After we discussed the principles that underpin the design of the ELT materials, our next step was to create an evaluation framework.  I evaluate materials informally almost every day but it never occurred to me to use a framework.  For this task we had to work in groups. The groups chosen this week to present had to evaluate a coursebook using their framework. As my group wasn’t presenting, we simply developed a general framework based on our reading and personal beliefs.

As all three of us work in a similar teaching environment, which is multilingual General English classes in  private language schools in Brighton, we decided to set it is as our context.

Next step was to decide what approach for evaluating materials we were going to follow. It became apparent that there are various ways of looking at it. McDonough (2013), for instance, divides the process into the external evaluation, the internal evaluation and the overall evaluation.

The aim of the external evaluation is to examine the organisation of the materials by looking at claims made on the cover and the table of contents. At this stage it is suggested to look at the intended audience, the proficiency level, the context in which the materials are to be used, how the language has been presented and organised, the author’s view on the methodology.

The aim of the internal evaluation is to carry out a more in-depth investigation into materials. It includes investigation of the following factors:

-the presentation of the skills in the materials

-the grading and sequencing of the materials

-the authenticity of the materials

-the speaking materials and the nature of real interaction

-the relationship of the text and exercisers to learners’ needs

-the suitability for different learning styles

Finally, the aim of the overall evaluation is to make an overall assessment by considering the usability factor, the generalizability factor, the adaptability factor and the flexibility factor.

In my group we decided to use the Mcdonough’s evaluation checklist as a basis.  I find this model pretty straightforward, although I am doubtful whether an effective external evaluation can be conducted without working with the coursebook – after all, I have been always told not to judge a book by its cover. Some coursebooks can look as though they are very well-designed, however, in practise they can be hard to use.

After deciding on our evaluation checklist, we then added further criteria for our framework based on our beliefs and other sources. We divided our criteria into 4 sections: teacher, student, content and design.

Tomlinson (2012) suggest using questions instead of a checklist for the framework and McGrath (2013) also suggests that criteria can be statements or questions. For our framework we decided to use both statements and questions.

MATERIALS SHOULD : 

McGrath (2013) points out several problems with evaluation frameworks. First, criteria made at a particular point in time may not be appropriate years later. Secondly, as teachers work in different contexts, we cannot simply take an existing checklist and reuse it without considering ‘local’ factors.   In our framework, for instance, we focused on use of technology and development of soft skills, as in our context these are important factors, however in a different setting they may not be relevant.

As I personally have a strong interest in educational technology, I noticed that although there are numerous checklists and frameworks available for coursebook packages, there is very little mentioned about other elements such as software or apps. As I am currently working on designing a mobile app for language learning, I am interested in the ways I can evaluate my final product. Perhaps later in the course I could come up with this framework myself.

What I have learnt.

There is a vast selection of checklists of evaluation criteria for coursebooks available for teachers to use. However every evaluation should start from specification of the teaching situation and use criteria relevant to the target learners.

McDonough, J., et al. (2013) Materials and Methods in ELT: A Teacher’s Guide. (3nd ed) Chichester:Wiley-Blackwell.

McGrath, I. (2013) Teaching Materials and the Roles of EFL/ESL Teachers: Practice and Theory. London: Bloomsbury.

Tomlinson, B. (2012) Materials development for language learning and teaching. Language Teaching 45 (02): pp. 143-179. doi:10.1017/S0261444811000528.