Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
1
CENTRE FOR APPLIED LINGUISTICS
MA in English Language Teaching (ELT/EYL/ESP) 2010-2011
Professional Practice
General Aims
This core course aims to enable you to develop skills in syllabus, course and materials
design that will be useful to you as you extend your skills as an English language
teaching professional. These skills may also be useful for you as you move into more
senior positions within your profession. Such training is, for example, relevant to the
work of advisory teachers, heads of department, resource managers, curriculum
developers, materials writers and teacher trainers.
This module aims to give you an overview of course design issues that are relevant
for ELT, EYL and ESP. You will be able to identify yourself as working towards
expertise as either:
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a specialist in the field of ELT for secondary and adult learners who are
learning English for general rather than specific purposes
a specialist in the field of EYL who wants to focus on course design and
learning issues for young learners
a specialist in the field of ESP who wants to look at particular professional or
academic course design related to the specific needs of adults
Specific Objectives
The course aims to familiarise participants with theories, trends and issues in the field
of course design and materials writing and evaluation. The module will aim to
develop your understanding of:
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the linguistic and psychological underpinnings of different approaches to
course design
the relationship between syllabus, materials and methods in ELT
the practical implications of adopting different approaches and principles in
undertaking course and materials design
ways in which course and materials development need to accommodate
particular learner needs and particular cultural, educational and language
contexts.
It also aims to develop your capacity to:


design courses and materials consistent with different theoretical frameworks
and which are appropriate for different needs, levels and situations
evaluate, select and adapt materials suitable for different needs and levels of
learner
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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2
write a rationale for your course and materials articulating their theoretical
foundations
appreciate the classroom implementation aspects of a particular course and its
related materials
implement specific ways to evaluate and assess course design and its
implementation
develop and extend your skills and capacity to work as a member of a
materials design team or with a critical friend
Course Structure
We meet every Monday (10 – 1), Tuesday (10 – 1) and Friday (10 – 12) . In the
second half of the module, regular sessions will be supplemented by ‘specialism’
sessions. You will be informed about these as we go along. ESP students will be
offered specialist tutorials with Steve and Malcolm. EYL students will be offered
specialist tutorials with Annamaria outside the structure of this timetable.
The course is structured to provide four important strands:
Strand 1; Introducing and extending concepts and issues related to curriculum,
syllabus and materials design
Strand 2; Preparing for your course design project assignment
Strand 3; Developing skills in selecting, adapting, presenting and discussing materials
Strand 4; Working in teams or with a critical friend
Strand 1 – provides input and opportunities for discussion related to different types of
syllabus and language description, linguistic and non-linguistic bases for course
design, authenticity of texts and tasks, cultural context and content in materials, the
relation between SLA and course design, the relationship between course design,
methodology and specific materials.
Strand 2 – provides information, examples and guidance in preparing for the assessed
assignment. In this assignment, you present your Course Design Project. You may
complete this project as an individual or as part of a team (see strand 4). Although
time will be made available in sessions to work on your course design project, your
tutors will be available for meetings in weeks 9 and 10 outside class time. This strand
will cover steps in syllabus design: relationship between needs, goals, objectives and
programme design.
Strand 3 – provides opportunities for developing your skills in selecting, adapting,
presenting and discussing materials. You will be asked to select written and oral texts;
devise tasks for presenting new grammar and lexis; devise tasks for developing
language skills; develop supplementary materials; write a teacher’s guide and
supporting notes.
Some sessions will require you to select, adapt and extend published materials. For
these sessions you will be asked to form 'ad hoc' groups and to prepare materials out
of class that you will bring for discussion and evaluation by others in the class.
In the last week, there will be a mini-conference where you present an outline of your
project, as well as a poster, either as an individual or as part of a group.
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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Strand 4 – encourages you to experience either the process of collaborative course
design or the process of working with a critical friend. In many context, materials
writing projects are collaborative projects where groups of curriculum specialists and
teachers together design materials, sometimes with the help of external specialists. If
you decide to work as a team, you will have the opportunity to work in a design team
and produce joint materials. However, these need to supported by individual
rationales (your tutors will give you further details on this as appropriate). To help
you derive the most benefit from this process, one of the tutors (who are experienced
materials writers) will offer support to the group or individual.
It is an important aspect of this course to give you the opportunity to work on a
process of materials design and development in teams. However, we also recognise
that your different specialisms and interests may make this impossible. In this case,
we feel that you should adopt another kind of collaborative relationship. You will be
encouraged to pair with a ‘critical friend’.
Whether you work on your own or in a group, you will be expected to produce an
assignment equivalent to 6000 words. Part of the assignment will be a course plan and
sample materials, and part will be a rationale. The rationale, which will be written as
an individual, should be 3000 words. This includes issues such as needs analysis,
course design and evaluation. The course design and sample materials are weighted
equally with the rationale. Their length will depend on their precise nature. You will
be given more specific guidance on this later in the course.
Course Content
Detailed course content is provided below. The course has been designed to provide a
variety of learning experiences. Working on this module will involve lectures,
seminars and practical workshops during which there will be extensive reference to a
wide range of syllabuses and materials. You are welcome to make available any
materials currently in use in your own context for examination and evaluation. It is a
good idea to become familiar with the range of published materials in the Resources
Room.
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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CENTRE FOR APPLIED LINGUISTICS
MA in English Language Teaching (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2010
PP Course Schedule
Week
Date
Time
Session
tutor
6
Feb 14
10 -1
Introduction to Professional Practice
Module
Assignment Brief/ On-line support
Team Processes /working in
teams/collaboration
Critical Friends
AMP
6
Feb 15
10 11.25
Needs analysis
Presenting need and setting objectives
(Assignment strand)
AMP
11.35-1
Context (Assignment strand)
SM
6
Feb 18
10 -12
Presenting Materials 1
SM
7
Feb 21
10 11.25
Management of innovation
SW
11.35-1
Syllabus and Course Design (1)
MM
10 11.25
Presenting materials 2
SM
11.35-1
On-line, VLE, WWW materials
SM
7
Feb 22
7
Feb 25
10 -12
Syllabus and Course Design (2)
MM
8
Feb 28
10 11.25
Presenting Materials (3)
SM
11.35-1
Rationale for Course Design (Assignment
strand)
SW
10 11.25
Reading and Writing Materials (ELT/
EYL/ESP)
MM
11.35-1
Language Description and Course and
Materials Design (ELT/EYL/ESP)
SW
8
Mar. 1
This is the deadline for you to choose
your route (ELT/EYL/ESP). You also
need to finalise your group or individual
status (in order for us to assign you to a
mentor to appoint mentor).
8
Mar. 04
10 -12
SLA and course and materials design
(ELT/EYL/ESP)
AMP
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
9
Mar. 7
5
10 11.25
Speaking and Listening Materials
(ELT/EYL/ESP)
MM
11.35-1
Educational Theory and Course and
Materials Design (ELT/ESP/EYL)
SW
9
Mar. 8
10 -1
A review of materials writing
Dario Banegas
9
Mar. 11
10 -12
Develop presentations with mentors
SW/AMP/SM/MM
10
Mar. 14
10- 1
Assessment and
Evaluation(ELT/ESP/EYL)
Developing a rationale for Policy on
Assessment and Evaluation (Assignment
strand)
SW
10
Mar. 15
10-1
5 min presentations
Poster presentations
SW+AMP+SM+MM
10
Mar. 18
10-12
Layout, presentations and Teacher’s notes
(Assignment strand)
AMP
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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DETAILED OVERVIEW OF SESSIONS
Monday 14 February
Introduction to Professional Practice Module
3 hours Annamaria Pinter
This session introduces the structure of the Professional Practice module and enables
you to get a clear idea of the expectations and rationale of the module design. It also
covers key concepts such as CPD and reflective-practice. This session will help you to
consider the pros and cons of working collaboratively on your course design project.
We will consider team processes and the idea of a ‘critical friend’. The assignment
brief will be explained and we will provide summaries of some projects that have
been completed by previous students. Distinctions between ELT, EYL and ESP will
be explored. We will also show you links to on-line resources on the PP web pages.
Key References
Richards J and Farrell T. 2005. Professional Development for Language Teachers.
Cambridge: CUP.
