

outdated or insufficiently covers a topic or subject area.

As a teacher, you'll need to make many decisions, and one of those is how you want to use the textbook. As

good as they may appear on the surface, textbooks do have some limitations.

When thinking about how you want to use your textbooks, consider the following:

Use the textbook as a resource for students, but not the only resource.

Use a textbook as a guide, not a mandate, for instruction.

Be free to modify, change, eliminate, or add to the material in the textbook.

Supplement the textbook with lots of outside readings.


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Should teachers see the instructional materials as their primary

teaching resource?

What roles do instructional materials play in your language

program?

Have you ever had any experience with using authentic

materials in teaching?

What do you think is an appropriate role for commercial

materials in a language program?


THANKS FOR BEARING WITH

ME

...AND DO NOT DWELL ON THIS‘MATERIAL’ WORLD MUCH !


REFERENCES

A short video: ESL / EFL Teaching Tip: A Quick Idea about Using Textbooks. Available online at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ9XX51XhXM

Brown, H.D. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy, 3rd ed.

Bryd, P. (1995). Material writer’s guide. New York: Heinle and Heinle

Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your textbook. Oxford:Heinemann

Dudley-Evans, T., and M.St. John (1998). Developements in English for specific purposes. NewYork: Cambridge

University Press

Richards, J.C. (2001). Curriculum development in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.

Rowntree, D. (1990). The language teaching matrix. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Shulman, L. (1987). Knowledge and Teaching: Foundaions of the new reform. Harward Educational Review, 57 (1): 1-22

Tomlinson, B. (2003). Materials development in language teaching. London: Continuum

Werner, P., M. Church, M. Gill, K. Hyzer, M.Knezevic, A.Niedermeier, and B.Wegmann (1995). Working with publishers.

In Bryd, 1995, 173-214


A S H O R T V I D E O : E S L / E F L T E A C H I N G T I P : A Q U I C K I D E A

A B O U T U S I N G T E X T B O O K S

2’20’’
