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Reflections on Readings AL8660
Materials Design, Development & Publication
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Title
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Two
important concepts or facts
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Quotation
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08/27-09/10
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Byrd, P. (1995). Writing and publishing textbooks. In Patricia Byrd (Ed.), Material writer's guide (pp. 3-9). Boston: Heinle & Heinle. |
1. Every text has multiple audiences, which the author/materials-creator must keep in mind. 2. It is important that the materials-creator/author not be a "suit"--s/he must have hands-on teaching experience. |
"At its best, a textbook is a unified, seamless whole rather than a random collection of material." (p. 7) Coherence is a key factor in uniting materials in an extended format, such as a textbook. |
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| Dubin, F. (1995). The craft of materials writing. In P. Byrd (Eds.), Material writer's guide (pp. 13-22). Boston: Heinle & Heinle. |
1. Texts rarely (if ever) represent as "characters" non-native speakers who speak their own interlanguage rather than error-free target language. 2. In an attempt to idealize the representative target language speakers, the speakers often become stereotypes of native English speakers. |
"...the writer's challenge is to create ways to guide learners into understanding the meaning of the text by becoming a silent third party in the reader-writer dialogue." (p. 20) The role of the author/materials-creator extends beyond the writing of the text, into an active yet silent role in helping the teacher teach and the learner learn. |
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| Holmes,
Martin. (n.d.) Web language. Retrieved August 18, 2002, from http://web.uvic.ca/hcmc/rnd/ weblang/ |
1. Responses, including guidance or feedback, provided during interactive activities makes the student feel like the computer responds personally to his/her output. 2. Materials developers must think about the rationale behind every choice offered to the students, and what choices the student has in reacting to or acting on the activity. |
"Researchers have found that reading a page of text on the screen is far more tiring than reading the same text on paper. It's also a terrible waste of the capabilities of the expensive machine you're sitting in front of." The web-based activity must be interactive and attractive with a specific purpose in order to be effective. |
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Biographical statement on Martin Holmes. (n.d.) Retrieved August 18, 2002, from http://web.uvic.ca/hcmc/staff/martin.htm |
1. Holmes has a pretty good background in teaching English, although he appears to have focused on interactive web-based teaching design in the past few years. I'm unsure if he has recent classroom based experience. 2. Holmes computer and computer-programming skills are awe-inspiring. |
"Until 1998 I was an ESL teacher, and in the last few years I taught in Japan, Indonesia, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and the UK (which is my original home). I'm now developing Web materials and software programs at the University of Victoria HCMC, as well as doing a little online teaching." Holmes focus has seemed to have shifted from teacher-fronted classes to solely web-based teaching. I wonder if this could have any detrimental effects on his connection with his language-learners. |
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| Jolly, D. and Bolitho, R. (1998). A framework for materials writing. In Brian Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials development in language teaching (pp. 90-115). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
1. The appearance of materials serves not only to keep the activity effective and efficient, but also to maintain learner motivation. 2. The materials-writing process is not a unidirectional process with a start and a finish, but rather a multi-directional process that never really ends. |
"...the most effective materials are those which are based on a thorough understanding of learners' needs, i.e. their language difficulties, their learning objectives, their styles of learning, etc." (p. 111) The materials-writer must be a practicing teacher who grasps the individuality of each learner and his/her relationship with the target language. |
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| McDonough, J. and Shaw, C. (1993). Current approaches to materials design. In Jo McDonough and Christopher Shaw, Materials and methods in ELT: A teacher's guide (pp. 43-62). Oxford: Blackwell. |
1. A multi-syllabus is one in which the focus is on communication while simultaneously offering formal grammar practice. 2. Individual learner differences can impact language learning, while the language teacher can influence some learners' individual differences. |
The process syllabus "contains the far-reaching implication that syllabuses cannot be fully worked out in advance but must evolve as learners' problems and developing competence gradually emerge. " (p. 60) A future trend in L2 syllabus preparation may be reactive rather than proactive, waiting to see what problems the learners have and then determining the focus of the lesson. |
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| 09/10-09/24 | Byrd, P. (1995). Issues in the writing and publication of grammar textbooks. In Patricia Byrd (Ed.), Material writer's guide (pp. 45-63). Boston: Heinle & Heinle. |
1. A grammar textbook should illustrate, through samples and exercises, the differences between the language in the written and spoken forms. 2. The materials-writer should strive to create a coherent yet flexible set of activities that can fit multiple purposes. |