Cunningworth, A. 1984 Evaluating and Selecting EFL Teaching Materials. London:
Heinnemann (Chapter 1).
or the updated
Cunningworth, A. 1995. Choosing your Textbook. London: Heinnemann (Chapter 1).
Tuesday 15 February
Needs analysis
1.5 hours Annamaria Pinter
In this session we will look at needs analysis (linguistic, psychological,
methodological and other needs). We will discuss how needs analysis might be
conducted with different groups of learners in different contexts. Identifying your
learners’ needs will help you to set meaningful objectives for your course.
Key References
Graves, K. (Ed.) 1996 Teachers as Course Developers. Cambridge: CUP
Nunan D 1988 Syllabus Design. Oxford OUP
Young J 2000 ‘Who needs analyses’ ELT Journal 54/1: 72-74
Tuesday 15 February
Context (Assignment Strand)
1.5 hours Steve Mann
In this session we will consider the importance of context in considerations of course
design and materials production. Examples will be used.
Holliday, A. Appropriate Methodology and Social Context. (Pages 195-218).
Cambridge University Press
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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McDonough, J. 2003. Materials and Methods in ELT: A Teacher's Guide (Applied
Language Studies) (2nd Edition) (Pages 40-58)
Tomlinson, B. 2010. ‘Principles in effective materials development’. In Harwood, N.
English Language Materials: theory and practice. Pages 81-109. Cambridge
University Press.
Friday 18 Febuary
Presenting Materials 1
2 hours Steve Mann
In this session we will consider the range of resources at our disposal in selecting,
adapting and extending materials. You will form groups in order to present materials
in the next session (Presenting Materials 2). We also consider the issue of authentic
materials in this session.
Key References
Badger, R. and MacDonald, M. 2011. Making it Real: Authenticity, Process and
Pedagogy. Applied Linguistics. 578-582
Gilmore, A. 2004. A comparison of textbook and authentic interactions. ELT
Journal, 58, 4:363-74
Gilmore, A. 2007. State of the art article: Authentic materials and authenticity in
foreign language learning. Language Teaching 40/2: 97-118 (this article will be
used for one of Sue’s later sessions too)
Roberts, C. and M. Cooke. 2009. Authenticity in the adult ESOL classroom and
beyond. TESOL Quarterly 43 620-42
Monday 21 February
Management of innovation
1.5 hours Sue Wharton
The Professional Practice course culminates in a course plan and associated materials
for implementation in a specific context; i.e. a proposal for change. In this session we
will introduce Systems Theory as a way of understanding educational institutions and
individual agency within them. We will consider the complexities of introducing new
plans and frameworks into educational institutions, and examine some factors which
may help lead to success.
Key References
Clarke M 2003 Introduction to A place to stand. Michigan University Press
Hall, D. & Hewings, A. (eds) 2001. Introduction to Innovation in English Language
Teaching: a reader. London: Routledge.
Graves, K. 2008. The language curriculum: a social contextual perspective. Language
Teaching 41/2: 147-181
Wedell, M. 2009. Planning for educational change: putting people and their contexts
first. London: Continuum.
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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Monday 21 February
Syllabus and Course design ( 1) (with part 2 on 25th February 2011)
11.35-1.00 Malcolm MacDonald
The aim of this session is to understand basic definitions and the historical
background of various types of syllabus. This will enable you to recognise the
aetiology of syllabi you are implementing, and have a critical perspective in the
design of your own syllabi. The session will begin by looking at the design relations
between curriculum, syllabus and task. It will then critique the structural syllabus. It
will then look at syllabus types which emerged in the heyday of applied linguistics
such as the functional-notional syllabus. Finally, it will anticipate the next session by
announcing syllabi which are centred more on the learner.
Key References
Breen M. P.(2001) ‘Syllabus Design’ in R. Carter, R. & D. Nunan, D. (Eds) The
Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 151-160.
Nunan, D. (1988) The Learner-Centred Curriculum. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Richards, Jack C. (2002) Curriculum Development in Language Teaching.
