I mentioned in Part 1 of my blog  examples of adaptation and supplementation of teaching materials for the IB coursebook. The focus of this blog is to explain why I had to adapt the coursebook materials and what I had to consider for during this process; for example learner’s needs and contextual factors. In my case, my tutoring sessions are between one or two hours a week with students who are mainly English speakers, with an age range between 16+ to adulthood. There are two groups; one of four adolescents and one group of six adults.

The adapted materials were implemented in a context where Spanish is learned beyond a formal classroom setting. (Private tuitions). Being a home tutor involves many factors, but I would like to summarize my concerns of what is important and suits a home tutor. Barkhuizen(2011:163) states that:

1. A concern with how the learner undertakes the learning process: for example, students’ engagement with materials and lesson contents. Observing teenagers needs, I had to provide more informational input, such as explanation of historical context, because not all the students know about the Spanish Civil war. The aim of the lesson is to link with the poem with its background. Contrary to this, the adult group brings their past knowledge to the class. They are the focussed on the form of language and they request reinforcement with grammar and pronunciation.
2. A concern with particular attributes of the learner; the teenagers’ motivation is to pass their exams (university requirement entrance). The adult group had a second house in Spain or family in Spanish.
3. A concern with how to use the one or two hour weekly sessions  effectively. This involved organising materials that engaged learners in order to fulfil their goals.
4. A concern with the subject matter of learning, i.e. with what is taught and learned, and how the materials are adapted in accordance with the learners’ needs and interests.

The fourth framework is concerned with the subject matter of learning, which is undoubtedly very important in my practice. I would like to highlight that the learners who seek tuition are already motivated to learn, but their frustration of not understanding the content of their coursebook could indeed jeopardise their learning. When adapting my materials, I had to consider the aforementioned factors. I supplemented two examples in order to complete a task which was centred around  understanding a poem called Recuerdo Infantil by Antonio Machado (1875–1939). The carefully selected materials came through visual media on YouTube, which were; an extract of the  film La Lengua de las Mariposas, by Manuel Rivas and a Flamenco song.

The main reason I chose this type of media was its accessibility for the learners outside the language tuition. Their feedback was that they found this type of material entertaining and interesting for learning more about Spanish culture. Another reason was to foster the learner’s need to overcome the problems they faced when they had to explain what they read, because it was difficult for them to distinguish between the literal meaning and the deeper meaning of the poem. Not only that, but also, they had to complete a task that involved reading aloud, discussing their interpretation of the poem and the task of analysing it.

Internal evaluation Teaching Materials

I carried out an internal evaluation of the materials (table1below):

(A) film from YouTube- La Lengua de las Mariposas,by Manuel Rivas.

(B) Listening Task: Students listened to a Flamenco song from YouTube- which was the poem in the coursebook: Recuerdo Infantil by Antonio Machado.

INTERNAL EVALUATION Of Materials A/B	Reading	Are materials (A/B) adequate and appropriate for improving reading comprehension of the poem? Yes, it helped the semantic predictability of the main topic -Time/Death/Love/some terms such as una ‘tarde parda y … de lluvia tras los cristales..’
	Listening NO-Difficulty: A-Film/B-Song	Is the listening material well recorded? Yes. Provide authentic input? Yes, the students were able to match the related film visuals and video visuals with relevant lexical phrases in the reading material. They were also able to copy the pronunciation and repeat it along with the music.
	Speaking Grade of Difficulty Need more practice to achieve higher level	Does the task include adequate individual and group speaking activities?  In pairs students had to discuss the new terms in the poem and make links between the poem and the setting.
	Writing Grade of Difficulty NO This task was completed.	Are models provided for different genres? Yes. Teenagers had to write sentences with the vocabulary and link them with the school setting. The adult group had to write about their previous school experience.
	Vocabulary Grade of Difficulty NO Materials were feedback ‘I had learned new meanings and the Spanish social context’	Is the new vocabulary integrated in varying contexts and situations? Yes. Students were not familiar with the new vocabulary items or the historical context. The visuals on the film extract provided new knowledge. So the students were able to identify the new items when   they listened to the flamenco music.
	Grammar The learner need more time to rewrite the task	Do the poem structures gradually increase in complexity to suit the growing ability of students? Yes. Students recognised alliteration, adjectives and phrases. They also recognised hyperbole and exaggeration as a rhetoric device, for example ‘truena el maestro’. In the writing task students benefited from paired feedback.
	Pronunciation Grade of Difficulty The accent of the song was clear easy to understand and the film was easy.	Is there sufficient work on recognition and production of stress patterns, intonation and individual sounds? Yes. They were able to recite the poem without  any difficulties.

Overall, my aim is not to promote the use of technology as the only means of adapting or supplementing materials, but to recognise that in this study I found the role of media to be an important choice for adapting teaching materials. Due to the fact that multi-media offers the learners extra input, I was not able to expand just by being a native speaker of Spanish in one session. I found the supplemented materials were optimal resources for the learners that were exposed to Spanish accents, the music with visuals to accomplish their difficult task. This media materials were appropriate for the age group and their need. The film extract and the flamenco music engaged learners with semantic fields such as: monotonous, routine, school, teacher. I decided to use an extract of the film to show the setting where the poem was written and the classroom scene in the film is linked to key themes in the poem such as; time, love, death and education in Franco’s strict regime. Also, the music video reinforced the students’ past knowledge by having the visuals with the new vocabulary.

At first glance students found that the vocabulary of the poem was colloquial, although they struggled when they had to explain the deeper meaning of the poem. However, the material encouraged them to use their own words in order to explain what they had heard and watched. For the adult group, the pronunciation was a problem, especially when they had to read aloud. However, the media provided opportunities for reflection of their pronunciation and self-correction. Upon reflection, it was useful to create material that supports learners to be autonomous so that they can achieve their goals, and to be able to enhance the teaching materials for future use.

References

Barkhuizen,G.(2011) Home Tutor Cognition and the Nature of Tutor-Learner Relationship.In:Benson, P., Reinders, H. & Dawsonera 2011, Beyond the language classroom, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke

During this course we studied current research exploring how to evaluate teaching materials for Second Language Teaching (SLT), as well as how to evaluate our own materials. In this blog I will review the evaluation on my worksheet design called Interactive worksheet AS, targeted to private students, who are preparing for their Spanish A Level examination. In our session in TLM714, in week 8, we had to review and evaluate our materials with our peers. I found that within this course and especially in the last sessions, I gained a deep understanding of what, how and why my colleagues and I had created worksheets using digital technology. This was a rich, collaborative learning experience because we all designed our teaching materials by implementing theoretical backgrounds rigorously, such as Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) with the use of digital technology.
According to Ellis (1998:226), who selected the definition of Task by Richards, Platt and Weber (1985:289)

A task “… is an activity or action which is carried out as a result of processing or understanding language (i.e., as a response to verbal or non-verbal input). For example, drawing a map whilst listening to a tape, listening to an instruction and performing a command, getting a partner to draw a concealed picture from an instruction, group completion of a demanding jigsaw puzzle, may be referred to as tasks. Tasks may or may not involve the production of language.”

Also, Tasks in SLT demand teachers to include detailed evaluation criteria of what makes a task successful. Ellis (1998:236) argues that task evaluation is equivalent to micro-evaluation. This is in alignment with the teacher’s own ideas of what evaluation entails and can also contribute to teacher development by promoting reflection on teaching.
As part of our course criteria we had to evaluate the strengths and weakness of materials utilizing a synthesis of current approaches applied to the material evaluation. During this session I felt fortunate to be able to share my peers’ thoughts and ideas about our worksheet designs and feedback. The level of my peers’ work was so inspirational, that motivated me to go back to my own work and enhance it further with some changes. In this post I will present my work and its evaluation.

The design process

I consider the principles that I have chosen to be the most relevant for my practice; some of them were drawn from the literature mentioned in my previous blogs; Principles and Frameworks for material design and Framework for language book evaluation.

Materials should encourage students to maximise their potential.

Materials should expose learners to language through authentic use.

(Tomlinson, 2011)

Materials should be clear and systematic, but flexible enough to allow for creativity and variety.

Materials should encourage learners to apply their developing skills to the world beyond the classroom.

As a novice designer, to deign worksheets that help the task’ effectiveness, I found that it was required task- targets. First target; why do students need to learn this Spanish language? Students need to be able to pass their Spanish A-Level exam to go to university. Secondly, what do students need to learn for their exams? They must experience analysis of a unit and learn topics prescribed for AS Level exams, in this case the topic was immigration and the use of the Subjunctive. With these targets in mind I designed my worksheets.

I decided to follow Jason Renshaw ,who uses MS Word (2007 version) to create ELT materials, using tutorials which show how to build professional teaching materials. However, I found watching the videos to be time consuming. Alternatively, I selected a book written by Karen Richardson (2012) ELT Teacher 2 Writer. Richardson (2012) includes concise instructions on how to write worksheets which include examples and questions such as: ‘why might using worksheets motivate our learners?’ She answers this question by explaining worksheets might motivate the learner as they are communicative; they are in a different format to that of the coursebook; they give further practice of the language/exam skill; and they bring news or current affairs into the classroom. Richardson (2012) also asks ‘What is the learning outcome?’, and explains that it is to practice recycling of a vocabulary set; discussion.

Richardson’s (2012) answers provide important suggestions for how to start writing materials I thought would motivate learners, which set an information gap to give further practice of the language; these are very important to put in my work. Moreover, I had to work in accordance with my framework and principles.

Underlying framework and principles

It is valuable to implement TBL in order to contribute to the achievement of the aforementioned principle, as (TBL) is an approach used in SLT. Ellis (2014) states TBL seeks to engage learners’ interactionally authentic language use by having them perform a series of tasks, with the aim of acquiring new linguistic knowledge. This proceduralized utilises their existing knowledge by treating language as a tool for making meaning, rather than as an object of study.
After a solid understanding of principles that underlying task-based learning, I have found a Criteria for a task that I refer is based on What is TBST?

•Meaning is Primary: The learners will acquire a new pragmatic meaning in when performing the task. Discussing in pairs.
•There is a communicative goal: Students will struggle to communicate in the same condition as in they expose in the real world. They need to know about immigration.
•Activity measured by outcome: quick correcting feedback from the teacher and peers.
•Focus in format as needed: The learner will acquire new vocabulary and structure by fostering incidental acquisition.
•Real-world relationship: will be able to use in the real communication outside the classroom.
Based on Skehan, P (1998) Task-Based Instructions Aral.(18.p268)
My PowerPoint link TASK Evaluation

The evaluation of a task

Having the principles is a good foundation, though they have to match the requirements as I framed my TBLT design based on the following context:

Language level: Spanish A level Advanced

Learner Type: Sixth form Students, age 17+ and Adults

(All the students have private tuition )

Time: 60 minutes

Task: Preparation for Oral examination Task A level

Topic: Immigration

Language: Sophisticated vocabulary -Grammar- Use of Subjunctive

Material: Interactive- worksheets

The aim: The students will be able to discuss and express their opinion with new vocabulary, on a relevant topic for their exams.

The objective:

Critically evaluate the art form- Banksy’s Graffiti as for & against immigration.

To be exposed to authentic Latin American accent by listening activity and watching YouTube video .

Read aloud and discuss in pairs by using new vocabulary and the Subjunctive structure. Hubiera/Hubiese pasado si…?

To be able to complete the worksheet and extension activities independently.

Learner’s needs

To be able to use new vocabulary and expand their knowledge on the topic with evidences given in the worksheet(extract from the media, TV news, newspaper requirements for exams)

To be able to discuss in pairs and express their opinion.

To be able to self asses and provide peer-review.

Evaluation checklist

CRITERIA SCORE

1.Materials maximise learners’ potentials. 6
2.Language in authentic use 4
3.Are the materials clear/systematic 5
4.Meaning is Primary 5
5.There is a communicative goal: 5
6.Activity measured by outcome: 5
7.Focus in format as needed: 6
8.Real-world relationship: 6

COMMENTS

1.Even Though ,the learners were challenged to using grammar structure, it benefits.
2.The accent was difficult to understand
3.The instructions are clear.
4.The learners learn vocabulary when performing the task.
5.Oral participation is as if students were in the real world.
6.The immediate correcting feedback benefits performance.
7.The learner use new structure when it’s needed/ incidental
8.Use of vocabulary and structure outside the classroom.
Worksheet link: Interactive worksheet AS

To conclude

Having to evaluate a task seems to be considered as daily routine in teaching. I have found that applying the methods of evaluation given by Jolly & Bolitho (1998) very useful. By using some of the evaluation techniques, I was able to ascertain whether the task had accomplished its aims. For example, I found that the listening activity was quite difficult for some of the students and I had to provide a script alongside the listening. The evaluation at the end of each lesson helped me to focus on what to alter or add in future tasks. Adding a further point, I have to take into consideration that this target students had to pass their A-Level exams. Their aim was to gain confidence in their speaking task an the materials allowed them to be creative, because they used IPad to compare their worksheets. They adapted their worksheet to a more sophisticated level so they able to use it during their independent learning time. I think that the principles matched with the aims of the lesson.
I realised how arduous was the  procedure to prepare a worksheet with its evaluation. Yet, It is essential to follow a  framework to  achieve results. In this study I gather evidences for what activities were beneficial during the task, and what can be used in future lessons to keep consistency and task’s effectiveness.

References

“Black Box Videocast 9: What is Task-Based Language Teaching …” 2015. 19 April. 2016 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPIwbu47WTg>

Ellis, R. (1998) The evaluation of communicative tasks. In: Tomlinson, B. 1998, Materials development in language teaching, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge; New York;. Pp 217.

