This document discusses the craft of writing materials for language learning. It outlines how the field has evolved from an earlier focus on grammar and rote learning to a modern emphasis on meaningful contexts, skills, and the learner's voice. The key developments include greater demand for English instruction worldwide and more complex views of language that consider learners' specific needs. While experience and research are important, writers must also develop craft knowledge through practice. This involves confronting dilemmas like representing learners' characters authentically rather than avoiding the issues. Materials should incorporate new designs like tasks to actualize content holistically rather than through isolated pieces.

1. THE CRAFT OF MATERIALS
WRITING
By:
Teddy Fiktorius (F5221 2025)
Postgraduate Study of English Language Education
Teacher Training and Education Faculty
University of Tanjungpura
Pontianak
2013

2. AN EARLIER ERA
Abundance of textbooks
Void of vitality
‘Le livre de ma tante est sur la table’
Throwing brickbats at the textbook
Production of nonmeaningful sentences = commonplace

3. RECENT PARADIGMS
scant references on materials production
VS.
more attention to textbooks selection
selecting a published book
VS.
producing a textbook

4. RECENT YEARS
The TESOL organisation
“Materials Writers”
Workshops and symposia
Emphasis on producing, not consuming

5. elementswww.animationfactory.com
HOW HAS THE SCENE CHANGED FOR MATERIALS WRITING?
Textbooks writing
Innovative
“sentence modelling” or “repeat after me”
all of the language in one package
Greater breadth devoted to specific skills
(listening, speaking, reading, and writing)
Specific level
Specific audience

6. Two Vital Developments in ESOL field
1. The spread of English worldwide
More demand for every facet of language pedagogy
(teachers, courses, and materials for instruction)
2. The result of researchers and scholars
More complex of language views
Closer attention to learners with specific needs
English for special purposes
Specific language needs of specific groups of learners

7. Writers in earlier periods VS. today‟s writers
Writers in earlier periods
focus on the form or grammatical shape of sentences
Today‟s writers
still focus on the form + the codes of behaviour
the syntactic, the lexical, the pragmatic
to convey meaning

8. A vital prerequisite for writing materials
experience as classroom teachers
production of materials for use with their own students
YET,
for a wider audience of learners
lack of an accumulation of the experiences, advise,
practices, and CRAFT KNOWLEDGE

9. What is CRAFT KNOWLEDGE?
Theory VS. practice
scholars/researchers (“theorists”)
Materials writers ( craftsperson) as mediator
Teachers/learners
NOTE: Materials writers embody abstract theory in concrete practice

10. Developing craft knowledge
Creating practitioners
Capability of handling a variety of writing assignments
Various types of media
Print, video, and audio material

11. One important element of craft knowledge
Utilization of relevant research
Dealing with language use in its natural setting
e.g.
Scotton and Bernsten (1998) studied the ways in which American students on a
college campus ask for and give directions, order food, and so on

12. A “ sixth sense” = craft knowledge
sense of the possible
what works, what might work, what cannot work
note: It‟s not always possible or feasible to carry out testing materials, even
with a pilot format

13. Confronting craft issues:
The voice of the learner
the communicative period
Textbook writers present the target language in meaningful contexts
Create characters in their scripts
Depict people whose characteristics are close to those of the target language
Textbooks characters might be twenty something,
e.g. working in an office, looking for a job, or enrolling in a college.

14. Creating a textbook character = a dilemma
Who are they really?
Their ages, socioeconomic background, occupations, goals
textbook characters = peers for the learners
yet,
Should they be people who live in English-speaking countries?
Or
Are they fictional counterparts of the people who use the textbook, nonnative
speakers who are in the process of learning the language?

15. A survey by the current chapter author, Fraida Dubin
Dubin‟s conclusion:
1. Most writers fail to confront the dilemma
2. some manage to avoid it
3. a few overlook it and fall into trouble

16. Dubin’s discussion no. 1:
Those who fail to confront the dilemma still produce materials
sticking with grammatical form
the texts = more lessons than script
the use of stereotypical citizens of English-speaking countries

17. Dubin‟s discussion no. 2:
Some avoid the dilemma through various strategies:
1. depict characters through very thin characterisations
2. give the characters first names which sound nonnative, e.g.
Andre, Yoko, but no further descriptions
3. avoid dialogues and rely on narrative passages

18. Dubin‟s discussion no. 3:
Those who overlook the dilemma of the learner‟s voice
Concentrate on producing scripts that interest teachers and learners
Strive to make their characters real, authentic, and convincing
fall into trouble
e.g. A book written by Davies, Whitney, Pike-Biker, and Blass (1990):
“Machiko is from Japan. She is a student. She has come to Bay view to study
English. Machiko is twenty years old. She has dark brown eyes, long dark hair,
and is 5‟6” tall. (p.20)”

19. Following the description of Machiko appears a dialogue
between Machiko and “Man”. Machiko asks the Man for
directions. Before doing so, she says to herself:
“Oh no, I‟m lost. Did Sue say „go straight past‟ or „go left‟ on
Foothill? I can‟t remember.”
That Machiko would speak “to herself” in English
PROBLEMATIC
Her language would be quite accentless.
Machiko‟ character is a nonnative student.
But her language is not the language of a nonnative student.

20. Conclusion:
No „right‟ and „wrong‟ solution to the writer‟s dilemma regarding the voivce of
the learner
Dubin suggests:
the craft of writing
Confront the dilemma, not avoid it

21. Reading strategies VS. reading for its own sake
Successful readers
1. skimming for major ideas
2. scanning for specific information
3. guessing and predicting using the contexts

22. Reading strategies VS. reading for its own sake
a great deal of practice (plentiful and meaningful materials)
success in reading
‟To be a good reader one must read‟

23. The concept of tasks:
New designs for actualising language content
Wilkins (1976)
exploration of language content
“synthetic” and “analytic”
The holistic use of language, NOT a series of pieces
Fluency VS. accuracy
Emphasis on fluency = a loss of accuracy, vice versa

24. Teaching approaches
learner-centered, content-based, communicative, task-centered, etc
have been much discussed
YET infrequently incorporated in course books
THEN, WHOSE FAULT IS IT???

25. RESEARCHERS VS. MATERIALS
WRITERS
the issue belongs to the hands of researchers
Use experimental models
Test and evaluate program outcomes
VS.
A role for materials writers
Approach the same questions and come up with significant results
Develop the craft materials through actions
As pioneers of practice, NOT simply as followers

26. SO,…
ARE YOU THE PIONEERS
OR
SIMPLY THE FOLLOWERS????

27. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION