Materials

MATERIALS

There is a growing inclusion of materials development on courses for teachers: for example the International Graduate School of English (IGSE) in Seoul runs an MA in Materials Development for Language Teaching, and MA TESOL/Applied Linguistics courses throughout the world now include modules on materials development. This is mainly because of the realization that, ‘Every teacher is a materials developer’ (English Language Centre, 1997) who needs to be able to evaluate, adapt and produce materials so as to ensure a match between their learners and the materials they use. It is also because of the realization that one of the most effective ways of ‘helping teachers to understand and apply theories of language learning – and to achieve personal and professional development – is to provide monitored experience of the process of developing materials’ (Tomlinson, 2001, p. 67). This concrete experience of developing materials as a basis for reflective observation and conceptualization enables teachers to theorize their practice (Schon, 1987).

What is materials development?Materials development is both a field of study and a practical undertaking. As a field it studies the principles and procedures of the design, implementation and evaluation of language teaching materials. As an undertaking it involves the production, evaluation and adaptation of language teaching materials, by teachers for their own classrooms and by materials writers for sale or distribution. Ideally these two aspects of materials development are interactive in that the theoretical studies inform and are informed by the development and use of classroom materials.TOMLINSON, 2001, p. 66

Tomlinson, B. (2013) Developing materials for language teaching. Bloomsbury. https://www.academia.edu/43760213/Developing_Materials_for_Language_Teaching

These days most commercial materials are written by professional materials writers writing to a brief determined by the publishers from an analysis of market needs. These writers are usually very experienced and competent, they are familiar with the realities of publishing and the potential of the new technologies and they write full time for a living. The books they write are usually systematic, well designed, teacher friendly and thorough. But they often lack energy and imagination (how can the writers be imaginative all day and every day?) and are sometimes insufficiently relevant and appealing to the actual learners who use them state that ‘only a small proportion of good teachers are also good designers of course materials’. This observation is contrary to experience, teachers throughout the world only need a little training, experience and support to become materials writers who can produce imaginative materials of relevance and appeal to their learners.