As part of the module we were required to create a worksheet for a particular class.  As I have been currently teaching Exam Skills I have decided to design my materials for this class. After doing some reading about worksheet development and design I have chosen to use Jolly and Bolitho’s (2011) sequence of material design process.

I like this model as it’s fairly simple and straightforward. The authors do point out, however, that it is a  simplified version of the design process and that the real process might not necessarily be carried out in the same order.

So here is how I followed these sequences:

1. IDENTIFICATION

Teaching exam classes can at times be a real challenge.  Although exam students are generally motivated and work hard towards their goals, preparing for exams can be very stressful for them. From my personal experience I found that students prefer (and sometimes insist on) doing a lot of practice tests in such classes, however, I don’t entirely agree with it.  By simply doing practise tests, exam classes can become very boring.  It can also demotivate some students if they do badly. There is no collaboration among the students as everyone does their tests individually. Teaching turns into testing.

I believe exam preparation classes should not just be exam practice, but also teach students examination techniques and encourage peer collaboration. With this material I attempt to make a reading activity a bit more kinaesthetic by turning it into a jigsaw puzzle.  Each puzzle piece represents a part of the text that students can see by scanning the piece with Aurasma app on their mobile phones. The students in this class are in their early 20s and familiar with mobile technology, and using a new application shouldn’t be an issue. They are also used to using a screen, rather than paper, for reading.

By integrating mobile technology into the lesson I hope to bring a fun element into what could be a studious and dry exam class.  Doing something out of ordinary can create a memorable experience so the students are more likely to remember what was taught in the lesson.   In order to complete the task students will need to negotiate and work together which brings speaking element into this reading lesson and makes it more collaborative.  Digital literacy skills exchange might take place when students are discovering the use of augmented reality and teaching each other how to use it.

2. EXPLORATION

Very often, regardless the exam they take, students find the reading component the hardest. This is perhaps because reading tasks require not only a good range of vocabulary to get the gist, but also reading techniques. When it comes to exam reading, students feel it is important to understand virtually every word in the text to complete the  task, whereas in reality if they are good at reading techniques they can do it without understanding the text fully. Therefore, I believe reading skills training is absolutely crucial for these kind of learners.

3. CONTEXTUAL REALISATION

The reason behind using a jigsaw puzzle is to highlight what students do wrong while doing this type of exam task. Often learners make the mistake of connecting sentences because they are describing the same idea but are not linked cohesively and vice versa.  Similarly, a puzzle piece could fit into a grid because it has the right shape but wouldn’t work because it has the wrong picture paten. I am hoping that by doing this activity students will understand the structure and development of a text better.

4. PEDAGOGICAL REALISATION

Next step was to choose a text I was going to turn into a jigsaw puzzle. I wanted to find something my students might find interesting and relevant to them.  I have chosen a story of Tom Davies, a young British cyclist who cycled around the world last year. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/aug/09/teenager-completes-round-the-world-cycle-trip

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/33842738/londoner-tom-davies-19-becomes-youngest-person-to-cycle-the-world

The event is fairly recent and the fact that the cyclist is in his early twenties might help my learners to identify with him.

Although the AR puzzle is the central point of this activity, I didn’t want it to overtake or dominate the class but instead act as a facilitative tool for collaboration and learning. I started thinking about what other activities I was going to use and the how I was going to structure my lesson. This is what I came up with:

1. Warmer: to activate the learner’s schemas and to elicit some of the language related to challenges
2. Pre-reading : to pre-teach and explain any difficult vocabulary
3. Exam skills: to elicit and revise reading techniques
4. Instructions: to explain to the students how to complete the puzzle task
5. Task: to let students start the task
6. Follow-up: to read the complete article and highlight the linking devices

5. PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

This was the most time consuming but equally the most interesting part of the process. The worksheet design was pretty straightforward  as I already have a good knowledge of graphic design.

Augmented Reality Reading Worksheet 1

Augmented Reality Reading Worksheet 2

Augmented Reality Reading Worksheet 3

The making of the AR jugsaw puzzle, on the other hand, was a totally new experience.First, I bought a couple of DIY jigsaw puzzle sets (Tiger is a great shop for it).

Then I needed to find a way of making some sort of pattern on each puzzle piece so it can serve as a trigger image. I couldn’t use an existing jigsaw puzzle with one complete image, as students would just follow the pattern of the image and not the text.  Another complication was that each piece should be unique enough so the software doesn’t confuse it with another piece and display the wrong bit of text.  Eventually I decided to use a set of stickers with as many different colours and patterns as I could find (Amazon is a great place for it) and started creating.

Once the puzzle was completed it was time to link it with the text. I split the text into 25 parts (the number of puzzle pieces) making sure each part could be linked to another by a linking device. I then printed and scanned them. Next step was to use Aurasma app and connect each puzzle piece with the printed part of the text.

The following stage was the testing stage and this is where I run into a problem.

The issue was the type of stickers I used.  They were reflective and would look different depending on the light, meaning the software couldn’t correctly recognise the tiles. I made the puzzle in the evening with a fairly dim light and it worked fine, but then I asked my husband to test it again for me in the morning in much brighter conditions. It failed to work. Well, live and learn! Meanwhile, I had to totally re-design my puzzle.

This time I needed to find some plain stickers. (photo).  It worked without a problem and the puzzle was finally completed.

6. STUDENT USE OF MATERIALS

As we were given 4 weeks to develop this worksheet over the Easter break, I actually had a chance to test my materials with my class in an observed lesson. I knew that trialling something totally new (and relying on technology to work) in an observed lesson was risky but I believe if, as a teacher, you feel inspired this shouldn’t stop you. The lesson went extremely well and I received positive feedback from both my students and my tutor. My assessor felt ‘it was an effective use of mobile technology that didn’t dominate, instead facilitated the transformation of what could have been a very dry, non-communicative lesson into one that generated genuine engagement and collaboration.’

7. EVALUATION OF MATERIALS

Although I have tested my materials in class and got positive feedback from my assessor, I am looking forward to demonstrating my work to my colleagues next week and receiving their feedback. I am excited to hear what alternative ideas other teachers can offer, as I would like to develop my material even further.

What I have learnt:

-Trailing and evaluation are essential in successful material design.

-Be prepared to go back to square one and re-design your materials. It shouldn’t put you off.

Jolly, D., & Bolitho, R. (2011). A framework for materials writing. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.),Materials development in language teaching (2nd ed., pp. 107– 134). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.