“Jason Renshaw’s Videos on Vimeo.” 2015. 20 April. 2016 <https://vimeo.com/user3250934/videos>

Karen Richardson(2012)Smashwords – How To Write Worksheets – a book by Karen Richardson. Accessed  2015. 19 April. 2016 <https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/533350>

Tomlinson, B. (1998) Materials development in language teaching. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge; New York;.

“UCLan’s Video Library Server – Sorting out Misconceptions about Task …” 2014. 21 May. 2016 <https://vls.uclan.ac.uk/Play/9795>

In a recent  blog I have produced a lesson plan with a task called Video telling- Narrar el video. In this blog I will provide more information about the process of material production and the principles that I have used to evaluate my teaching materials.

This chosen principles are relevant for my practice, some of them were drawn from the literature mention in my blogs.

• Materials should encourage students to maximise their potentials.
• Materials should expose learners to language in authentic use(Tomlinson, 2011)
• Materials should be clear and systematic but flexible enough to allow for creativity and variety.
• Materials should encourage learners to apply their developing skills to the world beyond the classroom.

I will summarise the step that I followed by using the model provided by Jolly and Bolitho(1998:97):

Identification This task based learning was aim to a small group of adolescent students, who are preparing for their Spanish GCSE. The students have private tuition once a week. Their Spanish level is at beginners level and they need to gain confidence in the Spanish speaking and writing skills. This group of learners found difficult to learn a long list of vocabulary and find videos more memorable and entertaining. I created a video for students to connect visuals with content.

Exploration of the area of need in terms of language, learners need to be able to write and script by using new vocabulary and complex sentences.

Contextual Realisation of the proposed new material, the short video gives the learners the opportunity to listen to an authentic Latin American accent and encourages them to record their transcript.

Pedagogical Realisation of materials by the finding of appropriate exercises and activities. The learners will be using their worksheet that they download on their IPad or mobiles.

Physical Production of materials, involving sharing the YouTube video and writing their own script and sharing with their families.

Information on Learner’s Context

Language level: Spanish GCSE and AS level

Learner Type: Students -age 14+ and Adults Time: 30 minutes

Task: Preparation for Oral examination Task and Written task

Topic: Describing my hometown

Language: Sophisticated vocabulary -Grammar- Use adjectives comparison

Material: Ipads, laptops,
The aim: The students will be able to learn how to edit Youtube film and express their opinion with new vocabulary, on a relevant topic for their oral and writing exam.

Checklist of questions for evaluating a task

Rod Ellis Cap9. The evaluation of communication task(1998:225) Tomlinson, B. (1998:225)

Dimension	Key questions	Answers
Approach 1 Objectives model (To learn sophisticated vocabulary to describe their home town) 2 Responsive evaluation	Is the approach to be one evaluating the task in terms of its objectives or is it to be one of de an understanding of how the task works for language learning. Or both?	Both because this vocabulary is essential for learners to pass their GCSE exams. Students are challenged to use new words for the task. The found that describing their own town was easy.They were able to ask vocabulary related to their town history.
Purpose 1 accountability 2 development Teacher development/ self-taught how to use technology for teaching.	Is the evaluation directed at determining whether the task ‘works’ or is directed at improving the task for future use or encouraging teachers to reflect on the value and use of this of this kind of task?	It is directed to improve the task for future use and to encourage teachers to reflect on the value and use of this kind of task.
Focus 1 Effectiveness 2 Efficiency	Is the focus of the evaluation on the effectiveness or the efficiency of the task? If the focus is on the effectiveness of the task, what will the task to be compared with?	Effectiveness of the task is considerable because the students can compare their own video production and make alterations and improve their work while they see other examples. However, this task is not effective in regard time management as it takes proportionally too much time during lesson. But it is a good task for homework to stimulate autonomy beyond the classroom.
Scope 1Internal 2 External	Will the evaluation of the task be in terms of its stated objectives or will consider the appropriateness of the objectives themselves? Will the evaluation of the task consider predicted benefits or will also consider unpredicted benefits as well?	In my lesson plan I have considered the appropriateness of the objective against students learning profile before I set the task. During and after the lesson I evaluate the objective against performance. Before setting  the task I predict the benefits of the task and during the lesson note all unpredicted benefits.
Evaluators 1 Insiders(teacher and students)2 Outsiders (peer evaluation)	Who will evaluate the task? What biases do the chosen evaluators have?	Teacher will focus on internal and external scope, while students may focus on their interest in the task. My colleagues evaluate on short and long term learning goals. I evaluate on students grades and results.
Timing 1 Formative 2 Summative	Will the evaluation of the task take place as it is being used in the classroom or on its completion?	It takes place during the activity or with checklist at the of each lesson.
Type of Information 1 Test scores 2 Documentary 3 Self-report 3 Observation	What kinds of information will be used to evaluate the task? How will the information be collected/	Self reporting,Test scores, observation by teacher. Data is collected manually by google mail.

To conclude, the above checklist helped to adjust and evaluate the task. This evaluation shows that the materials used were compatible accord with the principles. The task encourages students to maximise their potential while performed their task. Students were able to compare their own video production and make alterations. This was not anticipated. Nonetheless, the time frame was not quite as predicted for the specific task because the task was completed in two sessions. Overall, this evaluation shows the appropriateness of the materials used and how they can be implemented in the future. I have to admit that this study has demonstrated for me that digital technologies have potentials when applied in SLT. This type of task not only helped the students to be creative  but also encourage me to use more visuals and sounds in mobile devices. Further research on how to evaluate teachers materials with technology seems to be appropriate.

References

Jolly, D. & Bolitho, R. (1998) A framework for material writing. In: Tomlinson, B. 1998, Materials development in language teaching, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge; New York;. Pp 98-99.

Ellis, R. (1998) The evaluation of communicative tasks. In:Tomlinson, B. 1998, Materials development in language teaching, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge;New York;. Pp 225.

 

21st Century education in Second Language Teaching (SLT) has witnessed an unprecedented upgrade of cutting edge technology in language classrooms. Devices like IWB, iPad iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and  Iphones, are effective tools for research in schools. Navigating  the internet with a portable handset has great potential for teaching and learning. A recent study has mentioned that iPads have benefits in ESL classrooms.

As  Ahmed, K. and Nasser, O. (2015:754) state:

“it allows easy access to resources, fosters creativity, facilitates collaboration and renders the students’ learning more autonomous.”
We can  see  from the literature that language learners become more motivated and engaged in language classes when teachers use video to support teaching and learning. As Blomberg and Renkl et al.(2013:97) state, “video fosters more specific skills related to content knowledge such as the acquisition of factual knowledge.” Also, such technology can encourage learners to share their understanding of new concepts and ideas.

Why use Video to Support SLT?

It is all rather different nowadays; the classroom setting was revolutionised by the introduction of the CD rom in 1981 The Evolution of Classroom Technology. Digital communication in our globalised world  allows for an instant ‘here and now’ communication with the rest of the world. Therefore, students can access social media to show and discover other students’ daily life events. It also makes it possible for students to chat with their peers locally and internationally . For example, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, iMovie, and Video Maker -YouTube are easy to download so learners can produce their own film and videos to post online. Goldstein & Driver (2014:1) concur stating that in a  “flipped or decentralized classroom scenario, video is the only form of input or instruction, with the learners accessing this information online.” Consequently, stimulating educational videos have facilitated changes in the classroom space and setting, such as virtual learning environments that can be created outside the classroom, for example; Edmodo, Moodle.

