Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology
Institute of Education and Teacher Training
EL105 – Language Learning Materials Development
ADAPTING MATERIALS
Written Report
Submitted to:
Ms. Joanna Marie B. Escalante
TOPIC
REPORTER/S
Teacher-Centered Approach to Adaptation
Eula Gia M. Lumapas
Learner-Centered Approach to Adaptation
Kareen Mari B. Samparang
Why, How, and When Do We Adapt Materials?
Herald Jay E. Lozano
Key Features in Materials Development
Abby T. Wating
Gianne Andrea A. Razaga
Materials and Digital Technology
Erica Mel Stephanie Nicole C. Albao
Hannah C. Alburo
Jerelyn G Diamante
Teacher – Centered Approach to Adaptation
Taken to its most extreme interpretation, teachers are the main authority figure in a
teacher-centered instruction model. Students are viewed as “empty vessels” who passively
receive knowledge from their teachers through lectures and direct instruction, with an end goal
of positive results from testing and assessment. In this style, teaching and assessment are
viewed as two separate entities; student learning is measured through objectively scored tests
and assessments.
TEACHER-CENTERED MATERIALS
In the spectrum of educational materials, teacher-centered materials are the materials
used in the classroom to have a better teaching process. It is used only by the teachers and the
students will listen while the teacher is teaching with the help of the teacher-centered materials.
Examples:




PowerPoint Presentation - PPT's are considered as one of the instructional materials
that can be used in teaching. Teacher manifest to teach with the help of laptop and
projector that can be an ease for the learners because they can see what is the lesson
all about through the use of PowerPoint presentation.
Visual Aids – Visual Aids are also similar with the PowerPoint presentation. It is used
to show what is lesson all about. It can support the teacher by setting out main points
and other information about the lesson or the topic.
Recorded Lectures – These recorded lectures include audio presentation and video
presentation. These are used in screen casting information, resources, and helps to
elaborate and give more examples.
Chart, Objects, Photographs – These are also considered as teacher-centered
instructional materials since it helps to elaborate the topic and it gives clear example
that supports the context of the lesson.
Learner-Centered Approach to Adaptation
“THE TEACHER IS A GUIDE ON THE SIDE NOT A SAGE ON THE STAGE”
-
Morrison, 2012
A 'sage on stage' is an instructor who lectures almost exclusively, who has the
philosophy that he has knowledge to give to learners who would benefit from this. On the other
hand, a 'guide on the side' is a facilitator who helps learners discover knowledge and steer them
in ways that would help them.
As a facilitator or a collaborator, a teacher needs to know the following about learners:
-
their background
-
what they want to learn
-
why they want to learn now
The process of adapting materials is based on the idea that all learners can learn, but not all
learners can learn at the same pace (Sherman, Dlott & McGovern, 2000). Therefore, the process
of changing or adjusting the various parts of a course book is closely related to the reality of
dealing with learners in the dynamic environment of the classroom
NEEDS ANALYSIS OF THE LEARNERS
The purpose of conducting this needs analysis is to find out what students already know, what
they need to know, and what their preferences are (Nunan, 1989). For instance, the first analysis
instrument is a survey for the other instructors in the institution. The second analysis instrument
is a survey to be distributed to students on the first day of class. The responses from these
instruments should be collected and analyzed to find patterns, groups of students, students who
may struggle, or students who may need extra help.
LEARNER-CENTERED MATERIALS
A learner-centered approach views learners as active agents. They bring their own
knowledge, past experiences, education, and ideas, and this impacts how they take on board
new information and learn (Lawless, 2019).
Examples:

Storybooks – It plays a vital role in the growth and development of
learners. It is a learner-centered approach as it helps them have their own
imagination and stimulate their curiosity. A teacher here can also let the
students perform a roleplay for the students to comprehend better.

Activity Sheets – This contains question and activities in which students
can either place their answers or perform the activity.

