TOPIC 4 :

SELECTION AND ADAPTATION OF MATERIALS AND ACTIVITIES

The Role of Materials in the ESL Classroom

Using textbooks is an efficient way of implementing the syllabus in terms of time and cost-effectiveness. textbooks remain the primary resource, other forms of materials emerged as supplementary resources.

Example of materials
authentic printed materials eg. brochures, newspapers, magazines audio/video recordings eg. audio books, poetry/songs, movies video clips eg. the art of origami downloaded from YouTube computer software eg. SpellBuzz, Word Treasure Chest

The Need to Adapt Materials

Material adaptation is the process of modifying an existing material/resource into one that serves a different purpose or for a different group of learners.

Criteria for Selection and Adaptation of Materials

Materials are usually adapted for their:

format (eg: from a newspaper article to a picture series) language level (eg: from advanced learners to less proficient learners) focus skill (eg: from a reading text to a listening text)

Learners Age and Maturity Level

a persons age is proportional to his maturity level
In mixed-ability class, it is crucial that the teacher designs teaching-learning activities to suit her pupils

Learning Styles
individuals have different learning styles. people have a mixed range of styles; some may find they have a dominant style while for others the style changes depending on the learning circumstances

Proficiency Levels

Example of a writing task designed for pupils of different proficiency levels

Level 2 Pupils are a given picture series of a road accident. Teacher provides sentence strips and pupils match the strips to the correct pictures. Pupils copy the sentences in their worksheet.

Level 3 Pupils are given a picture series of a road accident. Word cues are provided. Pupils select appropriate words for each picture. Using the selected words, pupils construct sentences describing each picture.

Level 4 Pupils are given a picture series of a road accident. In groups, pupils brainstorm for appropriate words or phrases to describe each picture. Pupils write about the accident in the form of a narrative essay

Level 5 Pupils are given a composite picture of a road accident. Pupils take on various roles as depicted in the picture and write an eyewitness account of the accident.

Exploitability
Exploitability refers to how a selected material can be used to develop the learners language skills.

Ways of exploiting: Listen and complete the story Retell the story in your own words Rewrite the story into a dialogue Write a poem based on this story Simplifying