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The document discusses selecting and developing teaching materials for language instruction. It provides an overview of different perspectives on the role of materials, with some arguing they should control learning and others that they help learning. While students should be the center of instruction, materials often become central given time constraints for teachers. Good materials use accurate language, have appropriate cultural information for learners, and support learning. Teachers must evaluate materials and adapt them to meet students' needs.
The document discusses selecting and developing teaching materials for language instruction. It provides an overview of different perspectives on the role of materials, with some arguing they should control learning and others that they help learning. While students should be the center of instruction, materials often become central given time constraints for teachers. Good materials use accurate language, have appropriate cultural information for learners, and support learning. Teachers must evaluate materials and adapt them to meet students' needs.
The document discusses selecting and developing teaching materials for language instruction. It provides an overview of different perspectives on the role of materials, with some arguing they should control learning and others that they help learning. While students should be the center of instruction, materials often become central given time constraints for teachers. Good materials use accurate language, have appropriate cultural information for learners, and support learning. Teachers must evaluate materials and adapt them to meet students' needs.
Selecting and Developing Teaching/Learning Materials
Kenji Kitao, Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan)
kkitao [at] mail.doshisha.ac.jp S. Kathleen Kitao, Doshisha Womens !olle"e (Kyoto, Japan) kkitao [at] mail#t.d$c.doshisha.ac.jp Why do We Use Materials/What are Materials for? %an"&a"e instr&ction has 'ive important components##st&dents, a teacher, materials, teachin" methods, and eval&ation. Why are materials important in lan"&a"e instr&ction( What do materials do in lan"&a"e instr&ction( !an $e teach )n"lish $itho&t a te*t+ook( ,ll$ri"ht (-../) ar"&es that materials sho&ld teach st&dents to learn, that they sho&ld +e reso&rce +ooks 'or ideas and activities 'or instr&ction0learnin", and that they sho&ld "ive teachers rationales 'or $hat they do. 1rom ,ll$ri"hts point o' vie$, te*t+ooks are too in'le*i+le to +e &sed directly as instr&ctional material. 23eill (-../), in contrast, ar"&es that materials may +e s&ita+le 'or st&dents needs, even i' they are not desi"ned speci'ically 'or them, that te*t+ooks make it possi+le 'or st&dents to revie$ and prepare their lessons, that te*t+ooks are e''icient in terms o' time and money, and that te*t+ooks can and sho&ld allo$ 'or adaptation and improvi4ation. ,ll$ri"ht emphasi4es that materials control learnin" and teachin". 23eill emphasi4es that they help learnin" and teachin". 5t is tr&e that in many cases teachers and st&dents rely heavily on te*t+ooks, and te*t+ooks determine the components and methods o' learnin", that is, they control the content, methods, and proced&res o' learnin". St&dents learn $hat is presented in the te*t+ook, and the $ay the te*t+ook presents material is the $ay st&dents learn it. 6he ed&cational philosophy o' the te*t+ook $ill in'l&ence the class and the learnin" process. 6here'ore, in many cases, materials are the center o' instr&ction and one o' the most important in'l&ences on $hat "oes on in the classroom. 6heoretically, e*perienced teachers can teach )n"lish $itho&t a te*t+ook. 7o$ever, it is not easy to do it all the time, tho&"h they may do it sometimes. 8any teachers do not have eno&"h time to make s&pplementary materials, so they j&st 'ollo$ the te*t+ook. 6e*t+ooks there'ore take on a very important role in lan"&a"e classes, and it is important to select a "ood te*t+ook. The Role of Materials in Relation to Other Elements Since the end o' -.9/s, there has +een a movement to make learners rather than teachers the center o' lan"&a"e learnin". ,ccordin" to this approach to teachin", learners are more important than teachers, materials, c&rric&l&m, methods, or eval&ation. ,s a matter o' 'act, c&rric&l&m, materials, teachin" methods, and eval&ation sho&ld all +e desi"ned 'or learners and their needs. 5t is the teachers responsi+ility to check to see $hether all o' the elements o' the learnin" process are $orkin" $ell 'or learners and to adapt them i' they are not. 5n other $ords, learners sho&ld +e the center o' instr&ction and learnin". 6he c&rric&l&m is a statement o' the "oals o' learnin", the methods o' learnin", etc. 6he role o' teachers is to help learners to learn. 6eachers have to 'ollo$ the c&rric&l&m and provide, make, or choose materials. 6hey may adapt, s&pplement, and ela+orate on those materials and also monitor the pro"ress and needs o' the st&dents and 'inally eval&ate st&dents. 8aterials incl&de te*t+ooks, video and a&dio tapes, comp&ter so't$are, and vis&al aids. 6hey in'l&ence the content and the proced&res o' learnin". 6he choice o' ded&ctive vs ind&ctive learnin", the role o' memori4ation, the &se o' creativity and pro+lem solvin", prod&ction vs. reception, and the order in $hich materials are presented are all in'l&enced +y the materials. 6echnolo"y, s&ch as 27:, slides, video and a&dio tape recorders, video cameras, and comp&ters, s&pports instr&ction0learnin" . )val&ations (tests, etc.) can +e &sed to assi"n "rades, check learnin", "ive 'eed+ack to st&dents, and improve instr&ction +y "ivin" 'eed+ack to the teacher. 6ho&"h st&dents sho&ld +e the center o' instr&ction, in many cases, teachers and st&dents rely on materials, and the materials +ecome the center o' instr&ction. Since many teachers are +&sy and do not have the time or inclination to prepare e*tra materials, te*t+ooks and other commercially prod&ced materials are very important in lan"&a"e instr&ction. 6here'ore, it is important 'or teachers to kno$ ho$ to choose the +est material 'or instr&ction, ho$ to make s&pplementary materials 'or the class, and ho$ to adapt materials. What are Characteristics of Materials? %ittlejohn and Windeatt (-.;.) ar"&e that materials have a hidden c&rric&l&m that incl&des attit&des to$ard kno$led"e, attit&des to$ard teachin" and learnin", attit&des to$ard the role and relationship o' the teacher and st&dent, and val&es and attit&des related to "ender, society, etc. 8aterials have an &nderlyin" instr&ctional philosophy, approach, method, and content, incl&din" +oth lin"&istic and c<&ral in'ormation. 6hat is, choices made in $ritin" te*t+ooks are +ased on +elie's that the $riters have a+o&t $hat lan"&a"e is and ho$ it sho&ld +e ta&"ht. Writers may &se a certain approach, 'or e*ample, the a&ral#oral approach, and they choose certain activities and select the lin"&istic and c<&ral in'ormation to +e incl&ded. !larke (-.;.) ar"&es that comm&nicative methodolo"y is important and that comm&nicative methodolo"y is +ased on a&thenticity, realism, conte*t, and a 'oc&s on the learner. 7o$ever, he ar"&es that $hat constit&tes these characteristics is not clearly de'ined, and that there are many aspects to each. 7e <&estions the e*tent to $hich these are these re'lected in te*t+ooks that are intended to +e comm&nicative. 