"Many students will appreciate and benefit from activities that allow them to work with form..." (p.55) Focused attention on grammar exercises can be beneficial to the learner, rather than focusing solely on communication (as in the CLT approach). |
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| Conrad, S. (2000). Will corpus linguistics revolutionize grammar teaching in the 21st century? TESOL Quarterly, 34, 548-560. |
1. Studying naturally-occuring language samples illustrates the systematic variation of language use within the "standard" dialect. 2. The patterns revealed in studying linguistic corporea can provide the necessary link between grammar and lexical items. |
"The implication of corpus research for pedagogy is that grammatical study needs to take place within the context of a register or by comparing registers." (p. 552) Studying corpus linguistics can have a direct impact on teaching, in that language use depends heavily on context-specific variety being used. |
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| Jones, S., Byrd, P., Allomong, S., and Tanaka, Y. Heinle & Heinle grammar activity inventory. Retrieved from http://ww.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/inventgr1/ |
1. When using a corpus of non-manipulated data (e.g. language, language textbooks, etc.), it is important to note the source of the data. These exercises were built for students studying in the U.S., not Canada, the U.K., etc. 2. Although the materials-writer constructs exercises, s/he should allow enough room for interpretation by a teacher who would like to manipulate the activities to fit his/her learners' needs. |
"One important reason for the separation of grammar and writing is the difference in the approach to both selection and implementation of activities for the two types of textbooks." (introduction) The idea of separation grammar and writing interests me, because they seem so intertwined. I always thought that even the I.E.P. Structure & Compositions classes focused on both writing and grammar. |
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| Larson-Freeman, D. (2001). Teaching grammar. In Marianne Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (3rd ed., pp. 251-266) |
1. Grammar can be viewed as a three-dimensional entity composed of structure (form), semantics (meaning) and pragmatics (use). 2. If following the three-dimensional model of grammar, teaching grammar empowering students to speak the language with accurately, meaningfully and appropriately.
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"...Grammar teaching is not so much knowledge transmission as it is skill development." (p. 255) Grammar doesn't have to be seen as an imposing monstrosity that can't be mastered, but rather as yet another skill to add to the learners' communicative ability. |
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| 09/24-10/08 | Coxhead, A. (2000). A New Academic Word List. TESOL Quarterly, 34 (2), 213-238. |
1. Coxhead's AWL was based on specialized occurrence (not one of the 2,000 words belonging to the General Service List), range (the word occurs at least 10 times in each of the 4 main section and in at least 15 of the 28 subject areas), and frequency (each word appears at least 100 times in the corpus) 2. This AWL could be used to design texts, to offer insight into the type of vocabulary that needs to be focused on in the classroom. |
"The purpose of the research described here was to develop and evaluate a new academic word list on the basis of a larger, more principled corpus than had been used in previous research." (p. 218) Coxhead's AWL was designed to be more comprehensive and representative of words used in a multiple context, and therefore should give the ESL/EFL learner a wider array of uses for the words. |
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| Decarrico, J.S. (2001). Vocabulary learning and teaching. In Marianne Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (3rd ed., pp. 285-299). |
1. Word association techniques, such as semantic mapping, are more effective than wrote memorization. 2. Using similarities or differences between words as a teaching method can cause more harm than good through cross-assocation. |
"The more students manipulate and think about a word, the more likely it is that the word will be transferred into long-term memory." (p. 289) Learning vocabulary is more successful when the learner actively processes the word and must divine the meaning of it through such mental manipulations of it. |
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| Groot, P. (2000). Computer Assisted Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition. Language Learning & Technology 4, (1), pp. 60-81. |
1. The "Matthew Effect" is the term used to describe the phenomenon that a student can only contextually deduce the meaning of new words if he/she already has a large vocabulary. 2. The L2 learner must be an active member of the interactive process of learning vocabulary--retention of incidentally-learned vocabulary is minimal. |
The CAVOCA system "takes the learner systematically through the sequence of mental operations which make up the acquisition process." (p. 66) Based on language acquisition theory of how new words are identified and incorporated into a learner's lexicon, CAVOCA guides the learner through the stages of word acquisition in order to promote a deeper understanding and lexical incorporation. |
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| Nation, P. (2000). Learning vocabulary in lexical sets: Dangers and Guidelines. TESOL Journal 9 (2), 6-10. |
1. Interference occurs when words that are learned at the same time have strong common features, and thus become strongly linked or associated in the learner's mind. 2. Although teaching vocabulary in sets of antonyms or in other similar sets creates interference at the early stage of vocabulary development, presenting them as opposites or as similarly related words after they have been learned may help strengthen already strong associations. |
