Material Design & Development

Welcome!

The general goal of this course is to provide teacher-trainers with greater insight into the importance of material design and development within the second language (L2) context. While the course will focus on the rationale behind the design, development and selection of materials, it will also help participants understand the vital role that material development plays in the professional development of teachers. Indeed, as opposed to a "how-to" approach, the course aims to help empower participants by exposing them to a variety of materials options and approaches. It is hoped that through a "discovery" approach, teacher-trainers will gain confidence as they choose ELT materials with greater ease, flexibility and creativity.  

The course will be approached from a dual perspective: First, since the design and development of language learning materials reflects one's beliefs in how second languages are taught and learned, we will consider some of the various underlying theoretical foundations of material selection in the L2 context. In this way, students/teachers will better recognize the rationale involved in selecting from a vast array of available materials. Secondly, participants will be involved in practical formative activities which will consist of the selection, evaluation and adaptation of effective materials for the L2 classroom.

Lecture Notes

Lecture notes from a previous semester are available. These are to be used for preview and reveiw purposes. Warning: page numbers and due dates in the PPTs may not match the page numbers in our current book or the due dates of current assignments. Also weekly lectures may vary somewhat because the instructors often make adjustments based on the needs of individual classes. To access these lecture notes you will need your ID & PW.

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Grading Criteria

Class Participation and Attendance               30%
Homework on Readings                                 20%
Lesson Plan & Materials 1                              25%
Lesson Plan & Materials 2                              25%
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Total:                                                          100%
 

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Expectations

Attendance/Participation
Attendance is mandatory: Participants who arrive to class 10 minutes or more after class begins will be considered late. Participants who are late 3 times will receive 1 absence. Any participant who misses 1/4 of all class meetings will receive an F. Mastery of the ideas and concepts of this course requires engagement and discussion. If you are not in class, you miss that opportunity to exchange ideas. Moreover, participation is also essential. Just coming to class is not enough. I expect all participants to be active in class discussion and lectures as well as to complete all oral and written assignments.

Homework on Readings
Each reading comes with guiding questions. Look over the questions before you read and then answer the questions after you read. Please email me your answers.
Reading 1-Learner Differences
Reading 2-Objectives
Reading 3-EIF
Reading 4-Good Materials
Reading 5-SARS
Reading 6-PDP
Reading 7-Evaluating Materials

Lesson Plans & Materials 1 &2
These two assignments are critical to success in this course. Participants will be expected to write a student learning objective (SLO), design a lesson plan to achieve the SLO, and select, adapt, and/or supplement the materials that the Ss will need to complete the lesson successfully.

Copyright James Brawn © 2001-2024. All rights reserved.
Revised: 08/20/24.