Coursebook/Textbook – It contains comprehensive compilation of content
in branch of study with the intention of explaining it. This helps students
to understand and connect with the lessons more.
Why Do We Need to Adapt Materials?
There are numerous reasons why we need to adapt materials. Principal reasons for this
are the following: unsuitable material level, too difficult, too long or short, use of grammar or
language, irrelevancy of themes, not adapted for specific use, and not adapted to student
learning styles. We need to adapt materials to be able to include tasks that are missing, to
increase communication, to make it simpler, to meet the learners’ needs, to meet the learners’
interests, and to modernize.
How Do We Adapt Materials?
There are many ways to adapt materials. You can adapt materials by reducing the
content to make it simpler and more concise in order for the students to have better
understanding of the topic. You can also put or add information prior to the context of the topic
to also help students have a better comprehension of the topic. You can also create other
materials depending on the needs of the students. You can also modify, improvise, or
personalize the materials to make it more appropriate for your learners.
When Do We Adapt Materials?
We adapt materials to adjust on the different capabilities and intelligences of the
students. It is also needed to have a more flexible and effective teaching process and learning
experience. There are many things to consider when we adapt materials. When the materials
are not appropriate for the students regarding its themes, culture, standards, and level of
difficulty, that is the time when we need to adapt materials. In addition, if the materials didn’t
meet the needed learning objectives, it means there is a need of adaptation of the materials or
find another material that is appropriate for the needs of the students.
Key Features in Materials Adaptation
Learner-centeredness and critical awareness development
The materials should put learners at the center of the learning process and make
them input providers, whereas teachers should be facilitators and coordinators and should
provide a stimulus, a starting point, for language exposure as well as for different
approaches to learning. Therefore, materials adaptation should be shared between materials
developers, teachers and learners.
Flexibility and choice
Materials should be flexible, in the sense that they should provide learners with the
possibility of choosing different activities, tasks, projects and approaches, thus of adapting
the materials to their own learning needs. Furthermore, they should also be exposed to a
variety of different activities and approaches, so that they themselves become more flexible
learners, having experienced different ways of learning.
Materials should also provide choice but, on the other hand, also enable learners to
develop a variety of skills and learning styles by encouraging them to experience a wide
range of tasks and approaches, so that they may also become more independent learners.
Open-endedness and aesthetic experience
Materials should be open-ended so that they can become more relevant to learners.
In many ways this is related to the concept of Aesthetic Experience, an idea which
originated from the theory of Aesthetic Response as put forward by Rosenblatt (1995).
Aesthetic Response refers to the process of reacting spontaneously when reading literary
texts, hence it involves interaction between readers, language and texts. Some of the major
elements of such type of experiential response, such as the voice of the narrator and that of
the reader, as well as the role of the receiver and the one of the producers of the literary
input, become overlapping and interchangeable. Aesthetic Experience, therefore, typically
represents the immediate response to language and literature experienced by the receiver
and the producer, as well as their later interpretations and reactions.
A parallel point should be drawn here between aesthetic experience and materials
adaptation. Aesthetic Experience promotes the subjectivity of texts and their various
interpretations. In a similar way, also materials for teaching and learning purposes should
promote an aesthetic experience, in the sense that they should, not only be based on
right/wrong testing and practice but, rather, they should also focus on open-ended tasks and
texts.
Relevance
In an attempt to draw a link between the adaptation process and reading, materials
left open-ended, as explained above, have the potential to become relevant to the learners
when they fill those gaps with their ideas, interpretations and discussions. It is only at this
level that materials acquire significance and become potentially beneficial for the learners.
It is, in fact, by virtue of such contributions that materials can be adapted and developed
further. Adaptation is, therefore, essential in making materials relevant and potentially more
effective for learning development.
Authentic and non-authentic input
In order to expose the learners to realistic input, Materials should be based on:
 Authentic texts - In order to draw the learners’ attention to certain
linguistic features with activities based on texts selected from authentic
sources.
 A combination of authentic and non-authentic tasks.
The use of non-authentic tasks with authentic texts, in my opinion, plays a
significant role. Tasks that aim to draw learners' attention to specific linguistic features
of the input, for example, with activities based on texts selected from authentic sources,
can be beneficial for language awareness development.
Provocative Topics and Tasks
Materials should include topics and activities that have the potential to elicit a
reaction, resulting in a personal and subjective aesthetic experience (whether positive
or negative). These can make learning more interesting and possibly more humanistic.
Topics, in my opinion, are not intrinsically provocative, but the activities
associated with them can potentially make the materials more or less provocative, and
thus more or less engaging. However, in my experience, certain topics related to
Personal Life, Family, Parents, Relationships, Emotions, and Inner Self can achieve this
goal more effectively than others that are frequently associated with controversy, such
as Politics, War, Racism, Drugs, and so on.
Materials and Digital Technology
Digital technologies are electronic tools, systems, devices and resources that generate,
store or process data. Well known examples include social media, online games, multimedia
and mobile phones. Meanwhile, digital learning is any type of learning that uses technology. It
can happen across all curriculum learning areas.
The term digital technology is used to refer to the ever-evolving suite of digital
software, hardware and architecture used in learning and teaching in the school, the home and
beyond.
In addition, digital technology is also a term that is being increasingly used in education
in place of now dated terms like ICT, educational technology, computer- based education and
Technology-Enhanced Learning.
TYPES OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY USED IN EDUCATION

