Materials

Development
Courses
by Brian
Tomlinson
Sherin Putri Indanna
Muhammad Febliansyah
 Introduction

Materials development was a pactical procedure which was left to specialists to pursue
 The Objectives of Materials Development
Courses
Theoretical
● To provide a concrete experience
● To raise, investigate, and answer questions related to language use.
● To raise, investigate, and answer questions related to language acquisition.
● To raise, investigate, and answer questions related to language teaching pedagogy.
● To provide opportunities for action research
● To help the participants to become more aware of the needs and wants of the users of language
learning materials
● To help the participants to articulate and develop their own tacit theory of language learning and
teaching
 Developmental
● Awareness of the objectives, principles, and procedures of language teaching.
● Awareness of the objectives, principles, and procedures of materials development.
● Awareness of the principled options available to teachers
● Awareness of the principled options available to materials developers
● Skills as evaluators, adapters, editors, and producers of language materials
● Sensitivity to the needs and wants of learners and teachers
● Ability as language teachers
● Confidence and independence as materials developers and teachers
● Ability to work in teams and to take initiative
● Self-esteem
 Practical
● To help the participants to develop principled frameworks
● To help the participants to develop a set of principled and localized materials which they can use with
their classes
● To help the participants to develop a set of principled and localized materials which can act as models
● To produce a coherent collection of principled materials
 The Procedures of Materials
Development Courses
● Study. The study can help to develop the awareness already gained and can contribute to a process of
broadening and extending.
● Demonstration. The most effective way of starting a course with demonstration are
○ Outline and explain the process to the participants
○ Play the role of learners
○ Teach an extensive part of a unit of materials to the ‘learners’
○ Become course participants again and recreate the lesson
○ List the main stages of the lesson
○ Specify the objectives and talk about the learning principles
○ Hold a plenary discussion
○ Profile a group of learners
○ Hold a plenary discussion
● Discussion of statements. This is done initially as a group activity and then as a plenary discussion.
● Evaluation. It is important to help participants to develop an ability to evaluate other people’s
published materials in a systematic and principled way before asking them to produce materials of
their own.
● Adaptation. In almost every lesson teachers adapt the materials they are using in order to achieve a
closer match with the needs and wants of their learners. Here are a formal process of
○ Profiling a class
○ Analysing a set of materials
○ Evaluating the materials
○ Subtracting sections of the materials
○ Reducing
○ Replacing
○ Expanding
○ Modifying
○ Adding
● Critical modelling. One of the most common procedures on materials development courses
(especially those for pre-service teacher trainees) is modelling of exemplar materials.
● Experience. The skills required of an effective materials developer cannot be gained from instruction;
they can only be developed gradually as a result of quality, hands-on experience. The skills can only
be developed if the experience provided
○ Is monitored sensitively and supportively by tutors
○ Provides opportunities for reflection and modification
○ Is shared with other participants
○ Encourages experimentation and risk taking
○ Is staged and sequenced
○ Respects the participants as individuals
○ Is stimulating and enjoyable for the participants
● Reflection. Good materials developers are thinking developers who have confidence in their ability
and in their materials but who are prepared to rethink and revise their principles and beliefs in
response to further stimulus or information.
● Presentation. The following are 4 types of participant presentation.
○ Informal presentation to another group during the drafting stage of materials production
○ The oral presentation to fellow course/workshop participants of the final piece of materials
produced on the course/workshop
○ Conference presentation
○ Article writing
● Research. The conventional image of materials development courses is of very practical courses on
which the participants are taught to produce materials. One way of doing this is to do applied and
action research projects before, during, and after a course. Possible areas for materials development
research projects include
○ The materials needs and wants of learners
○ The materials needs and wants of teachers
○ The relative effects of different types of author voice
○ The effects on durable learning
○ The relative effects of different ways of attempting
○ Ways of producing principled coursebooks
 Examples of Materials Development
Courses

Short stimulus courses for

teachers aiming to develop
the awareness, skills, and
Courses for institutions and
motivation of the participants.
ministries training teachers to
become materials developers
for a particular project
Professional training courses
aiming to develop the
awareness and skills of
Pre-service teacher-training
curriculum developers
courses with a component on
materials development
In-service teacher
development courses with a
component on materials
Teacher
development
education/development
courses focused on (or with a
component on) materials
development
 Conclusion

Focusing on materials development is the most effective way of running a course in applied linguistics,
as theory can be made relevant and meaningful by reference to practical procedures which are at the
heart of the teaching and learning process. It is also the most effective way of helping language
education professionals to articulate and develop their own theories of language learning and to develop
the skills which they need to apply these theories to practice. And the most effective way to run a
materials development course (regardless of its specific objectives) is to provide the participants with
concrete experience as a basis for reflective observation and conceptualization.
Thank You