5n a st&dy o' )n"lish te*t+ooks p&+lished in Japan in -.;=, the te*t+ooks $ere revie$ed and pro+lems $ere 'o&nd $ith +oth the lan"&a"e and content o' many o' the te*t+ooks (Kitao et al., -..=). Language )n"lish te*t+ooks sho&ld have correct, nat&ral, recent, and standard )n"lish. Since st&dents voca+&lary is limited, the voca+&lary in te*t+ooks sho&ld +e controlled or the te*t+ooks sho&ld provide in'ormation to help st&dents &nderstand voca+&lary that they may not +e 'amiliar $ith. 1or lo$er#level st&dents, "rammar sho&ld also +e controlled. 8any te*t+ooks &se narratives and essays. 5t $o&ld +e &se'&l to have a variety o' literary 'orms ('or e*ample, ne$spaper articles, poetry, or letters), so that st&dents can learn to deal $ith di''erent 'orms. Information on Culture 6he c<&ral in'ormation incl&ded in )n"lish te*t+ooks sho&ld +e correct and recent. 5t sho&ld not +e +iased and sho&ld re'lect +ack"ro&nd c<&res o' )n"lish. 5t sho&ld incl&de vis&al aids etc., to help st&dents &nderstand c<&ral in'ormation. From Learners' Viewpoints !ontent )n"lish te*t+ooks sho&ld +e &se'&l, meanin"'&l and interestin" 'or st&dents. While no sin"le s&+ject $ill +e o' interest to all st&dents, materials sho&ld +e chosen +ased, in part, on $hat st&dents, in "eneral, are likely to 'ind interestin" and motivatin". Di''ic<y. ,s a "eneral r&le, materials sho&ld +e sli"htly hi"her in their level o' di''ic<y than the st&dents c&rrent level o' )n"lish pro'iciency. ()*ceptions are &s&ally made 'or e*tensive readin" and e*tensive listenin" materials, $hich sho&ld +e easy eno&"h 'or st&dents to process $itho&t m&ch di''ic<y.) 8aterials at a sli"htly hi"her level o' di''ic<y than the st&dents c&rrent level o' )n"lish pro'iciency allo$ them to learn ne$ "rammatical str&ct&res and voca+&lary. 5nstr&ctional iss&es. )n"lish te*t+ooks sho&ld have clear instr&ctional proced&re and methods, that is, the teacher and st&dents sho&ld +e a+le to &nderstand $hat is e*pected in each lesson and 'or each activity. 6e*t+ooks sho&ld have s&pport 'or learnin". 6his can take the 'orm o' voca+&lary lists, e*ercises $hich cover or e*pand on the content, vis&al aids, etc. 6raditionally, lan"&a"e teachin" materials in Japan are made &p mostly o' te*t, $ith 'e$, i' any, vis&al aids. 7o$ever, $ith the development o' technolo"y, photos, vis&al materials and a&dio materials have +ecome very important components o' lan"&a"e teachin" materials, and they are +ecomin" easier to o+tain. 6eachers need to learn ho$ to 'ind them, and ho$ to +est e*ploit these characteristics. 8aterials are "ettin" more complicated, and instr&ctional philosophy, approach, methods, and techni<&es are "ettin" more important. 6eachers need to +e a+le to eval&ate materials involvin" photos, videos, and comp&ters no$. How Can We Learn About Materials? 6here are vario&s $ays to "et in'ormation a+o&t te*t+ooks and other teachin" materials. 8any materials are p&+lished +y p&+lishers and developed and distri+&ted +y commercial companies. 6h&s, p&+lishers are &se'&l (i' not entirely &n+iased) so&rces o' in'ormation and advice a+o&t $hat materials are availa+le and $hat materials are appropriate 'or vario&s p&rposes. 8any p&+lishers provide sample copies on re<&est. >ookstores that carry te*t+ooks are another possi+le so&rce o' in'ormation. !lerks at s&ch +ookstores may help yo& 'ind the materials yo& $ant. 5n addition, p&+lishers displays at con'erences are &se'&l. 6hey &s&ally have the most recent materials, e*hi+itors are $illin" to help yo& and ans$er yo&r <&estions, and in some cases, yo& $ill have opport&nities to meet and talk $ith the a&thors. !ollea"&es and 'riends $ho are teachers are also "ood so&rces o' recommendations o' te*t+ooks and advice a+o&t ho$ to +est &se them. 1inally, there is in'ormation 'rom comp&ter mailin" lists and $e+ pa"es on the 5nternet. %ists on lan"&a"e teachin" o'ten have disc&ssions on materials, and yo& can ask <&estions and may "et "ood 'eed+ack. 8any p&+lishers have $$$ pa"es and e#mail addresses, so yo& can check $ith them and also ask <&estions a+o&t the materials. How do We Get Materials? 5n addition to p&+lishers, there are many possi+le so&rces o' materials. 6here is a lot o' material availa+le on the 5nternet. ?o& can search 'or materials $hen yo& have 'ree time, and store them 'or yo&r '&t&re classes. 8any teachers "o a+road d&rin" vacations these days, and they can collect materials in )n"lish#speakin" co&ntries. 6@ and radio are "ood so&rces. 6hey provide a variety o' materials. 6he in'ormation is c&rrent and the lan"&a"e is nat&ral, +&t the content has to +e chosen care'&lly. 3e$spapers, ma"a4ines, advertisements, and other types o' printed material are very &se'&l. 6eachers can take photos, make video tapes or record a&dio tapes. 5' they make plans +e'ore they "o overseas, they may +e a+le to make "ood video or a&dio pro"rams. )ven in yo&r home co&ntry, yo& can +ro$se the $orld $ide $e+ and search 'or &se'&l materials 'or classes. 6here are lots o' so&rces o' materials and photos on $$$. Concerns About Materials 6he market o' lan"&a"e teachin" materials are 'airly lar"e, and many companies are competin". 6hey prod&ce ne$ materials and promote them $ith many advertisements and thro&"h their salespeople. ?o& need to +e care'&l a+o&t $hat they tell yo&. ?o& al$ays need to e*amine their materials care'&lly 'rom the point o' vie$ o' $hat is appropriate 'or yo&r st&dents and the classes yo& are teachin". ,nother concern a+o&t materials is that the copyri"ht iss&e. 8any teachers violate the copyri"ht la$s every day. We cannot copy any copyri"hted materials. 2' co&rse, $e cannot copy them and distri+&te them to o&r st&dents in the class. We need the permission 'rom the p&+lisher to do so. Summary and Conclusion 6ho&"h there are 'ive elements in lan"&a"e instr&ction, and learners sho&ld +e the center o' instr&ction. 7o$ever, materials o'ten control the instr&ction, since teachers and learners tend to rely heavily on them. 8aterials that are appropriate 'or a partic&lar class need to have an &nderlyin" instr&ctional philosophy, approach, method and techni<&e $hich s&it the st&dents and their needs. 6hey sho&ld have correct, nat&ral, c&rrent and standard )n"lish. 6eachers need to look 'or "ood materials, +oth commercial and non#commercial, all the time. 6hey also need to +e a$are o' commercialism and copyri"ht iss&es concernin" materials. List of References ,ll$ri"ht, A. %. (-../). What do $e $ant teachin" materials 'or( 5n A. Aossner and A. >olitho, ()ds.), !&rrents in lan"&a"e teachin". 2*'ord University :ress. !larke, D. 1. (-.;.). !omm&nicative theory and its in'l&ence on materials prod&ction. %an"&a"e 6eachin", BB, 9C#;D. Kitao, K., E Kitao, S. K. (Septem+er -D, -.;B). !olle"e readin" te*t+ooks do not meet needs. 6he Daily ?omi&ri, p. 9. Kitao, K., Kitao, S. K., ?oshida, S., ?oshida, 7., Ka$am&ra, K., and K&rata, 8. (-..=). , st&dy o' trends o' colle"e )n"lish readin" te*t+ooks in JapanF ,n analysis o' colle"e )n"lish readin" te*t+ooks 'or -.;=. 5n K. Kitao and S. K. Kitao, )n"lish teachin"F 6heory, Aesearch and practice (pp. B/=#B-D). 6okyoF )ichosha. %ittlejohn, ,., E Windeatt, S. (-.;.). >eyond lan"&a"e learnin"F :erspective on materials desi"n. 5n A. K. Johnson ()d.), 6he second lan"&a"e c&rric&l&m. !am+rid"eF !am+rid"e University :ress. 23eill, A. (-../). Why &se te*t+ooks( 5n A. Aossner and A. >olitho, ()ds.), !&rrents in lan"&a"e teachin". 2*'ord University :ress. 6he 5nternet 6)S% Jo&rnal, @ol. 5@, 3o. G, ,pril -..9 httpF00iteslj.or"0 httpF00iteslj.or"0,rticles0Kitao#8aterials.html