"Research shows that it takes longer to learn words that relate to each other in certain ways than it takes to learn words that are unrelated to each other or that are related to each other in a kind of story line." (p. 6) Words that are part of sets that are presented as similar or opposites make vocabulary learning more difficult, and can be avoided by presenting the words at different times, or in different contexts. |
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| Stoller,
F.L., and Grabe, W. (1995). Implications for L2 vocabulary acquisition and
instruction from L1 vocabulary research. In Thomas Huckin, Margot Haynes,
and James Coady (Eds.), Second language reading and vocabulary learning,
pp. 24-45. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation. |
1. The student's lexicon affects his/her reading ability, and his/her reading ability impacts his/her lexicon as well. 2. "Narrow reading", in which students focus on works by one author or on a single topic, allow the students to recycle new vocabulary with multiple exposure. |
"Thus, vocabulary acquisition is a result of aptitude, background knowledge, instruction, multiple exposures, and opportunity to practice." Although a language instructor cannot impact a student's aptitude or background knowledge, he/she can have a central role in instruction, exposure and practice of new vocabulary. |
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| 10/08-10/22 | Byrd, P. (2001). Textbooks: Evaluation for selection and analysis for implementation. In Marianne Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (3rd ed., pp. 415-427). |
1. It is important for a teacher to read the entire textbook from start to finish prior to implementing it in the classroom. 2. The criteria for textbook analysis for implementation differs dramatically from textbook evaluation for selection. |
"...teachers have to be aware not just of their lives inside their classrooms, but they must also be knowledgeable about the larger system in which they work and about possible ways that the system might allow for teacher participation in its administrative processes." (p. 416) The teacher must be a proactive member of the academic community, and must provide feedback as to which materials serve not only the needs of the curriculum, but also the needs of the learners and teachers. |
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| Kessler, G., and Plakans, L. (2001). Incorporating ESOL learners' feedback and usability testing in instructor-developed CALL materials. TESOL Journal, 10 (1), 15-20 |
1. Usability testing, in which potential users of the software provide feedback on the ease or difficulty in using it, provides CALL material designers with invaluable information on how to revise the program. 2. It is important to get feedback from a variety of learners/users, for a wider variety would provide a larger base of variables that could give the developer(s) insight into potential problem areas. |
"CALL instructor-developers today attempt to integrate the best aspects of the attention-getting media and the language objectives contained in traditional textbooks. However, this integration of varied media can unnecessarily complicate their use." (p. 15) Although additional media can stimulate additional senses, causing the learning process to be rich and varied, it can also cause unnecessary confusion which could interfere with the learning process. It is important to have specific, sound reasons for implementing CALL software, and it is important to choose/develop the right software as well. |
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| Reid,
J. (2002). Dealing
with reviews. |
1. Morning time is usually the best time to deal with reviews, because the grind of the work day hasn't taken its toll yet. 2. Dealing with all the feedback from a review may seem overwhelming, but if you divide (yes, no, check) and conquer, it's more manageable. |
"I don't brood (at least not usually), and I rethink whatever seemed to stand out most--the negatives, mostly, and how I might deal with them." I have a tendency to brood over things, rolling them over in my mind and analyzing from every which way, so this piece of advice will certainly come in handy for me! |
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| 10/22-11/05 | Healey, D. (1999). Theory and research: Autonomy in language learning. In Joy Egbert and Elizabeth Hanson-Smith (Eds.), CALL environments: Research, practice, and critical issues (pp. 391-402). Alexandria, VA: TESOL. |
1. Teachers can facilitate learner autonomy and learning style through encouraging new attitudes toward learning. This can be done by incorporating student needs, feedback, wishes, etc. into the learning process. 2. Students who are knowledgeable about their learning style and preferences are more able to adjust in situations where a different mode is needed. |
"...it behooves ESL/EFL professionals to keep in mind that learner self-direction and autonomous learning are Western concepts that fit smoothly into U.S. culture in particular." (p. 392) Although I've already taken ICC, I couldn't have predicted how difficult I'd find the clash over learner autonomy in the classroom. I'm currently experiencing this in the class I'm teaching. It's funny--my international students don't want to be learner autonomous (like U.S. students are), but they've sure learned how to whine about it (like U.S. students do)! |
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| Prowse, Philip. (1998). How writers write: testimony from authors. In Brian Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials development in language teaching (pp. 130-115). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
