Developing Materials for TESOL

Module title	Developing Materials for TESOL
Module code	EFPM310
Academic year	2020/1
Credits	15
Module staff	Susan Riley (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	8

Number students taking module (anticipated)	12

Module description

One of the earliest things that teachers do in their teaching career is to make judgments about the materials they use. These informal criticisms, when placed within a principled framework developed from theories of materials evaluation, allow a classroom teacher to make informed choices about what to use. The logical step from this initial process is to consider designing your own materials in order to adapt or supplement those in a coursebook, or to develop a set of materials from scratch. This cycle of evaluation and design is the content of this module. You will develop some essential skills that will enable you to have an influence on the content of English language teaching within your context, and give you the skills and confidence to develop your own courses.

Module aims - intentions of the module

To develop a critical understanding of the concepts of evaluation and design in TESOL materials;
To develop a critical understanding of factors affecting the design and evaluation of materials;
To introduce and critically discuss current approaches to materials evaluation and design;
To equip students with the skills needed to undertake materials evaluation and design;
To introduce research approaches to facilitate understanding and development of the materials evaluation and design cycle.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. demonstrate a good understanding of materials evaluation and design and related issues
2. establish criteria for the evaluation and design of TESOL materials
3. undertake an evaluation of materials employing a variety of research techniques as appropriate
4. produce materials appropriate to a specific context
5. critically reflect upon, and further refine materials

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

6. create coherent written accounts of materials evaluation and design
7. apply course input to their own, their peers' and synthetic teaching situations
8. identify and apply strategic options for the development of/ and modification of teaching materials

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

9. study independently as well as cooperatively in group/pair work
10. create a presentation of materials either individually or with peers for group and class discussion
11. digest, select and organise material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and thoughtful analysis of theory applied to professional and cultural situations

Syllabus plan

Week 1: Overview of evaluation; purposes and uses; role of coursebooks in different contexts.

Weeks 2-3:. Principles and practices of materials analysis and evaluation; frameworks for evaluation; criteria for selection of coursebooks.

Week 4: The process of materials development; principles and frameworks for design and exploitation of texts.

Week5: The design process for adapting and supplementing.

Week 6: The use and exploitation of authentic materials; authenticity of task.

Week 7: Workshop: design and development in context. The use and role of culture in EFL materials.

Week 8: Student presentations.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
15	135	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	15	lectures, seminars and tutorials
Guided Independant Study	20	directed reading
Guided Independant Study	80	self-study
Guided Independant Study	35	assignment preparation

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Presentation	10 minutes	1-6, 9, 11	Verbal comment and questions from lecturer and peers

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Assignment: coursebook evaluation and task adaptation	100	3750	1-4, 7-9	Written feedback
	0
	0
	0
	0
	0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Assignment	Resubmission of assignment	1-4, 7-9	6 weeks

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Harwood, N. (2010). English Language teaching materials: Theory and Practice. Cambridge: CUP.

McGrath, I (2002) Materials Evaluation and Design for Language Teaching Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Peacock, M (1997) The effect of authentic materials on the motivation of EFL learners. ELTJournal 51/2:144-156. Tomlinson, B. (ed) (2003). Developing Materials for Language Teaching.London: Continuum.

Tomlinson, B. (ed) (2008). English Language learning materials. London: Continuum.

Tomlinson, B (ed) (2011) Materials Development in Language Teaching Cambridge: CUP.

Tomlinson, B. & H. Masuhara (eds) (2010). Research for Materials development in language learning: evidence for best practice. London: Continuum

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

Tomlinson & Masuhara (see above) e-book.

Key words search

TESOL, Developing Materials

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	7
Available as distance learning?	No
Last revision date	25/01/13