Principles in material design and authentic and non-authentic material

Principles in material design and authentic and non-authentic materials

Nailenn Meza Mendoza – group 7

Question 1

From Maley's document, what are the most important principles in materials development, for you? Propose at least 5 principles, explain them and give examples.

Materials should help learners develop confidence.

Materials should achieve impact.

After reading Maley's document, I concluded designing materials involves a lot of significant aspects. Specifically, I got attracted by the list presented by Tomlinson and six of the sixteen principles he listed.

Materials should take into account that learners differ in learning styles.

Materials should expose learners to language in authentic use.

Materials should provide learners with opportunities to use the target language to achieve communicative purposes.

What is being taught should be perceived as relevant and useful by learners.

Materials should achieve impact

Clearly, when designing materials, teachers or designers, in general, must reflect on how the information or activities proposed stimulates students learning and progress since the primary objectives of materials are to facilitate students' learning and promote long-term learning. For instance, a teacher that wants students to acquire food vocabulary must ensure the content of materials encourages students to identify foodstuffs and memorize their names.

Materials should help learners develop confidence

Since materials are usually implemented to develop interactive activities, they should foster students' confidence to participate. In that sense, it would be adequate to design materials considering students' English levels, competencies, and preferences to boost their interest and confidence to get involved. For example, a teacher that wants their elementary students to feel confident to interact in class could incorporate attractive elements in materials (background music, videos, pictures, and so forth).

What is being taught should be perceived as relevant and useful by learners

Although materials could be perceived as interactive resources to gain students' attention, students not only perceive materials' interactivity but also their relevance and usefulness. In that sense, materials must present relevant knowledge for students learning to provide them with significant experiences. For instance, elementary teachers should not concentrate only on making instructional materials enjoyable, amusing, and interactive for students; they must ensure to promote significant learning experiences with materials.

Materials should expose learners to language in authentic use

Given that learning a language involves comprehending its usage in real-life experiences, materials should provide students with opportunities to interact with the language in authentic use. In that sense, teachers should include written or/and listening materials in which English is used in a real-life context. For example, a teacher that wants their students to learn how to appropriately give suggestions and opinions in English would present, teach, and discuss specific expressions or non-verbal gestures implemented by native speakers to do it.

Materials should provide learners with opportunities to use the target language to achieve communicative purposes

As learning a language implicates getting communicative skills, materials should provide chances for students to practice their target language management. These opportunities could involve debates, discussions, questions and answer interaction, and so on. For instance, a teacher could include texts or videos in materials to discuss and debate about them later, promoting interaction and communication in the target language.

Materials should take into account that learners differ in learning styles

When designing materials, teachers should consider students' learning styles, since they control students learning at a certain point. Teachers could integrate visual support, multimedia content, music, among other aids to respond to students' needs and guarantee their learning process. For example, a teacher that has perceived students' inclination for multimedia content could integrate videos into materials to make them more engaging and effective for students learning.

Question 2

According to Febrina, what are authentic and non-authentic materials? Explain with examples.

Non-authentic materials

Authentic materials

Could be defined as materials designed for teaching (Febrina, 2017, p. 3). These materials characterize by being planned to meet institutional requirements, national language learning needs, students' needs, curriculum contents, and so forth (Febrina, 2017, p. 3). Some examples of non-authentic materials are textbooks, audiotapes, video lessons, etc (Febrina, 2017, p. 3).

Could be defined as materials used in teaching which are not initially designed for teaching purposes (Febrina, 2017, pp. 2-3). These materials characterize by implementing the target language in genuine and natural manners (Febrina, 2017, p. 3). Some examples of authentic materials are podcasts, songs, movies, TV shows, magazines, newspapers, etcetera (Febrina, 2017, pp. 2-3).

VS

Question 3

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using authentic and non-authentic materials in the class?

Regarding their benefits, Febrina (2017) argues that authentic materials “significantly lessen the gap between the language taught in the classroom and the language used in real life” (p. 4), promoting a more effective interaction with the target language to stimulate a better acquisition of communicative skills. Moreover, they can motivate students to learn the language and participate in class since they promote interactive experiences and learning settings (Febrina, 2017, pp. 4-5). Likewise, authentic materials stimulate a deeper acquisition of the target language, given that they not only present “language features but also […] the culture of the target language” (Febrina, 2017, p. 5). Concerning their disadvantages, it can be said that authentic materials could complicate students' learning and frustrate students because of the “complex words and language features [included in them]” (Febrina, 2017, p. 6). Furthermore, they can cause cultural shock due to possible habits or traditions that could be inappropriate in students' culture (Febrina, 2017, p. 6).

Authentic materials advantages and disadvantages

Regarding their benefits, they are mainly directed to the disadvantages of authentic materials. Some teachers and authors claim that non-authentic materials are “more suitable and appropriate for the learners [since they] are designed by the teacher based on the learners' capability and language level” (Febrina, 2017, pp. 6-7). Likewise, it is considered that non-authentic materials are more appropriate for students because of the lack of target cultural features involved in them (Febrina, 2017, p. 7). Concerning their disadvantages, it could be said that non-authentic materials represent obstacles for students to interact with real-life language since they seem to implement an unnatural style (Febrina, 2017, p. 7). In that sense, the learning process of EFL students would not prepare them for natural communicative experiences founded on real-life linguistic features.

Non-authentic materials advantages and disadvantages

References

Febrina, W. (2017). Authentic vs Non-Authentic Materials in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Indonesia: Which One Matters More?. https://papers.iafor.org/submission38649/Maley, A. (2016). Principles and Procedures in Materials Development. In M. Azarnoosh, M. Zeraatpishe, A. Faravani & H. Kargozari, Issues in Materials Development (4th ed., pp. 11-29). Rotterdam. https://bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1204864&lang=es&site=eds-live&scope=site&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_11