ADOPTING AND ADAPTING MATERIALS

DIFFERENT TYPES OF MATERIALS

Published materials - course books - skills books Authentic materials

According to Gower (1995) there two types of materials:

ESSENTIAL FEATURES FOR SELECTING A COURSE BOOK The book should be at the right vocabulary and grammar level for the learners.

The book should focus on the language and skills that are the goal of the course.

The book should be below a certain price. The book should be readily available. The size and number of lessons in the book should suit the length of the course.

The book should not include behavior and topics that would off end the religious or cultural sensitivities of the learners and their parents.

EVALUATING A COURSE BOOK Does the course book suit the environment in which it will be used? Does the course book meet the needs of the learners? Does the course book apply sensible principles of teaching and learning?

Do the goals of the course book match the goals of the course? Does the content of the course book suit the proficiency level of the learners and reflect sensible selection and sequencing principles?

Is the course book interesting and does it use effective techniques? Does the course book include tests and ways of monitoring progress?

FOR “CHECKLIST FOR ADOPTING TEXTBOOKS” SEE BROWN (1995) P. 161

“Steps for adapting materials” see Brown (1995) p. 166

DIFFERENT TYPES OF MATERIALS ADAPTATION:

Adding Deleting or omitting Modifying Simplifying Reordering

According to McDonough & Shaw (2004) there are five types of adaptations:

WHAT MATERIALS CAN YOU SELECT?

1. How flexible is your teaching situation in terms of your ability to select materials?2. Are you restricted to the school textbook completely or can you supplement with other

materials?3. What criteria do you look for in classroom materials? Think about the 4Cs – Culture, Cognition,

Communication and Content.

Culture

-Is the content appropriate to the group? -Does it promote global or intercultural understanding and awareness?

Cognition

-Is the material engaging? -Does it stimulate higher or lower order thinking skills?-Does it meet the abilities and needs of the group? -Does it promote a variety of learning skills and strategies?

Communication

-Does it include opportunity for sharing or interacting? -Is the content language matched to the level of the group?

Content

-Is the content suitable to the level and age of the group?-Is it relevant to the syllabus/topic?-Is the amount appropriate to the time allocated? Is it up to date and visually attractive? Are the tasks/instructions easy to follow?

How do course books focus on content?Variety of font styles and sizesActivating prior knowledgeClassification taskPersonalisationRepetition of key vocabularyEncouraging production of target languageUsing visualsUnderlying key wordsIncluding word banksIncluding a glossary

HOW DO YOU SELECT AND ADAPT AUTHENTIC

MATERIALS?

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF AUTHENTIC MATERIALS

Advantages Disadvantages

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF AUTHENTIC MATERIALS

Advantages DisadvantagesInteresting & motivating for learners

Language not graded so challenging

Exposure to real life Time-consuming as have to develop graded tasks for the materials

More up to date than text books

Copyright

Bring another medium into the classroom (e.g. DVD, video, internet)

Equipment may not be available

Engcourages confidence if handled properly

Expensive if you have to make your own copies

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF MATERIALS

Criteria CriteriaThe material syllabus content the of matches theMatches my the material learners interests the ofThe adapt to will long material too take notBreaking I law not copyright amAccurate the is material unbiased and

Here are some criteria for selection of authentic materials. The sentences are mixed up. Write them in the correct order.

ADAPTATION METHOD

REFERENCES Brown, JD.1996. The Elements of Language Curriculum; A Systematic Approach to Program Development. Boston, Mass.: Heinle & Heinle Publishers

Nation, I.S.P. & Macalister, J. 2010. Language Curriculum Design. Oxon: Routledge.