Over the course of this module I have researched, explored and questioned the many elements of material design. A blog is a great way for a teacher to reflect and monitor progress as part of a their personal development. I am very grateful for this type of assessment and I feel it has been of huge benefit to me professionally. My hope is that within the posts of the blog, the main ideas and themes about what I see as important to material design come through.
At the heart of material design are the needs of the students. This essential element is where everything grows and develops from. The SLA approach, the content, the tasks and the evaluation, are all predetermined by those for whom they are being designed.
It is important for the teacher to consider their own approach to ELT. Their principles must be present in the materials so that the teacher will believe in what they are doing and what they are asking others to do.
Students, teachers, institutions and materials are inextricably linked and there is a symbiotic relationship between them. This means that all of these stakeholders should be part of the evaluation process. Evaluation can at first sound judgmental and finite, when in fact it is evolutionary and infinite. It is the one element of the module I feared the most, but has become nothing but positive professional development. I have a greater confidence in my ability to micro- and macro-evaluate materials at any stage of the process. Having examined my beliefs, I feel confident in my ability to generate evaluation criteria that are open and honest while always remaining true to the context in which they are to be administered.
There is no escaping the changing landscape of ELT materials. As the world adjusts and creates new and exciting to ways to communicate and share information, the culture of ELT must do the same. Modern-day students demand a ‘real’ learning experience and teachers need to recognise that the creation and dissemination of materials needs to become more accessible and engaging. There are so many types of media that can be used for input, production and assessment, this blog being a good example. I don’t want to suggest the use of technology for technology’s sake, but we need to look at the world in which we live and make sure our materials represent the best possible means of promoting positive language acquisition and learning.
Finally, I feel that this module has given me the confidence and the tools to become more of a contributor and collaborator in the world of ELT materials. This is may be in the role of a creator, or an evaluator but definitely as an all round appreciator.
