The Role and The Design Of

Instructional Materials

Dwike Agustina Siahaan (2210201021)

Esraweddi Siregar (2210201017)
Introduction

Teaching materials are a key component in most language

programs. Whether the teacher uses a textbook, institutionally
prepared materials, or his or her own materials, instructional
materials generally serve as the basis for much of the language
input learners receive and the language practice that occurs in the
classroom. In the case of inexperienced teachers, materials may
also serve as a form of teacher training - they provide ideas on
how to plan and teach lessons as well as formats that teachers can
use.
Cunningsworth summarizes the role of materials (particularly course books) in language teaching as:

• a resource for presentation materials (spoken and written).

• a source of activities for learner practice and communicative
interaction.
• a reference source for learners on grammar, vocabulary,
pronunciation, and so on.
• source of stimulation and ideas for classroom activities
• a syllabus (where they reflect learning objectives that have
already been determined).
• a support for less experienced teachers who have yet to gain in
confidence.
 Textbooks
Textbooks are used in different ways in language programs. For example, a reading
textbook might be the basis for a course on reading skills, provid- ing both a set of reading
texts and exercises for skills practice. The use of commercial textbooks in teaching has both
advantages and disadvantages, depending on how they are used and the contexts for their use.
The advantages, are:
 They provide structure and a syllabus for a program.
 Without textbooks a program may have no central core and learners may not receive a
syllabus.
 They help standardize instruction.
 They maintain quality learning principles, and that are paced appropriately.
 They are efficient.
 They can provide effective language models and input.
 They are visually appealing.
 They may contain inauthentic language.
 They may distort content.
 They may not reflect students' needs.
 They are expensive.
 Evaluating Textbooks
Before one can evaluate a textbook, therefore, information is needed on the
following issues:
The Role Of The Textbook In The Program
• Is there a well-developed curriculum that describes the objectives syllabus
and content of the program or will this be determined by the text- book? or is
it
• Will the book or textbook series provide the core of the program, one of
several different books that will be used?
• Will it be used with small classes or large ones?

• Will learners be expected to buy a workbook as well or should the text- book
provide all the practice students need?
 Cont’

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 textbooks closely or do they use the book
simply as a resource?
• Do teachers play a part in selecting the books they teach from?

• Are teachers free to adapt and supplement the book?

Cont’

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?

 Criteria For Textbook Evaluation
Cunningsworth (1995) proposes four criteria for evaluating textbooks, particularly
course books:

1. They should correspond to learners' needs. They should match the aims and
objectives of the language learning program.

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

3. They should take account of students' needs as learners and should facilitate
their learning processes, without dogmatically imposing a rigid "method.“

4. They should have a clear role as a support for learning. Like teachers. they
mediate between the target language and the learner.
Cunningsworth (1995) presents a checklist for textbook
evaluation and seJection (see Appendix 2) organized under the
following categories:
• Aims and approaches
• Design and organization
• Language content
• Skills
• Topic
• Methodology
• Teachers' Books
• Practical Considerations
 Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998, 173) suggest that operating with
so many categories is often not very practical and it is easier to use two or
three key criteria in the first instance and then apply others if or when needed.
They propose the following questions to ask when selecting ESP materials:
• 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?
• To what extent will the materials support the learning process?
Based on the factors in each situation, questions specific to that
situation need to be generated around the main issues involved in
textbook evaluation and selection:
• program factor
• teacher factors
• learner factors
• content factors-questions
• pedagogical factors-questions
 Adapting Textbooks Materials
Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998, 173) suggest that a good Most teachers are
not creators of teaching materials but providers of good provider of materials
will be able to:
1. Select appropriately from what is available.
2. Be creative with what is available.
3. Modify activities to suit learners' needs.
4. Supplement by providing extra activities (and extra input).
Commercial textbooks can seldom be used without some form of adap- tation
to make them more suitable for the particular context in which they will be
used. This adaptation may take a variety of forms.
• Modifying content.
• Adding or deleting content.
• Reorganizing content.
• Addressing omissions.
• Modifying tasks
Preparing Materials ForAProgram

In cases where institutionally developed materials are being considered for a

language program, both the advantages and the disadvantages of setting up a
materials development project need to be carefully considered at the outset.

Advantages:
• Relevance
• Develop expertise
• Reputation
• Flexibility

Disadvantages:
• Staff time as Cost
• Quality
• Training
 TheNatureOfMaterialsDevelopment

Shulman (1987, 15) goes on to describe the transformation phase of this process
as consisting of:
• Preparation
• Representation
• Selection
• Adapting and tailoring to student characteristics
Good materials do many of the things that a teacher would normally do as part of
his or her teaching. They should:
• tell them what they will be learning next
• explain new learning content to them
• relate these ideas to learners' previous learning
• get learners to think about new content
• help them get feedback on their learning
• encourage them to practice
• make sure they know what they are supposed to be doing
• enable them to check their progress
• help them to do better
 Decisions In Materials Design
When the process of writing begins, further decisions need to be made. These
concern:
 Choosing input and sources
 Selecting exercise types
CHOOSING INPUT AND SOURCE

The following are examples of input questions in the design of different kinds
of materials:
• Grammar materials
• Writing materials
• Speaking materials
• Listening materials
SELECTING EXERCISE TYPES

One of the most difficult decisions in writing is deciding on the types of exercises that

will be used In Richards (1990), for example, exercise types related to different types

of listening skills are presented as follows

• Listen to conversations and identify the setting.
• Read a list of key points to be covered in a talk and then number them in sequence
while listening to the talk.
• Read information about a topic, then listen to a talk on the topic and check whether
the information was mentioned or not.
• Read one side of a telephone conversation and guess the speaker's re- sponses: then
listen to the conversation.
• Look at pictures of people speaking and guess what they might be saying or doing;
then listen to their actual conversation
• Complete a story, then listen to how the story really ended.
• Guess what news headlines might refer to, then listen to news broadcasts about the
events referred to.
• Exercises that involve listening for interactional purposes.
 Selecting Exercise Types
In a large-scale project, however, the following people might be involved:
1. Project director
2. Writers
3. Media specialist
4. Editor
5. Illustrator

 First draft
 Comments on first draft
 Second draf
 Further comments .
 Tryout of the materials
 Final revisions of materials
Monitoring The Use Of Materials

To assist other teachers in using the materials Monitoring may take

the following forms:
• Observation
• Feedback sessions
• Written reports
• Reviews
• Students' reviews