YouTubing

You Tubing is the process of browsing and watching videos in Youtube. Haugsbakken, Halvdan, et al (2014:134):
“The connectivist approach, as we see it, is that learning as connections happens when pre-established connections between nodes are activated – sending, receiving or forwarding information – in a short space of time, involving technical skills and critical thinking to judge the quality of the work process.”
The potential of Youtube videos for SLT is sophisticated, as with new apps or software downloads. Teachers and learners can edit to have high quality visual and sound definition in amateur  films.This type of teaching procedure has been linked to aspects of connectivism. It is an approach based on social interaction, likened to educational research using YouTube. Haugsbakken, Halvdan, et al (2014:134) have claimed that connectivism  promotes:

• Students’ self-organised learning.
• Students’ connection between sources of informal and formal content.
• There is a need to link the predominantly text-based approach content to literacy to audio-visual literacy.

Moreover, students wants to be participants with their own video production. When I observed students  preparing  for a film-making task , I found that this activity gave them great opportunity to discover their surroundings. Not only do they enjoy playing film producers, they also produce their own learning materials for the videos.

Learning new skills; Technical procedures

It can be claimed that educational videos or film-making are easy to incorporate into SLT, however, learning how to use these tools involves challenging learning experiences for teachers and learners. The technical procedure for video producing or filmmaking needs proper software in order to capture pictures and film sequences. Furthermore, visuals and sounds have to be relevant to the learning project. Students need to learn how edit by downloading programmes such as; iMovie on their laptops or PC or Video maker -Youtube video editors. Teachers can prepare  their own video to scaffold and encourage learners to get involved in the production of continuous projects. This can be used in the area of material development. Notwithstanding the difficulties of the task, there is a need to assess teaching materials. According to Henry (2005:1)

“the ability to effectively search and locate information on the internet is an important skill for education and essential for success in the 21st century.”
After all, learners have to identify what is  educationally appropriate on the web. Goldstein & Driver (2014:2) gathered from interviewing  teachers the following reasons for using technology in this way:
“It’s dynamic, and it’s what our learners are watching outside the class.
It takes  you into another world.
It encourages intercultural awareness and critical thinking.
Visuals stimuli is processed faster in the brain than text.
Being visually literate is an increasingly necessary skill these days.
Authentic video provide an enormous amount of cultural information economically.
We can take in so much more information if it is presented visually or in combination with text.
It makes learning more memorable.
People connect to visual content, it engages them.
Video is a powerful motivational tool for learners.”

What are the benefits of shooting digital materials?

According to Blomberg, G.et al, Renkl, A.et al( 2013:93),

“ Some experimental studies have demonstrated that video bridges the gap between theory and practice.”
I attempted to implement in my practice what I have learnt in TE714 about visuals and sound. In my experience, shooting a short film with an iPad by using  iMovie  was rather straightforward once I read the instructions. However, my film was very short, and if the film or video shoot had been  longer, then it would have been quite laborious. The material produced was worth it as it supported the lesson plan. The whole task was beneficial to learning as I was producing my own material and I was  able to identify what I needed to learn  prior making the video. In spite of  creating a short film in the first instance, it was great to be able to produce my own materials. Also, it was relatively easy to explain to the students how to produce their own videos. I gained a new skill and the students’ involvement in the project was like a game for them while they learnt. Identifying learners’ needs enables teachers to scaffold for students  and encourage the learners to use critical thinking skills.

Samples of Materials Produced

Lesson plan:  Lesson plan 1

And YouTube Short  Film: Lewes mi pueblo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67uYMkPVUlQ&feature=youtu.be
References

Ahmed, K. and Nasser, O. (2015), Incorporating iPad Technology: Creating More Effective Language Classrooms. TESOL Journal, 6: 751–765. doi: 10.1002/tesj.192
Blomberg, G., Renkl, A., Sherin, M.G., Borko, H. and Seidel, T., 2013. Five research-based heuristics for using video in pre-service teacher education.Journal for educational research online, 5(1), p.90.
Goldstein, B. & Driver, P. (2014) Language Learning with Digital Video. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Halvdan Haugsbakken and Langseth, I., 2014. YOUTUBING: CHALLENGING TRADITIONAL LITERACIES AND ENCOURAGING SELF ORGANISATION AND CONNECTING IN A CONNECTIVIST APPROACH TO LEARNING IN THE K-12 SYSTEM. Digital Culture & Education, 6(2).
Henry, LA. “Information Search Strategies on the Internet: A Critical …” 2005. Available <http://www.webology.org/2005/v2n1/a9.html> accessed 20/03/16

Keddie, J. (2014) Bringing online video into the classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Peachey, N. (2015) Digital Video. Peachey Publications.

In past seminars we had Teresa Clementon, who talked about her coursebook the English Unlimited B1+ Intermediate. Later in the week, we prepared a presentation in a group to analyse visuals in ELT coursebooks for Thursday 10th March. I worked with Lucinda and Sherifah, and as we had assessed different visuals from the same book we chose the English Unlimited B1+ Intermediate Coursebook Rea, D. & Clementon, T. with Tilbury & Hendra, A. (2011).

What’s behind selecting visuals for coursebook?

Most of the Second Language Teaching (SLT) Coursebook bombards the reader with too many colourful visual images with different purposes. Recent research by Wilson (2000) suggests

“that visuals can be used to help enhance the meaning of the message trying to be conveyed by the speakers through the use of paralinguistic cues.”

If one of the reasons is to convey the meaning of content within the book’s unit, then the visuals must be effective. Unfortunately, our chosen book for intermediate level, the English Unlimited B1, had a variety of visuals which were of poor quality and often mismatched the quality of the content. In this review, I will reflect on examples of this.
Even though writers and editors go through a long academic evaluation before their books reach the market, commercial goals can supersede the need for quality and proper visuals. Skehan (1998: 260) states that

“a central factor underlying publisher behaviour is to maximize profits, and the simplest equation for doing so is to sell more units.”

Therefore, publishers could potentially create a problem by selecting poor quality visuals. Published teaching materials can be of high-quality, but there is the possibility that effective content could be undermined by irrelevant images selected by the editor.

Another consideration that editors of this type of books could usefully address is the inference and connotation drawn from visuals and contents. The diverse ways in which values are communicated through images should be scrutinised as thoroughly as the language. Some choices of content, according to Richards (2014: 27), reveal that

“publishers and writers seek to ensure that their textbooks reflect progressive and politically acceptable values.”

Richards suggests (2014: 27) the target for publishers and writers should be to achieve a

“gender-neutral style of illustration; to use illustrations that include all physical types, with occasional evidence of physical disability; and avoid images with a stereotypical association.”

