1. TESOL Materials Design and Development
Week 2
Tomlinson’s Features
of Good Materials

2. Review: Definition of “materials”
Anything that is used by teacher and/or learners to facilitate the learning of a language (p. 2)
What are some examples of materials according to this definition?
Please write a list of different materials that can be used in the classroom to help students learn.

3. Examples of materials Realia and classroom objects Artifacts Textbooks
Handouts
Pictures
Games
Other students/Teacher
Audio-visual materials such as PPTs, videos, etc.
White board or black board
Seating arrangements and grouping

4. Realia

5. Artifacts Example: Life Map

6. Students as Materials

7. Using the Board
At the start of lesson, draw a few lines on the board making columns and larger working areas.

8. Grouping as Materials

9. Kinds of Language Learning
Explicit language learning
in which learners are aware of when and what they are learning
Implicit language learning
in which learners are not aware of when and what they are learning
Language learning involving declarative knowledge
which is knowledge about the language system
Language learning involving procedural knowledge
which is knowledge of how the language is used

10. What is the position that most researchers take in terms of the kinds of language learning?
Communicative competence is primarily achieved as a result of implicit, procedural learning.

11. What does the term “communicative competence” mean?
“Communicative competence refers to a learner's (second language) ability. It not only refers to a learner's ability to apply and use grammatical rules, but also to form correct utterances, and know how to use these utterances appropriately”.
(definition from: Wikipedia on-line encyclopedia)

12. What should the main objective of materials be?
To provide learners with meaningful experiences of language in use and opportunities to reflect on these experiences.

13. When are learners guided to see explicit aspects of the target language?
Prior to students’ use
After students’ use
*NOTE: both can be done inductively so the teacher can facilitate students’ discovery of rules.

14. Inductive Teaching
Also called “discovery teaching” or “inquiry teaching”.
Teacher provides students with many examples and induces the rule from students (students figure out, or “discover”, the rule from the examples provided).

15. Deductive Teaching Also known as “direct instruction”.
Teacher provides students with the rule and students practice making examples based on the rule.

17. How do the materials differ?
Controlled
Less Controlled/Free
Scaffolding and support provided
Allows for silent period (such as the comparative 1 lesson where Ss get a chance to write before they speak)
Makes Ss feel safe and comfortable
Controlled Practice T-Ss to group before pair Ss-Ss practice)
Repetition and recycling of examples and TL
Support/scaffolding is gradually removed
Practice, practice , practice that moves from easy to more difficult
Confidence is boosted
Activities become more meaningful and authentic
Allows for personalization of the TL and creative use of the language they are learning

18. Week 2 Segment 2

19. Materials should achieve impact.
Materials should help learners to feel at ease
Materials should help learners develop confidence
What is being taught should be perceived as relevant and useful
Materials should facilitate learner self-investment and discovery
Learners must be ready to acquire the points being taught
Materials should expose the learners to language in authentic use
Learner’s attention should be drawn to the linguistic features of the input
Materials should provided opportunities to use the TL for communicative purposes
Materials should take into account that the positive effects of instruction are usually delayed
Materials should take into account that learners have different learning styles
Materials should take into account that learners differ in affective attitude
Materials should permit a silent period at the beginning of instruction
Materials should maximize learning potential
Materials should not rely too much on controlled practice
Materials should provide opportunities for outcome feedback

20. 1. Materials should achieve impact

21. Ss made picture

22. 2. Materials should help learners to feel at ease
Things that a material developer can do to make Ss feel at ease: ’
lots of white space
illustrations that learners can relate to
balance Ss academic and emotional needs, so….
materials seem helpful rather than test like
materials that have a humane personality and voice rather than semi-official documents that one might find at a government office
use active voice rather than passive
examples and stories that make it seem more real; concrete and connect to the Ss lives and social context
Language should be inclusive  It’s the learner’s language, too! How material developers/Ts use of the target language shouldn’t make Ss feel inferior; the level and the way the TL is ‘used’ should neither demean nor patronize

23. Build rapport by sharing aspects of yourself

24. 3. Materials should help learners develop confidence
Challenge level (i+1).
Staging and task sequencing
Removing scaffolding and support language
Success builds success and success = confidence

25. 4. What is being taught should be perceived as relevant and useful
Find out what your Ss like and want to learn through needs analysis
Make task and activities “real” & “meaningful”
Allow for Ss personalization of learning
Use games, contest and competitions to create materials that have the perception of relevance

28. 5. Materials should facilitate learner self-investment and discovery
Learning situations are created in which the learning is often implicit
Inductive methods are used
Learner-centered, task-based, learn by doing
Ss-Ss collaboration and peer learning maximized
Teacher Talk Time (TTT) minimized
Teacher’s don’t teach; students learn

29. Classroom that facilitate learner self-investment and discovery often look like this.
Where’s the teacher?
Present, but not directly involved.

30. 6. Learners must be ready to acquire the points being taught
Materials are developed so Ts can easily do initial and ongoing assessment
Materials are created with the understanding that Ss learn at different rates, and not all Ss are necessarily ready to acquire what is being taught
Developmental sequence is taken into account

31. Developmental Sequence
The terms above refers to the passage of learners through a series (of in most cases) progressively more accurate manifestations of a given feature such as negation, question-forms, etc…The developmental sequence for L2 learners is very similar to the developmental sequence for L1 learners of English.

32. 7. Materials should expose the learners to language in authentic use
Authentic Input: listening and readign texts created by native speakers for native speakers
Authentic Output: Tasks and activities that have a real context of use

33. Homework
Read Halliwell’s ‘Working With Young Learners’ and answer the guiding questions