THE ROLE OF MATERIALS

Course: ESPPresenter: Melika RajabiInstructor: Dr. Estaji

Materials are used in all teaching.

Core materials paper-based Audio and video cassettes Computers Real objects …

Purpose of the materials

Four reasons for using materials in ESP contexts:1. As a source of lg2. As a learning support3. For motivation and stimulation4. For reference

Source of language

In EFL context, ESP classes may be the only source of

English

materials play a crucial role in exposing learners

to the lg. implies thatMaterials need to present real lg and full

range that learners required

If classroom: primary source of information, materials need to maximize exposure to the lg.

Ex: By providing additional material,

interested learners will use it for their own learning practice.

another source of lg in materials: rubrics

Learning support

Materials need to be reliable:To work to be consistent and to have some recognizable pattern.

To enhance learning: materials should involve:1. Learners in thinking about lg2. learners in using the lg

Activities need to stimulate cognitive processes not

mechanical.

Stimulation and motivationMaterials need to be challenging yet

achievable to:Offer new ideas and information.

the input contain that are familiar, but it should:

Offer sth new A reason to communicate To get involved

Concepts and

knowledge

Reference

Lack of time makes many ESP learners to rely on a

mix of classes, self-study and reference materials

Materials need to be complete, well laid out and self-explanatory.

Materials will need to take account of different learning styles and:

Follow through a train of thought explorer

Pick and choose at random browser

Work through methodically systematist

Writers or providers of materials One of the myths of ESP: you have to

write your own materials.Only a small proportion of good teachers

are good designers of course materials and will be

able to:

Select appropriately from what is available

Be creative with what is available Modify activities to suit learners’ needs Supplement by providing extra activities

Selecting from what is available

To make good choices we need to have a good

criteria on which to base our decision.

Initial Q to ask when selecting materials:a) Will the materials stimulate and motivate?b) To what extent does the material match the

stated learning objectives and your learning objectives?

c) To what extent will the materials support that learning?

Sometimes we need to evaluate a unit or an activity

so we should: Identifying and separating the real

content and the carrier content of particular activities.

We need to be a student to check this

must be appropriate

must match the course obj

Being creative with what is available

When we have no suitable carrier content, we can

change the situation and be creative. With input where the carrier content is

out-of-date, learners could:

Extract what is no longer true Separate what they already know from

what is new Extract what is true and re-write or re-

tell itIrrelevant carrier content focus on

real content

Modifying activities to suit learners’ needs

Modifying activities is for the time that the input

and carrier content are adequate but some or all

of the exploitation is unsuitable.

Possible modifications

select activities that are central to the core obj Reason1

Replace them with activities that focus on content

Reason 2

Change the rubric to change the focus or drop the activity

Reason 3

Add in an activity or two before those given in the material

Reason 4

With an established, high-level group, ask them what the problem is. Otherwise omit the exercise.

Reason 5

Supplementing by providing extra input and activities

There is no black-and-white dividing line between

modifying materials and supplementing with extra

input and activities and preparing materials from

scratch. in each case it is a Q of degree and

perspective.

Changing the input is to preparing new material

Skills ESP practitioners need to provide different input and extra activities

Matching carrier content to real content Providing variety Grading activity level to learning and lg

level Presenting the material well

Teacher-generated material

Real content- the main purpose of the course

Carrier content- aspects that is used to assist the real content

Providing variety

Variety is essential in any lg class. And we need to:

Practice a number of micro-skills in one class.

Introduce a range of activity types. Vary the type of interaction taking place

during the class

Providing variety

Variety in micro-skills- Focus on more than one macro-skill (e.g

writing, speaking, reading, listening) Variety in types of activities- Using visuals & thinking based activities

(e.g diagrams, flowcharts) Variety in interaction - Changes from teacher input to individual

work to pair work to class discussion

Grading exercises

Grading basically helps provide learners with

enabling them to do a set of exercises and with

tasks at different levels of difficulty.One way to achieve this is by setting

tasks in three levels. unsupported partially supported fully supported

Presenting the material wellIt is the final step which includes: writing good, consistent rubrics

helps learner to focus on learning rather than

working out

planning layout and proofing

Learner-generated materialMaterials specifically generated by

learners for their own learning experience. Examples:

Framework materials Activities that are devised by learners

Framework materials

Remove the difficulty to balance the levels and appropriateness of carrier and real content

Framework materials do not provide:1. Carrier content2. Lg input Set a context or a framework learners fit their own carrier content and

their existing language competence

but

What do framework materials look like?

Tables, matrices and flow diagrams.Flow diagram a learner : Describe the whole of a process/(state the

purpose) Focus on a stage which is problematic or

particularly crucialA classification tree: Justifying why items are grouped together

or explaining differences

Using framework materialsThey may be used as:

a practice stage after specific lg inputOr

As a starting point for a deep-end approachSpecific lg practice

Framework materials are enjoyed by people with right-brained learning style because they have visual representations

Devising frameworks

First, It is recommended to use published frameworks

Devised and tested by others.Content variables Visual

variables

Cause and effect Shape

Process and sequence Size

Generates particular interactions like:Presentations, decision making, problem solving, brain storming, evaluation

Color

Relative position

connections

Activities that are devised by the learner

Text comprehension- A pair of learners prepare some

comprehension questions (as well as the answers) and exchange them with another pair. Each pair will answer the other pair's set of questions.

Note taking / Information transfer- Learners themselves can think of some creative

activities to transfer information for their peers (and their teachers)

Vocabulary Development- Learners can generate their own sets or word

partnerships

Materials and technologyTechnology offers possibility of alternative

materials and classroom interactions.1. Audio and video cassettes2. Computers in the 1980s3. Computer-Assissted Language Learning

(CALL)4. Development of CD-ROM (offers inf and

repetitive practice and also offers greater interactivity than paper-based materials).

Thanks for your attention