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
White R. V. (1988). The ELT Curriculum: Design, Innovation and Management
Blackwell Publishers
Tuesday 22 Feburary
Presenting Materials 2 and Online and VLE materials
3 hours Steve Mann
In this session you present and evaluate materials from your homework task
(Presenting Materials 1). We also consider issues related to on-line materials and
VLEs in this session. You will expected to present and evaluate some on-line
materials in Presenting Materials 3.
Key References
Dudeney G (2007) The Internet and the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press (Part of this book on using websites is available as a scanned
resource) (at least Guidelines chapter 1)
Eastment, D., Hardisty, D. & Windeatt, S. (2000). The Internet. Oxford: Oxford
University
Friday 25 February
Syllabus and Course design ( 2)
10.00-12.00 Malcolm MacDonald
The aim of this session is to consider more contemporary approaches to syllabus
design which might inform your own course design practice. This session will look in
more depth at learner-centred syllabuses. It will consider the ethical basis of the
process syllabus and its viability for developing negotiated learning. It will conclude
by considering the role of task in relations to syllabus implementation and design. It
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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will conclude by considering critically the place of ‘syllabus’ in the ‘post-method era’
and the current state of thinking (or lack of it) about syllabus design.
Key References
Breen, M.P. & Littlejohn, A. (Eds) 2000. Classroom decision-making: negotiation &
process syllabuses in practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Graves, Kathleen (2001) Teachers as Course Developers. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press
Kumaravadivelu (2006). Understanding language teaching: from method to postmethod.
Markee, N. (1997). Managing Curricular Innovation. Cambridge: CUP.
Monday 28 February
Presenting materials 3
1.5 hrs Steve Mann
In this session you will present and critique a range of on-line materials and activities.
As a group we will explore issues related to input, output and interaction that can be
built into a course/materials design which incorporates on-line activity and/or support.
Key References
Warschauer, M. (2001) ‘On-line communication’ in the The Cambridge Guide to
TESOL (Ed. Carter, R. & D. Nunan) Cambridge: CUP; pp 207-212
Monday 28 February
Rationale for Course Design (Assignment Strand)
1.5 hours Sue Wharton
As explained above, the assignment for this course includes not only the design of a
course plan and associated teaching materials, but also a rationale to explain why your
course and materials are suitable for your target group. To prepare your rationale, you
will be able to use insights gained from other sessions in this course as well as from
modules in term 1. You will also need to do reading and research specific to your
own aims for your course design project. In this session we will explore some
perspectives from which course and materials designers typically justify their work.
We will look at examples of rationales produced both in published work, and in
previous masters assignments.
Key references
Cheung KC 2001 'The use of popular culture as a stimulus to motivate secondary
students' English learning in Hong Kong' ELTJ55/1 55-61
Davies A 2002 'Using teacher generated biography as input material' ELTJ 56/4: 368379
Fonseca Mora C 2000 'Foreign language acquisition and melody singing' ELTJ 54/2:
146-152
Ghosn I K 2002 'Four good reasons to use literature in primary school ELT" ELTJ
56/2: 172-179
Richards, J. (2006). Materials development and research: making the connection.
RELC Journal, 37/1: 5-26
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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Tuesday 1 March 2011
Reading and Writing Materials (ELT/EYL/ESP)
10-11.25 Malcolm MacDonald
The aim of this session is to develop your awareness of the design principles of
reading and writing materials in order to enable you to start the process of designing
your own materials. We will first critically assess more traditional materials which are
used to teach reading and writing. Then we will consider some principles for skillsbased task design. We will also consider the importance of an integrated view of skills
in materials design, particularly when we consider task sequence. And finally, we will
work towards designing some materials for your learners.
Key References
Badger, R. G., & White, G. (2000). “A process genre approach to teaching writing.”
ELT Journal, 54(2), 153-160.
Harwood N. (2010) (Ed.) English language teaching materials: theory and practice.
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
Johnson K (2003) Designing Language Teaching Tasks. London: Palgrave Macmillan
Tomlinson, Brian (1998) Materials Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Wallace, C. (2001) ‘Reading’. In, R. Carter & D. Nunan, (Eds.) The Cambridge
Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Tuesday 1 March 2011
Language Description and course/materials design ( ELT/EYL/ESP)
1.5 hours Sue Wharton
The second half of the twentieth century saw the development of a number of
approaches to language description and many of them have impacted on pedagogic
practice. In this session we will explore the relationships, asking whether a ‘good’
description necessarily leads to a ‘good’ pedagogy. We will look at the debates
surrounding ‘authentic’ materials in the syllabus, and the responses of students to
such materials.
