The role and design of instructional materials Mehdi Sufi Mehdi Sufi @_MehdiSufi The role and design of instructional materials @_MehdiSufi The role and design of instructional materials @_MehdiSufi The role and design of instructional materials @_MehdiSufi The role and design of instructional materials @_MehdiSufi The role and design of instructional materials @_MehdiSufi The role and design of instructional materials Mehdi Sufi @_MehdiSufi Mehdi Sufi @_Mehdisufi

1. The role and design of instructional materials
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1. Authentic versus created materials
2. Textbooks
3. Evaluating textbooks
4. Adapting textbooks
5. Preparing materials for a program
6. Managing a materials writing project
7. Monitoring the use of materials
 Teaching materials are a key component in most language programs that the teachers use as the basis
for much of the language input the learners receive and the language practice that occurs in the classroom.
 Inexperienced teachers’ materials may also serve as a form of teacher training – they provide ideas on
how to plan and teach lessons as well as formats that teachers can use.
 The materials may take the form of:
A. Printed materials such as books, workbooks, worksheet…
B. Non printed materials such as cassette,audio, or computer-based materials
C. Materials that comprise both print and non-print sources such as self-access materials and
materials
D. On the internet.
 Cunningsworth (1995, 7) summarizes the role of materials (particularly course books) in language
teaching as:
A resource for presentation materials (spoken and written)
A source of activities for learner practice and communicative interaction
A reference source for learner on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and so on
A source of stimulation and ideas for classroom
A syllabus(where they reflect learning objectives that have already been determined)
 A support for less experienced teachers who have yet to gain in confidence

2.  Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998, 170-171) suggest that for teachers of ESP courses,materials serve
the following functions:
1) As a source of language
2) As a learning support
3) For motivation and stimulation
4) For reference
1. Authentic versus created materials
Authentic materials refers to the use in teaching of texts, photo graphs, video selections, and other
teaching resources that were not specially prepared for pedagogical purposes. Created materials refers to
textbooks and other specially developed instructional resources.
 Advantages claiming for authentic materials are (Phillips and Shettles worth 1978; Clarke 1989;
Peacock 1997):
 They have the positive effect on learner motivation
 They provide authentic cultural information
 They provide exposure to real language
 They relate more closely to learners ’needs
 They support a more creative approach to teaching
 However,critics of the use of authentic materials point out:
1) Created materials can also be motivating for learners
2) Authentic materials often contain difficult language
3) Created materials may be superior to authentic material
2. Textbooks
 Textbooks are used in different ways in language programs such as a reading textbook, a writing
textbook, a grammar textbook, a speaking textbook, a listening textbook together with audiocassettes or
CDs.
 The use of commercial textbooks in teaching has both advantages and disadvantages, depending
on how they are used
 Among the principal advantages are:
o They provide structure and a syllabus for a program.

3. o They help standardize instruction.
o They provide a variety of resources.
o They are efficient.
o They can provide effective language models and input.
o They can train teachers.
o They are visually appealing.
 Disadvantages are:
1. They may contain inauthentic language.
2. They may distort content.
3. They may not reflect students’ needs.
4. They can deskill teachers
5. They are expensive.
3. Evaluating textbooks
To evaluate textbooks we need the information on the following issues:
 The role of the textbook in the program
 Is there a well-developed curriculum that describes the objectives syllabus and content of the program
or will this be determined by the text book?
 Will the book or the textbook series provide the core of the program, or is it one of severaldifferent
books that will be used?
 Will it be used with small classes or large ones?
 Will learners be expected to buy a workbook as well or should the textbook provide all the practice
students need?
 The teachers in the program
 How experienced are the teachers in the program and what is their level of training?
 Are they native speakers of English? If not, how well do they speak English?
 Do teachers tend to follow the textbook closely or do they use the book simply as a resource?
 Do teachers play a part in selecting the books they teach from?
 Are teachers free to adapt and supplement the book?
 The learners in the program

