textbook adaptation in elt
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TEXTBOOK ADAPTATION AND EVALUATION (Dalby, 2009)
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES• Provide guidance• Save time• A starting point• Structure • Learners’ expectation
• Straightjacket• Poor design• Boring/irrelevant topics• Culturally removed• Unauthentic language
The MATERIALS test (Tanner & Green, 1998)Method
AppearanceTeacher-friendly
ExtrasRealistic
InterestingAffordable
Learner’s levelSkills being taught
TEXTBOOK ADAPTATION AND EVALUATION (Dalby, 2009)
FOUR BASIC METHODS
• Edit
Make it more relevant, interesting, or practical.
• Add
Include extra activities.
• Replace
Change for more suitable materials or activities.
• Delete
Materials or activities are not covered.
Written texts Listening activities Pictures
Role play or mime characters Create a prequelContinue the storyDiscuss or debate the issueMaking predictions, skimming, scanning, semantic mapping, and summariesResearch assignment
Predict the answersMake the questions easierTopic prediction, gist listening, and summariesVocabulary grab.
DescriptionsComparisons and contrastsSpeculationsOral production
ADAPTING MATERIALS (McDonough & Shaw, 2003)
ADAPTING MATERIALSMcDonough & Shaw
(2003)Expanding Supply more of the same (quantitative
nature); the model is not changed.
Congruence
Reasons: personalization, individualization, localization, and modernization.
Techniques• Adding
(expanding/extending)• Deleting
(Subtracting/abridging)• Modifying
(Re-writing/Re-structuring)
• Simplifying • Re-ordering
Extending Supply more by moving outside the methodology and developing in new direction (qualitative nature).
Subtracting Reducing the length of material (quantitative nature).
Abridging Taking out material for pedagogical reasons (qualitative nature).
Rewriting Some of the linguistic content is modified.
Re-structuring
Some of the lesson procedures need modification.
Simplifying Changing style, content, presentation.
Re-ordering Putting parts of a course book in a different order.
ADAPTING MATERIALSMcDonough & Shaw
(2003)Islam & Mares (2003)
Congruence
Reasons: personalization, individualization, localization, and modernization.
Techniques• Adding
(expanding/extending)• Deleting
(Subtracting/abridging)• Modifying
(Re-writing/Re-structuring)
• Re-ordering
Reasons- McDonough & Shaw
(1993): Congruence.- Cunningsworth (1995):
learner styles and the learner as a whole.
- Candling & Breen (1980): opportunities for real communication.
Objectives:Real choice, learner autonomy, higher-level cognitive skills, engaging language input.
Techniques • Adding
(expanding/extending)• Deleting
(Subtracting/abridging)• Simplifying• Reordering• Replacing material
ADAPTING MATERIALSAPPLICATION
Molinsky, S., & Bliss, B. (2001). Side by side Book 1 (3rd edition). USA: Longman.
Have a look at unit 1 from Side by Side Book 1.
Note down all the adaptations you would make to the published materials. Use McDonough & Shaw (2003) and/or Islam & Mares (2003) to specify the techniques you would use.
Fill out the following table using your ideas.
WHAT WHY HOW
* Exercise/Section/Activity * Pedagogical reasons * Technique / Author
MATERIALS EVALUATION (Tomlinson, 2003)
Types of materials evaluation
Pre-use evaluation
It involves making predictions about the potential value of materials for their users.
It can be context-free.
It is impressionistic since Ts flick through a book to gain a quick impression.
Using criterion-referenced evaluation to reduce subjectivity and favor principled, rigorous, systematic, and reliable approach.
While-use evaluation
It is based on observation and short-term results.
More objective and reliable than pre-use evaluation.
Uses measurement instead of prediction of: • Instructions• Layout• Comprehensibility• Achievability • Practicality • Teachability
Post-use evaluation
It measures the actual effects of the materials on short-term and long term effects on the users.
It provides data to make reliable decisions about the use, adaptation or replacement of the materials.
MATERIALS EVALUATION (Tomlinson, 2003)
Developing criteria for materials evaluation - Brainstorm a list of universal criteria for any learning materials anywhere for any learners.
- Subdivide some of the criteria to point specific aspects.
- Monitor and revise the list of universal criteria:• Does each question an evaluation question?• Does each question only ask one question?• Is each question answerable?• Is each question free of dogma?• Is each question reliable as for different evaluators to interpret it similarly?
- Categorize the list: learning principles, cultural perspective, topic content, teaching points, texts, activities, methodology, instructions, design.
- Develop media-specific criteria for the books, the audio CDs, the videos, etc..- Develop content-specific criteria (General English, business English, etc.)- Develop age-specific criteria- Develop local criteria
- Trial the criteria.- Conduct the evaluation.
MATERIALS EVALUATION (Tomlinson, 2003)
Developing criteria for materials evaluation
Dalby, T. (2009). Adapting your course book: becoming skilled in the art of manipulation. TESOL Review 1, 145-166.
Islam, C., & Mares, C. (2003). Adapting Classroom Materials. In B. Tomlinson (ed.), Developing Materials for Language Teaching (pp. 86-103). Great Britain: Bloomsbury.
McDonough, J. and Shaw, C. (2003). Materials and Methods in ELT: A Teacher’s Guide. 2nd Publishing. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
Tomlinson, B. (2003). Materials evaluation. In B. Tomlinson (ed.), Developing Materials for Language Teaching (pp. 15-36). Great Britain: Bloomsbury.