This leads to issues of the appropriateness of visuals used in textbooks.
Furthermore, recent research has identified a shortlist that can summarise the inappropriateness of visuals, explained by Canning-Wilson (2000) that ‘visuals are ineffective when used incorrectly.’ The list is as follows:
1.Too many distractors
2.Too crowded or causes an overwhelming effect on information
3.Too small or not clearly defined
4.Stereotyped images
5.Poor reproduction
6.Not related to text
7.Irrelevant captioning
8.Offers too much information
9.Unclear picture which doesn’t compliment the text
10.Poorly scaled illustration
11.Cluttered composition that is not aesthetically meaningful.

Therefore, in order to trigger answers from students, the selection of visuals should consider the list above so they are relevant to the learner.

Analysing the visuals in English Unlimited B1+ Intermediate Coursebook

In our Teaching Materials review group we studied how visuals are utilised within the book. I focused on photographs. Tomlinson (2013: 160) points out that

“ELT publishers, editors and authors think that it is as important to provide attractive space-filling accompanying illustrations than to provide pictures with related activities.”

This supports our findings in this Intermediate book. Some visuals were unnecessary, e.g., the book provides a wide range of attention-grabbing topics with usage of too many photographs. In unit nine some visuals were not clear and distracted the learners from focusing in the topic. Link to PowerPoint: Analysing the use of visuals in English Unlimited.pptx

To assess the images we found that using Duchastel’s ( 2003) taxonomy for illustrations in instructional texts allowed us to consider if the image was designed to be:
•Affective: provided to enhance interest and motivation.
•Attentive: intended to attract and direct attention.
•Didactic: intended to facilitate learning by showing something difficult to convey in words.
•Supportive: provided for less able learners.
•Retentional: provided to facilitate memorisation.

The photographs accompanying the writing tasks have the role of being attentive as they prompt students to engage in discussion and problem solving tasks. The content is ‘affective’ because it is inspiring, however the pictures, illustrations and photographs are of poor quality. Our findings concur with Walker and White (2013: 80) who argue that some caution is needed when claiming that all texts which combine images and written words are helpful.
When we studied Unit 9, termed “Decision Making”, we found that the unit involves and motivates learners to use their prior knowledge in order to aid their decision making skills. This is indicated by de Bono’s (2008) ‘Thinking Hats’ as a reading introduction and high thinking skills. Due to time constraints we couldn’t test this book on a large group of students. However, we tested Second Language learners, tested ourselves and L2 learners.

The importance of visuals for learning

There is a need to understand photography, as Bull (2009: 31) argues:

“in the study of photography it is vital to be aware of the ways in which photographs can be interpreted. Despite appearing to be more about communication outside of verbal language, applying terms and theories.”

Photography in language coursebooks can prompt students to engage in class discussion, and it has always been used as an effective resource. Bull (2009:31)cites Barthes’ claims that the photograph is ‘a message without a code’, inferring the power of visuals to reach the learner without an intermediary.
The overall layout and design of the book is well balanced, with clear objectives in some chapters. The design is exciting on the introduction of the unit pages but on the adjunct pages it is occasionally chaotic. However, in unit 9(Fig.1), the photography in the book contributes to the overall message of the unit. The photographs aided students to be able to make a connection with the oral task of a ‘problem solving situation’. In the pictures given, the body language and gestures of the characters are clearly seen as appropriate when the students are shown the problem. Therefore, the picture is effective, students will connect with daily life routine, however some students might find the body language aggressive.

Fig.2 Unit 9- Decision Making

The photos will help the learner to tell a story by observing the subjects’ pose, gestures, emotions and facial expressions. The image reveals an intimate moment for the subjects, and the mood of the piece correctly enables students to judge the right tone. It is tailored to the intermediate students through the chosen typography. The image displays systematic use of colour which is powerful, allowing the students to be attracted both visually and emotionally to the content. Unfortunately, the overall photographs in this book are poor and unrealistic, and the paper quality is detrimental to the content. Furthermore, primary colours are overused and it lacks in colour scale and density.

Do photographs distract from learning?

The images could potentially distract from learning if the students are not carefully prompted and re-directed to the aim of the lesson. Various types of visuals can be effective learning tools: photos, illustrations, icons, symbols, sketches, figures, and idea maps. If we consider how memorable visual graphics are to consumers such as those found in logos, for example the brand Nike can be instantly recognised by seeing the visual graphic, even before reading the name of the brand. According to current research, the more sensory modes in which mental representation is stored, the more likely they will be remembered (Borsook, Higginbotham & Wheat, 1992).

Conclusion

After reviewing the visuals in the English Unlimited B1+ Intermediate Coursebook, it allowed me to conclude that overall, the visuals are necessary as long as their high quality corresponds to the content within the book. In the book studied, its contents consist of high pedagogical content. Visuals ought to remain in books because they are inherently important for the learners, but there are still problems with the visuals encountered in the textbook and improvements on visuals for future additions are necessary to motivate learners.

References

Bull, S. (2009) Photography. Routledge, London.

“Six Thinking Hats – de Bono for Schools.” 2008. 5 Mar. 2016 <http://www.debonoforschools.com/asp/six_hats.asp>

Canning-Wilson, Christine, and Julie Wallace. “Practical aspects of using video in the foreign language classroom.” The Internet TESL Journal 6.11 (2000): 36-1.

Canning-Wilson, C. (2001) Visuals & Language Learning: Is There A Connection? ELT Newsletter, (48). Available from:http://www.eltnewsletter.com/back/Feb2001/art482001.htm [Accessed 28-Feb-16].

Hill, D. A. (2013) The visual element in EFL coursebooks. In: Tomlinson, B.(ed.) (1998) Developing Materials for Language Teaching. (2nd edn) London:Bloomsbury. ( pp.174-182.)

Mishan, F. & Timmis, I. (2015) Materials development for TESOL. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.

Skehan, P. (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning. Published Oxford: Oxford University Press.

A problem when adapting coursebooks for

Second Language Teaching (SLT)

Bosompem (2014:105) states that

“adapting teaching materials is about effecting changes to make them suitable for learners and their needs.”

In this blog I will talk about adapting teaching materials. Reflecting on what I have been learning in the module TE714. In practice, for material adaptation, I select the most relevant examination board to adapt the course book for my lesson planning. I have been tutoring students since 2006 for Spanish examination entrance for A Level and International Baccalaureate. Over the years, I have bought many course books and I have been faced with the issue of needing to adapt these course books for SLT, which is unavoidable and time-consuming.
Adapting teaching materials to foster learner’s needs has been produced following different approaches. According to Tomlinson (2012) there is not enough help for teachers when adapting materials in the literature.

Theory behind book adaptation

Tomlinson (2012:151) outlined writers’ focus on adaptation, such as Nunan (1999) “on procedures for making materials more interactive, White (1998) “on way of increasing students’ participation when using listening materials.” Also, McDonough & Shaw (2003) give advice on

“adapting, deleting, modifying, simplifying, and recording”.

