5 - A framework for materials writing

Summary

Introduction

In this chapter we offer the reader a practical idea of the different aspects of the process of materials writing by teachers for the classroom. This is achieved through case studies illustrating the process.

The starting point for this practical overview derives from the thoughts and feelings of those most involved with language materials: the comments below are the authentic voices of students and teachers of English as a foreign language. Each statement appears to have materials-writing implications.

Exercise

As you read through the remarks, you may like to cover the commentary beneath each one and make a brief note about what you feel the materials-writing implications to be, focusing both on the opinions expressed and the language used.

I have noticed that the coursebook I use doesn’t seem to deal with ‘real’ English.

(Italian secondary school teacher)

My demand is becoming a reporter of the English football and I need, so, much familiarity …

(Danish upper-intermediate student on a full-time intensive course in a British school)

There are many sources of real English within language-learning publications but clearly our Italian teacher is working with materials, perhaps prescribed, that fail to employ authentic language or texts (see Chapter 4 by Ronald Carter, Rebecca Hughes and Michael McCarthy in this volume). She has thus identified a need for materials. Similarly, though in a different context, the second quote identified a need for new materials, particularly a variety of text-types for listening and reading, since there is no widely available book or set of materials known to the authors that caters for the precise needs of this Danish student .

The textbook my institute has written says that you use ‘please’ and ‘would’ for simple requests and ‘would you mind’ for more polite requests. I have heard lots of other things such as ‘could you possibly …’ (Croatian evening institute teacher)

I get very confused with all these noughts and zeros and nothings in your language …

(Argentinian part-time student on a low intensity course in Britain)

The evening institute has identified a need for materials that practise making requests, but clearly the Croatian teacher feels that she does not know enough about the language of requests to teach it as effectively as she would like to do.