1. There are many advantages to collaborating with colleagues, but these benefits may disappear in the shadow of personal and professional difficulties. 2. A [British] publishing team typically consists of a publisher, a commissioning editor, one or more desk editors, and a designer, as well as any recording studio producer, artists/photographers, researchers, copyright clearers, and proof-readers. |
"...team-working on supplementary materials is like an affair, team-working on a coursebook is more like a marriage!" (p. 130) This quote cracked me up! It makes sense, though: working on supplementary materials unites people for a short period of time, while both are focused on the short-term product; working on a full-blown text, however, is more time-consuming, and more "robust." The ugly underbelly of the process (and possibly of the collaborators) is exposed in the lengthy process of seeing a textbook from start to finish. |
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| Reid,
J. (1995). Developing ESL writing materials for publication OR writing as
a learning experience. In Patricia Byrd (Ed.), Material writer's guide
(pp. 64-78). Boston: Heinle & Heinle. |
1. The golden rule for creating and publishing materials is 20% must be unique and 80% must be familiar--it's important to create a "unique marketing niche." 2. When deciding which publishing house to work with, it's a good idea to ask yourself "Who would you rather work with?" |
"Preparing a written analysis of the 'current market'....was an entirely new task for me, but it was enlightening...examining 'competing texts' from the perspective of a potential author provided me with insights and new ideas about layout and the presentation of information." (p. 69) Personally, I think this may be the most valuable step in writing a textbook. Analyzing the current market of competing texts allows the materials designer to decide if his/her "unique marketing niche" is truly unique, provides more synthesized knowledge of that 80% that must be familiar, gives ideas as to organization and layout (what works, what doesn't, and what is appealing to the teacher), etc. While this may be time consuming to say the least, the benefits of market analysis far outweigh any negatives. |
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| 11/05-11/19 | Chapelle, C. (1998). Multimedia CALL: Lessons to be learned from instructed SLA. Language Learning & Technology, 2 (1), pp. 22-34 |
1. The L2 input provided in the CALL activities must be salient in order to be apperceived by the learner. 2. Instead of the materials designer or the teacher deciding which form to be enhanced in the activity, CALL provides learners with opportunities to select themselves which feature should be highlighted. |
"...it is useful to view multimedia design from the perspective of the input it can provide to learners, the output it allows them to produce, the interactions they are able to engage in, and the L2 tasks it supports." As materials designers, I think we may tend to focus primarily on the input that we provide. This quote emphasizes the importance of a 360 degree approach to CALL materials design, which provides a more profound, rounded activity, which would most likely result in a more effective and satisfying language learning experience. |
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| Egbert, J. (1999). Classroom practice: Creating interactive CALL activities. In Joy Egbert and Elizabeth Hanson-Smith (Eds.), CALL environments: Research, practice, and critical issues (pp. 27-51). Alexandria, VA: TESOL. |
1. Using problem-solving and decision-making tasks through CALL provides students who work in groups a reason and opportunity to communicate and achieve a goal. 2. Sometimes it may be more practical to choose the intended software of use by the teacher or in the language lab prior to purchasing or choosing a brand of hardware. |
"Completing this work correctly within an allotted time period takes coordination, communication, negotiation of meaning, and the use of a variety of language skills and modes." (p. 30) An effectively designed CALL task can assist students in achieving their language goals while unconsciously forcing them to not only work with but in the target language. |
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| Kol, S., and Schcolnik, M. (2000). Enhancing screen reading strategies. CALICO Journal 18 (1), 67-80. |
1. If learners are allowed to manipulate the text while they're reading it, it may enhance comprehension via their interaction with the text. 2. Inexperienced computer users may find screen reading more difficult, including scanning and skimming. |
"Text manipulation amounts to a graphic, recorded expression of readers' interaction with the text, an interaction that aids their construction of meaning by capturing their fleeting thoughts and ideas. (p. 69) When I read printed paper articles, I routinely make comments in the margin and underline or circle important concepts. Intuitively, if learners are able to do this with screen texts, it would aid in comprehension as well. It's interesting that their study didn't necessarily support this hypothesis. |
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| Shin,
J., and Wastell, D. (2001). A user-centered methodological framework for
the design of hypermedia-based call systems. CALICO Journal 18 (3), 517-537. |
1. Testing prototypes of the materials provides materials designers with the necessary feedback that would facilitate meeting learner objectives, needs, and abilities. 2. There are essentially four stakeholders in CALL system design: 1.) student, 2.) materials designer, 3.) reviewer, and 4.) the teacher. |
"...learners felt greater achievement after learning with restricted navigation." (p. 531) At some levels of proficiency, learners may be unable to guide themselves in the learning process. Although they may enjoy the control of guiding themselves, their learning is impeded by this high level of control. |
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