Productivity Tools – Productivity tool (also called personal productivity software or
office productivity software) is application software used for producing information
(such as documents, presentations, worksheets, databases, charts, graphs, digital
paintings, electronic music and digital video)
Computer productivity tools are software programs designed to make computer users
more productive as they work. In general, productivity tools are programs that are
specifically created
Use of Productivity Tools:
a. Creation of Materials
b. Reference
c. Collaboration
d. Planning
e. Archiving Purposes
f. New teaching methods are introduced
Examples: MS Office Applications such as MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and etc.

Instructional Software – Instructional software are types of software that assists in
the instruction of the students. They generally provide the students the information
regarding the lesson and is always followed-up with an assessment.
Types of Instructional Software:
a. Application – A group of applications programs that is designed to
automate general-purpose and specific tasks such as word processing,
database management, spreadsheet, attendance, accounting, grade
reporting, scheduling and others.
b. Drill-and-Practice – Drill and practice software provide exercises in which
students work example items one at a time and receive feedback on their
correctness.
c. Tutorials – A tutorial exposes the learner to materials that is believed not
to have been previously taught or learned. A tutorial often includes pretest, post-test and drill and practice activities.
d. Simulation – A simulation is a computerized model of real or imagined
system designed to teach how a system works and allows learners to create
their own sequence for using simulation.
e. Instructional Games – Instructional games are courseware designed to
motivate learning by adding game rules to learning activities.
f. Problem-Solving – Problem-solving software is a type of program that
places emphasis on critical thinking, analysis, logic and reasoning via the
presentation of a set of data or problematic event.
g. Multimedia – Programs that support the interactive use of text, audio, still
images, video and graphics and manipulate them to support learning.
h. Teacher Utilities – Non-instructional or administrative programs used to
prepare instructional materials or organize, store, evaluate and report
information on pupils’ achievement and progress.

Computer-Based Learning Technologies and Instruction – According to Mercer
(2017), any curriculum in which students engage with a computer as a fundamental
part of the learning process is considered computer-based instruction. Although the
term can be applied to a variety of instructional methods and courses, an instructor is
nearly always present to coordinate and monitor student activities. Instead of getting
information from printed materials or from an instructor's lecture, students conduct
tasks and view materials on a computer screen.
Additionally, Clarke (2018) wrote that computer-based learning (CBL) can take a wide variety
of forms depending on the design strategy adopted, medium employed, and delivery approach
taken. The main types include computer-based training (CBT), computer-managed learning
(CML) or managed learning environments (MLE), integrated learning systems (ILS), and job
aids or electronic performance support system (EPSS).
Computer-based learning is mainly used in:
- Knowledge-based training and assessment
- Simulation-based learning and training
- Creative and instructional games
- Problem-solving training
Examples of CBL resources:
Moodle
Moodle, an open-source Course Management System (CMS), is able to deploy on an individual
website or for large institutions with thousands of students. Moodle includes modules such as
forums, databases, and wikis to help create Web 2.0 collaborative communities, along with the
ability to implement the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) for assessing
assignments or quizzes.
Articulate
Articulate Rapid E-Learning products provide rapid prototyping for your CBT. You can create
CBTs from PowerPoints and turn them into interactive Flash and add quizzes and movies. You
may purchase products separately or in one package. Articulate is also SCORM-compliant.
Adobe
Adobe's E-Learning Suite offers CBT creators the ability to add demonstrations, interactive
simulations, nonlinear scenarios, and quizzes along with being SCORM-compliant.
Camtasia
Camtasia offers features such as recording PowerPoints, creating interactive videos, tables of
contents, and SCORM compliance quizzes, making it a simple to use CBT application.

