The craft of materials writing
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Transcript of The craft of materials writing
THE CRAFT OF MATERIALS WRITING
By:
Teddy Fiktorius (F5221 2025)
Postgraduate Study of English Language Education
Teacher Training and Education FacultyUniversity of Tanjungpura
Pontianak 2013
AN EARLIER ERA
Abundance of textbooks
Void of vitality
‘Le livre de ma tante est sur la table’
Throwing brickbats at the textbook
Production of nonmeaningful sentences = commonplace
RECENT PARADIGMS
scant references on materials productionVS.
more attention to textbooks selection
selecting a published bookVS.
producing a textbook
RECENT YEARS
The TESOL organisation
“Materials Writers”
Workshops and symposia
Emphasis on producing, not consuming
elementswww.animationfactory.com
HOW HAS THE SCENE CHANGED FOR MATERIALS WRITING?
Textbooks writing
Innovative
“sentence modelling” or “repeat after me”
all of the language in one package
Greater breadth devoted to specific skills(listening, speaking, reading, and writing)
Specific level
Specific audience
Two Vital Developments in ESOL field
1. The spread of English worldwide
More demand for every facet of language pedagogy(teachers, courses, and materials for instruction)
2. The result of researchers and scholars
More complex of language views
Closer attention to learners with specific needs
English for special purposes
Specific language needs of specific groups of learners
Writers in earlier periods VS. today’s writers
Writers in earlier periods
focus on the form or grammatical shape of sentences
Today’s writers
still focus on the form + the codes of behaviour
the syntactic, the lexical, the pragmatic
to convey meaning
A vital prerequisite for writing materials
experience as classroom teachers
production of materials for use with their own students
YET,
for a wider audience of learners
lack of an accumulation of the experiences, advise, practices, and CRAFT KNOWLEDGE
What is CRAFT KNOWLEDGE?
Theory VS. practice
scholars/researchers (“theorists”)
Materials writers ( craftsperson) as mediator
Teachers/learners
NOTE: Materials writers embody abstract theory in concrete practice
Developing craft knowledge
Creating practitioners
Capability of handling a variety of writing assignments
Various types of media
Print, video, and audio material
One important element of craft knowledge
Utilization of relevant research
Dealing with language use in its natural setting
e.g. Scotton and Bernsten (1998) studied the ways in which American
students on a college campus ask for and give directions, order food, and so on
A “ sixth sense” = craft knowledge
sense of the possible
what works, what might work, what cannot work
note: It’s not always possible or feasible to carry out testing materials, even with a pilot format
Confronting craft issues: The voice of the learner
the communicative period
Textbook writers present the target language in meaningful contexts
Create characters in their scripts
Depict people whose characteristics are close to those of the target language
Textbooks characters might be twenty something, e.g. working in an office, looking for a job, or enrolling in a college.
Creating a textbook character = a dilemma
Who are they really?
Their ages, socioeconomic background, occupations, goals
textbook characters = peers for the learners
yet,
Should they be people who live in English-speaking countries?Or
Are they fictional counterparts of the people who use the textbook, nonnative speakers who are in the process of learning
the language?
A survey by the current chapter author, Fraida Dubin
Dubin’s conclusion:
1. Most writers fail to confront the dilemma2. some manage to avoid it
3. a few overlook it and fall into trouble
Dubin’s discussion no. 1:
Those who fail to confront the dilemma still produce materials sticking with grammatical form
the texts = more lessons than script
the use of stereotypical citizens of English-speaking countries
Dubin’s discussion no. 2:
Some avoid the dilemma through various strategies:
1. depict characters through very thin characterisations
2. give the characters first names which sound nonnative, e.g. Andre, Yoko, but no further descriptions
3. avoid dialogues and rely on narrative passages
Dubin’s discussion no. 3:
Those who overlook the dilemma of the learner’s voice
Concentrate on producing scripts that interest teachers and learners
Strive to make their characters real, authentic, and convincing
fall into trouble
e.g. A book written by Davies, Whitney, Pike-Biker, and Blass (1990):
“Machiko is from Japan. She is a student. She has come to Bay view to study English. Machiko is twenty years old. She has dark brown eyes,
long dark hair, and is 5’6” tall. (p.20)”
Following the description of Machiko appears a dialogue between Machiko and “Man”. Machiko asks the Man for directions. Before doing so, she says to
herself:
“Oh no, I’m lost. Did Sue say ‘go straight past’ or ‘go left’ on Foothill? I can’t remember.”
That Machiko would speak “to herself” in English
PROBLEMATIC
Her language would be quite accentless.
Machiko’ character is a nonnative student. But her language is not the language of a nonnative
student.
Conclusion:
No ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ solution to the writer’s dilemma regarding the voivce of the learner
Dubin suggests:
the craft of writing
Confront the dilemma, not avoid it
Reading strategies VS. reading for its own sake
Successful readers
1. skimming for major ideas2. scanning for specific information
3. guessing and predicting using the contexts
Reading strategies VS. reading for its own sake
a great deal of practice (plentiful and meaningful materials)
success in reading
’To be a good reader one must read’
The concept of tasks: New designs for actualising language content
Wilkins (1976)
exploration of language content
“synthetic” and “analytic”
The holistic use of language, NOT a series of pieces
Fluency VS. accuracy
Emphasis on fluency = a loss of accuracy, vice versa
Teaching approaches
learner-centered, content-based, communicative, task-centered, etc
have been much discussed
YET infrequently incorporated in course books
THEN, WHOSE FAULT IS IT???
Teaching approaches
learner-centered, content-based, communicative, task-centered, etc
have been much discussed
YET infrequently incorporated in course books
THEN, WHOSE FAULT IS IT???
RESEARCHERS VS. MATERIALS WRITERS
the issue belongs to the hands of researchers
Use experimental models
Test and evaluate program outcomes
VS.A role for materials writers
Approach the same questions and come up with significant results
Develop the craft materials through actions
As pioneers of practice, NOT simply as followers
SO,…
ARE YOU THE PIONEERS
OR
SIMPLY THE FOLLOWERS????
THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION