MARIFI S.

VILLANIA T-14: Construction, Adaptation and

Evaluation of Learning Materials
MAT-1
MS. MARY JEAN DELA PEÑA
1. MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT:
The next generation of scientists, engineers, mathematicians and technologists will need
knowledge and skills for which today’s curriculum only forms a foundation. Discoveries
and understandings that are on the forefront of today’s research (e.g., biocomplexity,
materials sciences) will be essential and fundamental parts of their world, as will research
practices that incorporate modern methods and technologies. Anticipating the education
needs of future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals
is further complicated by the need to incorporate what is relevant from classical
approaches to the disciplines with modern methods and content. The workforce needs of
the nation are also changing rapidly. According to Murnane and Levy (2004) the most
critical skills for future workforce participation are expert thinking (identifying and solving
new problems) and complex communication (eliciting critical information and conveying
a convincing interpretation of it to others). The STEM education that is provided to our
nation’s youth needs to meet these challenges, as well as convey the excitement and
rapid paced advances of scientific research

The Instructional Materials Development (IMD) program includes four components:

 Learning Progressions -- supports the creation of instructional frameworks

centered on learning progressions in science and technology education and the
development of associated teacher resources and models for professional
development.
 Instructional Materials for Students -- supports the creation and substantial
revision of comprehensive curricula and supplemental instructional materials that
are research-based; enhance classroom instruction, preK-12; and reflect standards
for science, mathematics, and technology education developed by national
professional organizations.
 Assessment -- supports the creation of tools for assessing student learning that
are tied to nationally developed standards and reflect the most current thinking on
how students learn mathematics and science. Projects can also focus on
developing resources that provide technical assistance to schools and districts in
implementing new assessments.
 Applied Research -- supports the research for development of the IMD program
and projects; provides evidence for the effectiveness of materials and feedback
for strengthening the portfolio; and identifies possible new directions in
instructional materials and assessment.
2. What should drive the materials?

Somewhere between grade school and our college grammar class, we had a teacher who required
us to write a three to five page paper. Until that frightening event, most of us had never written
more than a paragraph. Writing a paragraph seemed difficult enough because we had to have 50
to 100 words. Now, we are expected to write a longer paper with 500, a thousand, or maybe
2500 words, and we had to use correct grammar and spelling.

That first attempt was often a disaster and had more red ink than black ink! Listening to the
teacher, we soon learned that the starting point was not the introductory paragraph, but a well-
planned and detailed outline. The instructional design process is similar to the process your
grammar teacher was asking you to use. All the analysis that you have done provides a detailed
outline for the content of your instruction. But, how do you translate this analysis, objectives, and
instructional strategies into instruction? This week, we will focus on developing the instruction.

We started our project by defining an instructional problem. Before you start developing
the instruction, you should take a moment to reflect on your analysis. If we could line up
our learner analysis, task analysis, objectives, strategies, and test items we would expect
to sight down a straight line with all our analysis leading back to our problem.

Consider the following questions as you read this section.

1. What should you consider as you review your objectives?

2. How can you use the learner analysis to guide the development of your instruction?
3. Review your objectives and your assessments. Do the assessments accurately
measure your objectives? Do your objectives relate to your problem statement? If
they do not, what modifications can you make?
4. Review your learner analysis. What are some key characteristics of your learners
that will help guide the development of your instruction?
5. Use a word processor such as Microsoft Word and write an introductory paragraph.

3. Materials in Language teaching should be developed…

Set Objectives
Derive content from objective
Establish a sequence of content
Define technique and exercises for each content
Decide on your manifest for accomplishing your objective and developing
your content.

4. Considering the newly implemented basic education curriculum, the development of

the materials is a function of the author of the specific curriculum, the teacher
5. Materials Evaluation, how?

