PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES
OF MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT
EDITED BY
BRIAN TOMLINSON
WHERE CAN WE GET MATERIALS?
According to Tomlinson, Most people associate the
term 'language learning material' with
coursebooks, but material could obviously be
videos, DVDs, e-mails, YouTube, dictionaries,
grammar books
“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”
- Brian Tomlinson
EVALUATION OF THE MATERIAL
This term refers to attempts to measure the
value of materials. In many cases this consists
of attempts to predict whether or not the
materials will work
LANGUAGE TEACHING LANGUAGE LEARNING
In this book the term ‘teaching’ is used to Learning is normally considered to be a
refer to anything done by materials conscious process which consists of the
developers or teachers to facilitate the committing to memory of information
learning of the language. relevant to what is being learned.
SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION OF MATERIALS
Rod Ellis insists that we should stop judging materials by
their apparent appeal and start evaluating them by
observing what the learners actually do when using the
materials and by finding out what they seem to learn as
a result of using them.
Second language acquisition research and
materials development
“No second language acquisition research can provide
a definitive answer to the real problems of second
language teaching at this point… There is no
predetermined correct theory of language teaching
originating from second language acquisition
research”.
- Cook 1996
Material Developments's basic principles according to Brian Tomlinson as follows:
A prerequisite for language acquisition is that the learners are exposed to a rich, meaningful and
comprehensible input of language in use.
In order for the learners to maximise their exposure to language in use, they need to be engaged both
affectively and cognitively in the language experience.
Language learners who achieve positive affect are much more likely to achieve communicative competence
than those who do not.
L2 language learners can benefit from using those mental resources which they typically utilise when
acquiring and using their L1.
Language learners can benefit from noticing salient features of the input and from discovering how they are
used.
Learners need opportunities to use language to try to achieve communicative purposes.
Material Developments's basic principles according to researchers as follows:
• Materials should achieve impact • Take into account that the positive effect of instructions
are usually delayed
• Materials should help learners to feel at ease
• Take into account that learners differ in learning styles
• Materials should help learners to develop confidence
• Take into account that learners differ in affective attitudes
• What is being taught should be perceived by learners
as relevant and useful • Permit a silent period at the beginning of instruction
• Require and facilitate learner self-investment
• Maximize learning potential by encouraging intellectual,
• Learners must be ready to acquire the points being aesthetic and emotional involvement which stimulates
taught both right- and left-brain activities
• Expose the learners to language in authentic use • Materials should not rely too much on controlled practice
• The learners' attention should be drawn to linguistic • Materials should provide opportunities for outcome
features of the input feedback
• Provide the learners with opportunities to use the
target language to achieve communicative purposes
WHAT TEACHERS AND LEARNERS BELIEVE AND WANT
Brian Tomlinson has argued that materials developers
should pay more attention to what teachers and
learners believe about the best ways to learn a
language and also to what they want from the
materials they use.
NEW DIRECTIONS IN MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT
Since Materials Development in Language
Teaching was first published in 1998, there have
been some new directions in materials
development. The most obvious one is the
increase in quantity and quality of language
learning materials delivered through new
technologies.
Thanks!
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