General Reference Tools – According to Horning (n.d.), generally, reference
materials are consulted for specific pieces of information and are not usually read from
cover to cover. They are academic programs that provide learning materials similar to
books.
Two (2) Types of General Reference Tools
I.
User Generated
- By definition, user-generated content is any form of content—text, posts,
images, videos, reviews, etc. —created by individual people (not brands) and
published to an online or social network. User-generated content has been
around as long as social networks and customer review sites have.
Below are the types of User-Generated Reference Tools as outlined by Duncan (2017):
 Wikis
Wikis are websites where users can add or edit content collaboratively using
Wiki software.
a) Wikis provide the ability for all users to add and edit the content, for
example, text and images, in a wiki reference site such as Wikipedia using
only a simple browser.
b) In Wikis, changes can be tracked to see who has made contributions.
c) Hyperlinked pages and images can be observed in Wikis.
 Newsgroups
Newsgroups are communities, like message boards, that allow users to discuss
a particular topic.
 Review Sites
Review sites allow users to post reviews to inform potential customers of the
product/service they are considering buying.
 Internet forums or message boards
Internet forums allow people to hold discussions by posting messages about a
certain subject.
II.

Traditional
- Saint Leo University (2021) outlined the most familiar types of reference are:
Dictionaries
A dictionary is a reference book explaining words of a particular subject listed
in alphabetical order.
 Encyclopedias
There are two main categories of encyclopedias: general and subject. They use
indexes and “see also' to help the user find the information.
a) A general encyclopedia covers information that is interdisciplinary and broad
in scope. Usually, you will find factual answers, general background
information, and preliminary research information.
b) A subject encyclopedia covers a single subject and provides in-depth
information. Here you may find scholarly coverage of topics within the subject.

Almanacs
Almanacs usually deal with the information of a particular country from a current
and historical perspective (may include comparative world history and current data); it
contains very practical information. For example, what if you think the design of one of the
flags for the confederate army during the civil war included a palm tree, but your friend
thinks it had a snake on it. You could find out by looking in the World Almanac.
 Handbooks or Manuals
Handbooks or Manuals are handy guides to a subject; they often include
examples or illustrations, or both.
Examples:
The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
- REF LB2369.G53
Publication Manual of the APA
- REF BF76.7 .P83
 Atlases
An atlas is a collection of various maps of the earth or a specific region of the
earth, such as the U.S. or Europe. The maps in atlases show geographic features, the
topography of an area's landscape, and political boundaries. They also show climatic,
social, religious and economic statistics of an area.
 Bibliographies
A bibliography is a list of works (such as books and articles) written on a
particular subject or by a particular author. It can also be referred to as a list of works
cited. It is usually found at the end of a book, article or research paper.