6. Should text be authentic?

Along with if and how to teach grammar, whether you should use authentic texts or
graded texts (ones written or rewritten for language learners) remains one of the most
hotly debated matters in TEFL. From what I’ve read, researchers seem to be moving
towards more of a consensus that grading and rewriting texts is generally a good idea,
and that students learn more from a text where the amount of new language is limited,
as this helps them guess from context and doesn’t overload them. This also ties in with
the idea that the language two non-native speakers use to communicate in English for
International Communication is nothing like the idiomatic, idiosyncratic and style-
obsessed writing that you generally find in a British newspaper. Intelligent use of graded
texts is also, in my opinion, common sense. Even if a text that was written for the
entertainment of native speakers that is almost perfect for the language learning needs
of non-native speakers can be found, surely it is worth changing, however little, to make
it truly perfect for learning English.

My own position is that it is rarely better to use a text just as it comes, however good
the tasks you put with it. Having said that, I can totally understand the problems
people have with textbook readings as they usually exist and are usually used, and
the appeal that authentic materials can have. By examining the advantages and
disadvantages of using authentic texts in the classroom, in both practical and
pedagogical terms, Here are some hints on how to bring the advantages into classes
and avoid the disadvantages with both authentic and graded texts, and to give a
balanced view for those who are still undecided on when, how and how much to use
authentic texts in one’s own classroom.

The advantages of using authentic texts in the language learning classroom

Authentic texts can be quick and easy to find

Authentic texts can be up to date and topical
It’s what students will have to cope with eventually
They have to learn how to cope
There is a sense of achievement
There is more of it around that students can help themselves to/ It is easier for students to find
There is more stuff for teachers to choose from
You can sometimes find a translation
You can compare several versions of the same story
Students can follow a story and recycle the vocab
They might know the story already, making comprehension and guessing vocabulary much easier

The disadvantages of using authentic texts in the language learning classroom

It's probably idiosyncratic

The grading of the various parts of the text might be different
The information can quickly become out of date
The difficulty can put people off reading
The vocabulary is not graded
The grammar is not graded
The idiomatic language might quickly become out of date
There could be copyright problems
If they want to learn every word in a text, the reading stage can go on forever and cover loads of useless
language
Authentic texts are usually too high level
There might be language and cultural references that even native speakers from other countries, areas or
age groups would not understand
It might include language that isn’t in a dictionary
The texts are often too long

I can say that by applying the principle of adaptation, the teacher must be
allowed some leeway in using text that is not authentic, particularly when
the material’s significance in a specific setting is put in question.

7. Current trends in Materials Development

Bilingual Education
1. Art 14, Sec 7 of 1987 Const. – for purpose of communication and instruction,
the official languages of the Phils. Are Filipino and until otherwise provided by
law, English”.

2. DECS Order 52 5 .1987 – the policy of bilingual education aims to make

energy Filipino competent in both Filipino and English, as media of instruction in
specific subject at the national level.

3. DECS defines bilingual as “separate use of Filipino and English subjects

Early Childhood Case of Dev’t – (ECCD)

1. Art 14 Sec. 2 1987 Phil Const. recognizes the “right of the children to
assistance including program case and nutrition, and special protection from all
former neglect abuse, currently, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial as
their development.

2. UN Convention on the Rights of a Child.

3. Education for all (EFA) Agenda of DACS 1990
Envisioned 90% in 200 of early childhood case and development either home-
base service or kindergarten / nursery classes.

Other issues
1. Access to Pre-school Education
2. Private Pre-school Education
3. Global Education
 4. Environmental Education
8. Factors to consider in developing instructional materials specifically in language
teaching

Principles for Materials

Good language teaching materials . . .
… Are based on sound theoretical learning principles
… Arouse and maintain learner’s interest and attention;
… Meet learner’s needs and background,
… Provide examples of language use,
… Provide meaning for activities
… Provide opportunities for authentic language use

Good language teaching materials should …

… Achieve impact
… Help learner’s develop confidence
… Provide relevant useful content
… Expose learners to authentic use of language
… Provide opportunities for authentic language use
… Take into account individual difference
… Encourage learner’s involvement

Effective language teaching materials …

… Present functional language in a content
… Present realistic and authentic language mode
… Provide purposeful use of language
… Include an audio-visual component
… Foster learner’s autonomy
… Cater for individual and contextual differences
… Engage learner’s effectively and cognitive.