McGrath (2002:59) proposed the ‘four evaluating process’. These are as follows:
1. Selection – of course materials that will be used unchanged.
2. Rejection – complete (for example omitting a whole activity.) Or partial.
3. Adding – in the form of extension or exploitation of the existing material. This can be regarded as adaptation; where new materials are introduced.
4. Changing – i.e. a more radical form of adaptation.
McGrath (2002:59) added to this, a series of tasks to enable readers to check their understanding. These tasks involve the reader adapting course materials. However, Tomlinson argues that (2012:151) the tasks are

“not situated in a specific learning context, even though one of the main objectives of adaptation is to make the materials of more value to the students using them.”

 

Reasons for adapting coursebook Thacker & Bianchi (2012) Spanish B for IB.

Teaching books suggested by exam boards are too expensive and some of them are not useful. When buying a new book It is important for me to consider its appropriateness for the learners’ needs. It is vital that students can access beneficial coursebooks as a means for gaining university entrance.

In the past students have commented that this coursebook did not inspire them, or help them to reach their goals in communicating effectively in Spanish. As Richards (2014:24) states, the aim of using texts and conversation samples is to

“show how language is used and that also enables learners to use genuine cognitive, interactional, and communicative when carry out.”

What to adapt from the book Thacker & Bianchi (2012) Spanish B for IB Diploma?

I have adapted some units of the course book by Thacker & Bianchi (2012) Spanish B for IB(Fig1). Also, it was taken into consideration the examination board’s criteria (Curriculum International Baccalaureate). This procedure enhanced the learner’s language understanding. If I were to describe this course book in the most metaphorical manner, I would say that it has been a ‘solid foundation’ to adapt and deliver each lesson. As Richards (2014:19), cited in McGrath (2002:8) states, some metaphors that teachers used describe the role of textbook as a

“recipe, springboard, straightjacket, supermarket, holy book, compass, survival kit, crutch.”

In this specific case the book has contents that are relevant, with some engaging activities, however there were some tasks teaching materials were supplemented materials.(examples below).

Why to adapt Thacker & Bianchi (2012) Spanish B for IB Diploma?

The layout and some of the activities are not engaging for learners in terms of their learning inquiry. Therefore, support to resolve the problem of the process of material production and adaptation could be fostered by another process mentioned by Jolly & Bolitho (1998). During the material writing, Jolly & Bolitho (1998:100) argue that the linear process of material-writing does not work for the human mind. Bolly & Bolitho (1998:101) suggest

“we must imagine various optional pathways and feedback loops which make the whole process both dynamic and self-regulating.”

(Fig.2)

According to McGrath (2002:194), a teacher’s path is through the production of new or adapted material. The focus in this diagram on the process by which the materials were conceived provides us with a different perspective on revision.

 

 

Practical examples

The objective of the tasks given in the IB book were not suitable for the learners’ needs and were not engaging. Students’ feedback was that they found the book-tasks boring. Even though the learners were at an advanced level, they could not understand the poem called Recuardo Infantil by A. Machado and the extract of the book. The content of the unit was set in the Spanish Civil War. This was not introduced properly in the book. A book page (Fig.3) was too difficult for the learners.

 

(A) An extract of a film was needed to engage the learners. They watched part of a film from YouTube- La Lengua de las Mariposas,by Manuel Rivas. The learners learnt to link a poem given with the film and they had the opportunity to learn new vocabulary through visuals that were relevant to the unit.
link-.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYNyrPVTbIk
(B) Listening Task: Students listened a Flamenco song -from YouTube- which was the poem in the coursebook: Recuerdo Infantil by Antonio Machado (1875–1939), suitable for reading, pronunciation practice and sequence visuals. Learners matched meaning to visuals. Printed photos to prompt students to learn vocabulary and they could link new vocabulary with visuals.
link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjdmJt4HM74.

Results of the adaptations

The weight of the adaptation helped the learners to understand and to explore the genuine cultural and historical context. The learners benefited from the listening activity because it aided the retention of a sophisticated vocabulary. The supplemented materials helped the learners to achieve their goals because they completed the book tasks which were linked to assessment.

References

Bianchi. S, ‎Thacker. M (2012) Spanish B for the IB Diploma Student’s Book – Publisher: Hodder Education and Hachette Company, UK.
McGrath, I. (2002) Materials evaluation and design for language teaching. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
Curriculum International Baccalaureate. Available <http://www.ibo.org/globalassets/publications/recognition/2_langbsl.pdf> Accessed 12/12/15.
Garton, S. & Graves, K. (2014) International perspectives on materials in ELT. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
McGrath, I. 2002, Materials evaluation and design for language teaching, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
Tomlinson, B. (2012). Materials development for language learning and teaching. Language Teaching, 45, pp 143-179. doi:10.1017/S0261444811000528.

English Unlimited B1+ Intermediate
Course book Rea, D. & Clementon, T. with Tilbury & Hendra, A. (2011)
Self-study Pack Baigent, M. & Robinson, N.
Teacher’s Pack Clementon, T. & Gray, L. & Smith, H.

Collaborative work

I found several intrinsic difficulties in creating a framework for language book evaluation (titles listed above). For the course TE741 we have to prepare an oral presentation in a group of three. The participants in my group are from different backgrounds. One is from Kuwait, one from England and I, a naturalised Argentinian. Before the task, we met to discuss our assigned readings. Later we decided on what was going to be the best framework for the evaluation criteria for the given book, which was the course pack English Unlimited B1+ Intermediate.

We compared and adapted the Materials evaluation from the literature and we were confronted with a wide range of frameworks. After consultation, we decided to base our framework on selecting aspects of the criteria used for evaluation by the following researchers; McDonough &Shaw (1993). Sheldon (1988), Roberts’ (1996), Tomlinson (1998) and Reinders (2011). We identified which criteria on the basis that we all utilise constructivist approaches in our work as a preferred method and also one colleague suggested to take Demir & Ertas (2014) framework of evaluation based on who they considered to be the most relevant writers.

Different evaluation approach

Tomlinson (2012:148) cited Mukundan & Ahour (2010), whose studies inferred that

“a framework for creating clear, concise and flexible would be more useful than detailed and unbending checklists and that more attention should be given to help teachers to evaluate the effect of the materials they are using and modify.”

Also, we compared and analysed which would improve our evaluation. Gutiérrez Bermúdez (2014) had followed Sheldon’s (1988) and Roberts’ (1996) evaluation to develop some criteria to conduct his research with, qualitative evaluation of the material given. The evaluation purpose was to gain a picture of materials’ effectiveness in the Latin American context. Gutiérrez Bermúdez (2014:110) results:

“Underscored the need for the establishment of solid evaluation criteria that is to be established in case to case basis, considering the needs of the particular context and parties involved, students, instructors or policymaker at a school.”

This prompts to evaluate materials as he mentioned by closing the gap between the theory that feeds to produce materials and the teachers’ classroom realities. As a group we found it an interesting challenge to merge all this research and tried to follow a constructivist approach in our evaluation.
According to Reinders (2011) the suggested framework helps teachers to highlight issues with materials and resources.