Research Tools – Research tools are resources mainly used for retrieving information
from several sources. As Florida Center for Instructional Technology (2001) stated in
their article, by browsing the Internet, much as you would browse the shelves of a
library, you can access information on seemingly limitless topics. In addition, webbased catalogs are available in many libraries to assist researchers in locating printed
books, journals, government documents, and other materials.
Searching the Web
FCIT also wrote how there are billions of pages of information on the World Wide
Web, and how finding relevant and reliable information can be a challenge. Search
engines are powerful tools that index millions of websites. When entering a keyword
into a search engine, you will receive a list with the number of hits or results and links
to the related sites. The number of hits you receive may vary a great deal among
different search engines. Some engines search only the titles of the websites, and
others search the full text.
Evaluating Internet sources
Students often uncritically accept information they see in print or on computer screens.
Students should be encouraged to carefully evaluate sources found on the Internet. The
evaluation tool provided by FCIT below will help students analyze web resources in
terms of accuracy, authority, objectivity, timeliness, and coverage. Consideration of
these factors will weed out many of the inaccurate or trivial sites students may
encounter.
Analyzing web resources
Answer the following questions to evaluate web resources.
Accuracy
Are sources listed for the facts?
Can information be verified through another source?
Has the site been edited for grammar, spelling, etc.?
Authority
Is the publisher reputable?
Is the sponsorship clear?
Is a phone number or postal address available?
Is there a link to the sponsoring organization?
Is the author qualified to write on this topic?
Objectivity
Does the sponsor have commercial interests?
Is advertising included on the page?
Are there obvious biases?
Currency
Is a publication date indicated?
Is there a date for the last update?
Is the topic one that does not change frequently?
Coverage
Are the topics covered in depth?
Does the content appear to be complete?
 Subject-Specific CD-ROMs – The advent of computers in the classroom has changed
the shape of education. Students now have the opportunity to utilize Compact DiscRead Only Memory (CD-ROM) for research and compilation of information. The CDROM means Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. It is a secondary storage disc. It is a
product of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
By its technological design, it is one of the magnetic discs. It has relatively permanent memory
because its contents are hard-wired such that it is not affected by power failures. Also, the
contents of CD-ROM cannot be altered by any other instructions stored in the system. It is nonvolatile (Nwosu, 2002). In terms of memory capacity, the CD-ROM appears in Megabytes and
Gigabytes. A Megabyte (MB) is one million bytes.
The Values of CD-ROM in Curriculum and Instructional Technology
1. Storage of huge amounts of curriculum and instructional contents.
The CD-ROM technology has high potential usage in curriculum and
instructional technology. It stores huge amounts of curriculum and
instructional contents. A lot of textual materials, pictures, graphics, images and
sounds can be stored and retrieved for instructional purposes. In particular, for
language classes, a lot of materials on language skills, syntax, synonyms and
antonyms can be stored and retrieved for lectures.
2. Teletutorials
The CD-ROM can be used for teletutorial sessions. Teletutorial is the
electronic type of lecture delivery. It is very popular in distance education
where the teleconferencing materials and equipment are available in the study
centers; and where the students have both home-access Internet computers and
office-access Internet computers. The CD-ROM can store unlimited volumes
of lectures which can be used for teaching the students in geographically
separated locations. In teletutorial sessions, the classroom teaching is
transmitted through the audio and graphic media components. The teacher and
the student can see themselves face-to-face but in electronic form.
3. Storage of Library materials for curriculum and instruction.
The library is the greatest reservoir of knowledge which stores materials in
the circulation department, reference department, reserve section and the serial
section. Vast volumes of library materials viz: texts, periodicals, dictionaries
and encyclopedias that used to take a lot of accommodation/space in the
shelves can now be contained in the CD-ROM. Lecturers can refer students to
those CD-ROMs so as 'to achieve the objectives of instruction. The students
go to the libraries and access them. They can also be accessed at any time and
at anywhere. Even the library catalogue which is the systematic listing of books
and materials in a library with descriptive information e.g. author, title, edition,
date and place of publication can be contained in the CD-ROM to make
searching for materials easier for the user.
4. Reversibility of Instruction
Reversibility of Instruction is one of the characteristics for media selection
for instructional purposes. The CD-ROM has this feature. Instructions
contained in the CD-ROM are easily reversible like those in audio video tapes.
For instance, a CD-ROM which contains instructions on language skills can
easily be reversed several times by the students so as to study and acquire
language skills. The most important aspects of it is that instructions in the CDROM are hard-wired. This means that they are non-volatile that is, that the
instructions are relatively permanent, that power failures or reversibility of
tapes does not affect it.
5. Provision of Audio-visuals in teaching and learning
The CD-ROM can accommodate a lot of audio-visuals for learning,
teaching and research. Audio-visuals are the media that combine, blend or
synchronize sound and visuals at same time. They enhance multi-sensory
perception. They stimulate the sensory modalities more than any other type of
media. The sensory modalities are sight (eyes), hearing (ear), smelling (nose),
tasting (tongue), hand/body (touching/feeling).
6. Simple and portable medium
The CD-ROM is so small that it can be carried about in pockets, handbags,
and school bags.
7. Inexpensive medium
The CD-ROM is an inexpensive instructional medium. Every staff and
student can afford it for teaching and learning. The CD-ROM holds huge
volumes of information and arc inexpensive to procure (Little, 1990;
Horseman, 1997).
Through the introduction of CD-ROM, students have been encouraged to research
topics across the curriculum. Subject-specific CD-ROMS are compact discs that contain
instructional software regarding a particular topic. They are often included as companion CDs
for books. They also tend to have a much broader scope compared to digital encyclopedias.
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