Topic- Syllabus Design: Issues in Materials Development

Paper No.12(ELT)

• Prepared by: Arati R. Maheta,• Roll No.2,

• M.A Part-2 (Batch:2013-15),• Semester : 3,

• Submitted to: Department Of English Maharaja

Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

Email id :davearati656@gmail.com Year: 2014

Introduction

• ‘Materials’ Include anything which can be used to facilitate the learning of language.

• They can be linguistic, visual, auditory or kinesthetic, and they can be presented in print, through live performance or display ,or on cassette, CD-ROM, DVD or the internet.

They can be..

Instructional

• In that they inform learners about the language.

Experienti

al

• In that they provide exposure to the language in use.

Elicitative

• In that they stimulate language useexploratory

• In that they seek discoveries about language use

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 and adaptation of language teaching materials.

• As an undertaking it involves the production ,evaluation and adaption 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 classrooms materials

• (e.g. Tomlinson 1998c)

What are the issues in they?(M.D)• The many controversies in the field of Materials

Development include the following questions:

Do learners need a course book?

Should materials be learning or Acquisition focused?

Should text be contrived or authentic?

Should material be censored?

It is the most convenient form of presenting materials.It gives a learners a sense of system, cohesion and progress.It helps teachers prepare & the learners revise,

A course book is inevitably, superficial &reductionist in its coverage of language points and in its provision of language experience, it can’t cater for the diverse need of all it’s users.It imposes uniformity of syllabus and approach and it removes initiative and power from teachers

Prop

onen

t

Opponent

Do learners need a course book?

• See Allwright1981; O’Neil1982;Littlejohn1992 Hutchinson&Torres1994

Should texts be contrived or authentic?

• Materials aiming at explicit learning usually contrive examples of the language which focus on the feature being taught.

• These examples presented in short, easy texts or dialogue and it is argued that they help the learner by focusing attention on the target feature.

• The counter argument is that contrived examples overprotect learners and do not prepare them for the reality of language use.

• Whereas authentic text can provide meaningful exposure to language as it is typically used.

• Most researchers argues for authenticity and stress its motivational effect on learners

• E.g. Bacon and Finnemann1990; Kuo1993

‘Pedagogic presentation of

language…necessarily involves

methodological contrivance

which isolate features from

their natural surroundings.

• Day and Bamford attack the ‘cult of authenticity’ and advocated simplified reading texts which have ‘the natural qualities of authenticity’.

• R.Ellis(1999)argues for ‘’enriched input’’ which provides learner with input which has been flooded with example of the target structure in the context of meaning focused activities

widdowson

Should materials be censored?

• Most publisher are anxious not to risk giving offence and provide writers of global course books with lists of taboo topics which include:

• Sex, drugs, alcohol, religion, violence, politics history and pork

e.g. Heinemann International Guide for Writers (1991)

• They also provides guidelines to help their writers to avoid sexism and racism.

e.g. On Balance 1991

Whilst some form of censorship might be pedagogically desirable and economically necessary.

Many teacher argues that published materials are too bland and often fail to achieve the engagement needed for learning

Wajnryb (1996:291)

E.g.-complains about the ‘safe, clean, harmonious ,benevolent, undisturbed world of EFL course book

Text book projects supported by a national ministry of education often suffer less censorship and their books are some time more interesting to use.

E g. the popular Namibian course book On Target(1996)

Which contains texts inviting learners respond to issues relating to drugs, violence..etc.

Some further unresolved issues

Materials should

Be driven by theory or practice

Be driven by syllabus needs, learner need or

market needs

Cater for learner expectations or try to

change them

Cater for teacher needs and wants as well as

those of learners

Aim for language development only or

should be aim for personal or educational

development

Aim to contribute to teacher development as

well as language learning

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