Eight stages self-evaluating materials by Reinders (2011:185)
Reinders identified eight stages self-evaluation. Eight stages of self-evaluation materials by R.H(2011:185) Reinders (2011:183) states;

“Materials for autonomy intersperse opportunities for reflection throughout learning process, as the ‘glue’ that holds all the together.”

With this framework the teachers can decide what is best and adapt the materials for teachers practice. As a practitioner I was inclined towards Reinders’s framework evaluation that encourages learners’ autonomy.

“Autonomous language learning is an act of learning whereby motivated learners consciously make informed decisions about that learning” (Reinders 2000:25).

We consider some of the stages as well as another participant of the group suggested partiality towards McDonough &Shaw (1993).

Our framework’s aim was to conduct an evaluation of a given material to find if the materials were going to strengthen the language learner autonomy. Also, if the materials were following the guidelines by the establishment of a Common European Framework of Reference for languages (2011).

Our result was an approach that combined the most important issues that had been already established because of published research. (Fig. Table 1)

Tomlinson argues (2012:148) in Tomlinson (2003b) that is necessary for

“evaluators to develop their own principled criteria which considered the context of the evaluation and their own beliefs.”

My reflection is that our own individual research and group research has given us the opportunity to create a framework, which has allowed us to restructure a checklist for book evaluation. We also had to re-write each question to assess the utility of each book, and how these books were fostering students’ autonomy.

PowerPoint presentation in class:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ldDfGHKc1YB-Vj8pYdxNofxuQiBJvWFtRnhZj_z8HtA/edit?ts=56ceed58

 

Reference
Benson, P. & Reinders, H. 2011, Beyond the language classroom, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
Demir, Y. and Ertas, A., 2014. A Suggested Eclectic Checklist for ELT Coursebook Evaluation. Reading, 14(2).

Gutiérrez Bermúdez, J. F. (2014). An exercise in course-book evaluation: Strengths, weaknesses and recommendations regarding New English file: Elementary. Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning, 7(1), 98–111. doi:10.5294/laclil.2014.7.1.6 eISSN 2322-9721.

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

Roberts, J. T. (1996). Demystifying materials evaluation. System, 24(3), 378–389

Sheldon, L. (1988). Evaluating ELT textbooks and materials. ELT Journal, 42(4), 237–24
Tomlinson, B. (2011) Introduction: principles and procedures of materials development. In:
Tomlinson, B. (ed). Materials Development in Language Teaching. (2nd ed) Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Tomlinson, B. (2012). Materials development for language learning and teaching. Language Teaching, 45, pp 143-179. doi:10.1017/S0261444811000528.
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (2011) Available <https://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/Framework_EN.pdf>22/02/16
The English edition is published by Cambridge University Press. ISBN : HB 0521803136 – PB 0521005310 www.uk.cambridge.org/elt

The seminar for Teaching Materials TE714 on Monday the 18th February was about Principles and Frameworks for material design. This session was based on our reading list and our discussion was in reference to the reading of Materials Development in Language Teaching. Our course tutor gave us more than 30 statements of design principles for ELT (English language teaching materials) and we were instructed to first-rate them in order of importance.

These principles for ELT materials were from the taken from the following authors;

(A)Tomlinson, B. (2011)
(B)Bell, J. & Gower, R. (1998)
(C)Nunan, D. (1988)
(D)Hall in: Hidalgo, A.C., Hall, D., et al. (eds) (1995).
(E)Hutchinson, T. & Waters, A. (1987)
We selected the statements with the purpose of gathering some specific principle criteria. This was not a fast selection process, because of we had to elaborate on why we had chosen some given statement criteria. As there were four of us in our group of different nationalities, (Anglo-Japanese, Italian, Angolan and I am an Argentinian (UK resident), we decided to analyse each statement in relation to our personal beliefs. Some of these statements were more relevant than others, however we selected the one that each individual considered imperative according to our context of work. Then we compared the provided statements with our own written statements. As a group we immediately agreed on the following criteria, shown in fig.1 below.
This activity has given me opportunity to reflect in terms of how essential it is to acquire knowledge from expertise, and how to follow certain principles and criteria. The principles for materials design can be taken as a foundation for book evaluations. In the literature above researchers analyse book evaluation criteria to validate their utility. These evaluations are an ongoing development. As educators, we need to understand the procedure when considering the evaluation of our materials, as well as to take them as part of our continuous professional development. During our seminar, as students, we tried to generate a list of the best principled criteria. While we were creating our list, we talked about the article State of-the- Art, Tomlinson (2012:148), who proposes in Tomlinson(2003b) “a processes for generating principled criteria instead of an unrealistic set of criteria for all contexts.”

 

Therefore, we approved a selection of statements. Nonetheless, we thought that the chosen principle from the list would not be necessarily applicable for each individual’s cultural context. Furthermore, there is a differentiation between universal and local criteria according Tomlinson (2012:148)

“to generate these criteria he advises evaluator to brainstorm a list of principles beliefs that they hold about how languages are most effectively acquired and then convert these beliefs into criteria for evaluating materials, such as ‘Are materials likely to archive affective engagement? (Tomlinson 2003b:28)

As an educator I select teaching language materials from those available, those endorsed by the local education authority, also those recommended by other teachers which are suitable for adaption. However, with the guidance of the design principles listed above it could be useful to adapt further and highlight evaluation criteria. It is valid to recognise that for materials evaluation a specific discipline is required to be able to assess the best materials for learners.

Fig. 1
The criteria of how to evaluate a teaching materials for ELT it is a challenging learning experience.

Reference
Bell, J. & Gower, R. (1998) Writing course materials for the world: a great compromise. In:
Tomlinson, B. Materials Development in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Hall, D. & Hewings, A. 2001, Innovation in English language teaching: a reader, Routledge in association with Macquarie University and The Open University, London.
Hidalgo, A.C., Hall, D., et al. (1995) Getting Started: Materials Writers on Materials
Writing. Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.
Hutchinson, T. & Waters, A. (1987) English for Specific Purposes: A Learning-centred
Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nunan, D. (1988) Principles for designing language teaching materials. Guidelines 10 pp.1-24.
Tomlinson, B. (2011) Introduction: principles and procedures of materials development. In:
Tomlinson, B. (ed). Materials Development in Language Teaching. (2nd ed) Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Tomlinson, B. (2012). Materials development for language learning and teaching. Language Teaching, 45, pp 143-179. doi:10.1017/S0261444811000528.

My name is Adriana Paez de Blair, currently studying MA TESOL at Brighton University. I have to admit that a task of writing a blog is a new learning curve for me, especially on the use of technology. This is a concern but at the same time a challenging experience in learning. For that reason, I read some blogs in advance before even considering starting it. In such a short time, I found several blogs of innovative researchers who blog about teaching and learning practices.

As a postgraduate student the purpose of this blog is to strengthen my teaching and learning experience. During this process, I found many teaching materials posted in educational blogs such as; TES Big Ed Blog, Tom Sherrington blog or headguruteach-er.com. In the past, every time I found resources I copied and pasted them in my cloud Diigo (a website that works like a library) and they would be forgotten. Therefore, I will use a different approach this time; I will assess teaching materials and put them into practice. This blog will have an audience of course colleagues and tutors from Brighton University.

Event + workshop/ tasks

As part of a module called Teaching Materials for my MA TESOL, we could attend an event named Interfacing with Public Space: Embodied language learning with mobile technologies. Paul Driver was the speaker, on Saturday 13th February, at the University of Brighton’s Grand Parade Building. Paul Driver is a language teacher, educational technologist, who presented some of his dazzling materials for Second Language Learners of English. As well as this he gave an interesting talk about the in-depth analysis behind his work.

This workshop was inspirational since it motivated my colleagues and I to create tasks for ELT learners. Our group created a first project named ‘A missing person in Churchill Square’ with the aim to teach directions and personal description to intermediate level students. Thus, the materials suggested for this project were mobiles, iPad, and photographs. This idea was based on Driver’s project called ‘Spy Walk’, which is a location-based urban game designed to link the affordance of physical setting. By choosing Brighton as a setting this allows students to interact with each other and locals in the given environment.

Our second task was named ‘Online Antique Museum’, also set in Brighton. We suggested the use of the Google Tour Builder and transmedia storytelling. This was also based on Drivers’ tasks of experimental location-based interactive story, with the description. In our case, the learning outcome would be to ask students to write a description of antiques, with the history behind each object. The students’ movement around Brighton antique shops would allow them to write about their findings in detail. All this preparation made us discuss and learn how to frame these tasks to support EL learners, with the idea of location-based experiences to motivate them. Thus, in our practical workshop we achieved with collaboration and a with productive learning result.

 

 

Theory Behind Technology Materials

I have to recognize that this event not only helped me to gain practical knowledge about innovative materials, but also aided me to learn about in-depth theoretical knowledge. This was due to Paul’s teaching approach with many technological resources. He pointed out that is not a question of having resources to be able to use in the high-tech environmental class-room, but it is about using those materials within the environment given space-task base. Paul called this ‘hands in action’. The teaching materials for ELT classroom given by Paul included the use of; augmented reality, green screen and digital video production, GPS-based pervasive games, project based learning and tactical urbanism. All of these resources could be found in his blog: Digital Blog-Digital Debris.
Digital materials are used in education because of their advantages in creating stimulating learning environments for students. Cuendet et al. (213:557) argues

“Augmented reality (AR) allows learners to interact with the real world in ways that were not possible before.”

The term AR, and Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) refer to technologies that project digital material onto real world objects. According to new research on AR-Based Simulators as Discovery Learning Tools of Ibáñez et al (2014), there are benefits of adopting these materials. Ibáñez et al (2014:208 ) argue that AR and TUIs provide

“contextualized information and allow the visualization of invisible phenomena and the interaction with 3-D objects in real-time.”

Beyond what has been said, teaching tools that heighten the learners’ experiences could be found in Drivers’ blog. Alternatively, in reading his paper on Pervasive Games and Mobile Technologies for Embodied Language Learning (2012), I have encountered how Driver explores the benefits of technology-enhanced pervasive urban games for L2 learning, by addressing their pedagogical and philosophical origin. In this paper, there are some examples of location-based research projects, that he has updated throughout the years. During the aforementioned event, Driver said that certain researchers and philosophers, had inspired him in creating his work such as; Dewey, Heidegger and Dourish. I would agree that some of those names are always in the education literature such as Dewey, J. (1997:30). In Experience & Education, he argues that:

A coherent theory of experience, affording positive direction to selection and organization of appropriate educational methods and materials, is required by the attempt to give new direction to the work of the school. The progress is a slow and arduous one.

 

There are emerging changes since Dewey (1938) said this, with the implementation of technology in education. Besides, Dourish’s (2001) paper is based on human and computer interaction. Dourish (2001:229) research on Seeking a Foundation for Context-Aware Computing argues:

“the context-based computing should be extended to include not only ubiquitous computing, but also recent trends in tangible interfaces, as well as work on sociological investigations to organize interactive behaviour.”

There are some factors that ought to be highlighted such as the context that surrounds the human and computer interaction. The context-aware computing has been an opportunity granted by falling cost of computational devices, with the advances in sensor technology. This has allowed us to develop new forms of embedded interaction. According to Dourish (2001:229), there is increasing understanding among developers that humans are enmeshed in various practices and relations that make them meaningful.

Writing this blog has motivated my learning and helped me to expand my knowledge. As I read from others, such as Hsu and Lin (2008), who state

“developed a model of motivation for participation in blogs, focusing on technical acceptance, knowledge sharing, a social influence.”

I will be more into blogging. The contribution of the event and recent research has helped me to develop a deep understanding of theoretical knowledge. This is vital to grasp why and how to incorporate Teaching Materials in Second language practices.

Reference

Cuendet, S. Bonnard, B. Do-Lenh, S, Dillenbourg, P. (2013) Designing augmented reality for the classroom. Journal SciVerse ScienceDirect. Computers & Education 68 (2013) 557–569 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.02.015.

Dewey, J. (1997) John Dewey Experience & Education. New York: Touchstone.

Diigo (2005)- Diigo Inc., United States. Available <https//www.diigo.com> accessed 12/11/2015.

Dourish, P. (2001) Seeking a Foundation for Context-Aware Computing. Human-Computer Interaction. 16, 2-4, 229-241, Dec. ISSN: 07370024.

Driver, P. (2012) “Pervasive Games and Mobile Technologies for Embodied Language Learning,” International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching (IJCALLT) 2 (2012): 4, accessed (February 15, 2016), doi:10.4018/ijcallt.2012100104.

Driver, P. (2016) Digital blog-Digital Debris. Available<digitaldebris.info/digital-debris/>Access 13/02/2016.

Hsu, C-L., & Lin, J.C-C. (2008). Acceptance of blog usage: The roles of
technology acceptance, social influence and knowledge sharing motivation.
Information & Management, 45(1), 65–74.doi:10.1016/j.im.2007.11.001.

Ibáñez, M., Di-Serio, A., Villarán-Molina, D. and Delgado-Kloos, C. ‘Augmented Reality-Based Simulators as Discovery Learning Tools: An Empirical Study’. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION, VOL. 58, NO. 3, Aug. 2015. DOI:10.1109/TE.2014.2379712

Sherrington, T. Blog (2012) Available <http://headguruteacher.com/2016/01/10/principles-of-effective-teaching/>access 13/02/2016.

Shklovski, I., Troshynski, E. and Dourish, P. (2015), Mobile technologies and the spatiotemporal configurations of institutional practice. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 66: 2098–2115.doi: 10.1002/asi.23321.

TES Big Ed Blog (2013) Availa-ble<https://www.tes.com/article.aspx?storycode=6312965>access 13/02/2016.