4.  Is each student required to buy a book?
 What do learners typically expect in a textbook?
 Will they use the book in class and at home?
How will they use the book in class? Is it the primary source of classroom activities?
 How much are they prepared to pay for a book?
 Two factors are involved in the development of commercial textbooks:
1. The books representing the interests of the author
2. The books representing the interests of publisher
 Criteria for textbook evaluation
Cunningsworth (1995) proposes 4 criteria for evaluating textbooks, particularly course books:
1. They should correspond to learners’s needs.
2. They should reflect the uses (present or future) that learners will make of the language.
3. They should take account of students’s needs as learners and should facilitate their learning processes,
without dogmatically imposing a rigid “method.”
4. They should have a clear role as a support for learning.
Cunningsworth (1995) presents a checklist for textbook evaluation and selection:
 Aims and approaches
 Design and organization
 Language content
 Skills
 Topic
 Methodology
 Teachers’ books
 Practicalconsideration
4. Adapting textbooks

5.  Most teachers are not creators of teaching materials but providers of good materials.
 Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998, 173) suggest that a good provider of materials will be able to:
1. Select appropriately from what is available
2. Be creative with what is available
3. Modify activities to suit learners ’needs
4. Supplement by providing extra activities (and extra input)
 Commercial textbooks are used with some forms of adaptation to make them more suitable for
particular context. The forms are:
1. Modifying content
2. Adding or deleting content
3. Reorganizing content
4. Addressing omissions
5. Modifying tasks
6. Extending tasks
5. Preparing materials for a program
 For the setting up a material development project need to be carefully considered both the advantages
and disadvantages at the outset (start).
 Advantages: Advantagesof building a materials development component into a program include:
- Relevance:Directly relevant to students’ and institutional needs.
- Develop expertise: Develop expertise among staff, giving them a greater understanding of the
characteristics and concerns.
- Flexibility: Materials produced within the institution can be revised or adapted as needed,giving them
greater flexibility than a commercial course book.
 Disadvantages :

6. - Cost: Quality materials take time to produce and adequate staff time as well as resources need to be
allocated to such a project.
- Quality: Teacher-made materials will not normally have the same standard of design and production.
- Training: To prepare teachers for materials writing projects, adequate training should be provided.
 Decisions in materials design
- Developing aims
- Developing objectives
- Developing a syllabus
- Organizing the course into units
- Developing a structure for units
- Sequencing units
6. Managing a materials writing project
 The management of a team-based writing project involves the following issues:
 Selecting the project team
 Project director
 Writers
 Media specialist
 Editor
 Illustrator
 Designer
 Planning the number of stages involved
 Identifying reviewers
 Planning the writing schedule
 Piloting the materials
 Design and production
7. Monitoring the use of materials

7.  As the teachers use materials they adapt and transform them to suit the needs of particular groups of
learners and their own teaching styles.
 Therefore,it is useful to collect information on how teachers use course books and other teaching
materials in their teaching.
The collected information serve the following purposes:
 To document effective ways of using materials
To provide feedback on how materials work
 To keep a record of additions, deletions, and supplementary materials teachers may have used with the
materials
 Monitoring may take the following forms:
 Observation: classroom visits
 Feedback sessions: group meeting, teachers discuss their experience with material.
 Written reports: the use of reflection sheets of written feedback,teachers make brief notes about
what worked well and what did not work well or give suggestions.
 Reviews: written reviews by teacher or group of teacher on their experiences with a set of materials.
Students’ review: comments from students.
Discussion Questions
1. What roles do instructional materials play in your language program?
2. Have you any experience with using authentic materials in teaching?
3. What do you think is an appropriate role for commercial materials in a language program?
4. Examine a commercial textbook and its suitability for a specific teaching context. What criteria would
you use to evaluate it? In what way do you think the book would need to be adapted to suit the
needs of the program? By @_MehdiSufi