Key References
Gilmore, A. 2007. State of the art article: Authentic materials and authenticity in
foreign language learning. Language Teaching 40/2: 97-118.
Seidlhofer B (ed) 1998 Controversies in applied linguistics (Section 2, Corpus
linguistics and language teaching) Oxford: OUP
Friday 4 March 2011
SLA and course/ materials design
2 hours Annamaria Pinter
In this session we will consider how SLA (second language acquisition) research
findings can/should/may be reflected in materials. Questions such as what is research,
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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who does the research, what is classroom research, etc will be covered. We will
explore the groups’ ideas about SLA related research and suggestions about how and
at what stage these research findings may be useful when it comes to course/materials
design.
Key References
Ellis R 1990 Instructed Language Acquisition. Oxford OUP.
Ellis R 1993 Talking shop: second language acquisition research: How does it help
teachers? ELT Journal 47/1: 1-11.
Lightbown P 2000 Anniversary Article: Classroom SLA Research and Second
Language Teaching Applied Linguistics Vol 21/4: 431-463.
Mitchell, R. 2004. Second Language Learning Theories (2nd Edition). London:
Arnold.
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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Monday 7 March 2011
Speaking and Listening Materials (ELT/EYL/ESP)
10.00-11.25 Malcolm MacDonald
The aim of this session is to develop awareness of the design principles of reading
and writing materials in order to enable you to start the process of designing your own
materials. We will first critically assess more traditional materials which are used to
teach reading and writing. Then we will consider some principles for skills-based task
design. And finally, we will work towards designing some materials for your
learners.
Key References
Bygate, M. (2001). Speaking. In, R. Carter & D. Nunan, (Eds.) The Cambridge Guide
to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press
Harwood N. (2010) (Ed.) English language teaching materials: theory and practice.
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
Johnson K (2003) Designing Language Teaching Tasks. London: Palgrave Macmillan
Rost, M. (2001). Listening. In, R. Carter & D. Nunan, (Eds.) The Cambridge Guide to
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Tomlinson, Brian (1998) Materials Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
Monday 7 March 2011
Educational Theory and Course and Materials Design
1.5 hours Sue Wharton
In this session we will focus on the learner as a person-in-education, and look at the
implications of different methodological approaches for whole-person educational
development. We will consider the politics of differing views on methodology and
look at the appropriacy of different educational approaches in different social
contexts.
Key References
Clarke M 2003.A place to stand. Michigan University Press. Chapter 6:
Empowerment.
Point and counterpoint:
Bax S 2003 The end of CLT: a context approach to language teaching. ELT Journal
57/3 278-287.
Harmer J 2003 Popular culture, methods and contexts. ELT Journal 57/3 288-294.
Bax S 2003 Bringing context and methodology together. ELT Journal 57/3 295-296..
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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Tuesday 8 March 2011
A review of materials writing
3 hours Dario Banegas
In this session Dario shares some perspectives on materials writing. The session
features some key decisions that face the materials writer and provides examples of
how materials develop towards a specific brief.
Coyle, D., P. Hood, and D. Marsh (2010) CLIL Content and Language Integrated
Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Chapter 5, pp 86-111.
Guerrini M. (2009) 'CLIL Materials as Scaffolds to Learning,' in D. Marsh, P.
Mehisto, D. Wolff, R. Aliaga, T. Asikainen, M. Frigols-Martin, S. Hughes, and G.
Langé (eds.) CLIL Practice: Perspectives from the Field. University of Jyväskylä.
(free download at http://www.icpj.eu/?id=10
McGrath, I. (2002) Materials Evaluation and Design for Language Teaching.
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Chapters 5 and 7, pp. 80-102 and 138-162
(Chapter 7 is available as scanned resource)
Moore, P. and F. Lorenzo (2007) 'Adapting Authentic Materials for CLIL
Classrooms: an Empirical Study.' Vienna English Working Papers 16/3:28-35
Oh, S. (2001) 'Two Types of Input Modification and EFL Reading Comprehension:
Simplification versus Elaboration.' TESOL Quarterly 35/1:69-96
Friday 11 March 2011
Develop Presentations with Mentors (ELT/ESP/EYL)
2 hours Malcolm MacDonald, Steve Mann, Annamaria Pinter Sue Wharton
This session will be dedicated to developing presentations (for the following week) –
you will work planning and developing your presentation with the support of your
mentor.
Monday 14 March 2011
Assessment and Evaluation (ELT/EYL/ESP)
3 hours Sue Wharton
In this session we will consider both the assessment of student progress, and the
evaluation of course effectiveness. We will consider the relationships between
assessment/ evaluation and course goals, and examine a range of tools available for
these purposes. We will discuss ways to integrate assessment and evaluation into the
content of a course, so that the tools chosen can make a contribution to student
learning. It will consider how you can integrate these perspectives into your
assignment.
Key References
Lynch B 2003 Language assessment and programme evaluation. Edinburgh:
Edinburgh University Press. Chapter 1, Introduction: paradigms and purposes.
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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Mann, S. 2004. ‘Evaluation’ In Harnisch H. & Swanton P.(Eds.) Adults learning
languages: A CILT guide to good practice. Pp113-129
Rea-Dickens, P. and K. Germaine 1992. Evaluation. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Tuesday 16th March 2010
Tuesday 15 March 2011
Presentations (ELT/ESP/EYL)
3 hours Malcolm MacDonald, Steve Mann, Annamaria Pinter, and Sue Wharton
This session will showcase your individual or group presentations. As well as
presenting a short 5 minute summary of your project, you will be expected to produce
a ‘poster’ display which provides a visual representation of your project with
examples. Tutors and classmates will give comments and feedback on your posters
and presentations.
Friday 18 March 2011
Layout and presentation and Teacher’s Notes (1hr)
2 hours Annamaria Pinter
In the layout and page design part of the session we will consider the importance of
the ‘look’ and the ‘navigability’ of the materials to the learners in terms of page
layout, use of white space and devices which aid cross-reference to other course
components. Although looks alone cannot save a poorly designed course, the right
look can greatly enhance the impact of well designed materials.
In the Teacher’s Notes section of the session we will discuss the different styles and
‘weight’ that Teacher’s Notes could have for your particular materials. To be fully
transparent, all course materials need Teacher’s Notes, but for some, e.g. activity-rich
but paper-light Young Learners courses, a large amount of the essence of the course is
to be found in Teacher’s Notes.
Key References
Hewing, M. 1991. The interpretation of illustrations in ELT materials. ELT Journal
45/3 pp 237-244
McDonagh, J and Shaw, C. 1993. Materials and Methods in ELT. Oxford: Blackwell
Tomlinson, B. (ed.) 2003. Developing Materials for Language Teaching. London:
Continuum
General Bibliography
Individual tutors will provide you with specific readings and bibliographies in their
sessions. However, this is a good general list for reference.
Cameron, L. 2001. Teaching Languages to Young Learners. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
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This is a comprehensive discussion of issues related to how children learn languages
set in a sociocultural framework of learning.
Cunningsworth, A. (1984) Evaluating and Selecting EFL Teaching Materials.
Heinemann Education
This remains a valuable book for reviewing ways of describing and evaluating
coursebooks. It has a useful chapter on adapting and innovating in materials and
provides frameworks for analysing coursebooks and materials. An updated and later
version of this book is on sale in the University Bookshop.
Dubin, F. and E Olshtain (1987) Course Design: developing programs and
materials for language learning. Cambridge University Press
This book is for teachers who are involved in planning courses for their own learners
or who might be involved in the design of programmes and materials on a wider scale.
It covers the factors which need to be considered in setting up a course and then looks
at the stages of design, setting goals; selecting a type of syllabus and designing
activities. The focus is on communicative approaches and the book offers practical
application activities.
Graves, Kathleen (2001) Teachers as Course Developers. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
This is an edited collection of case studies of teachers developing their own
programmes. A wide range of experiences are discussed.
Harwood, N. English Language Materials: theory and practice. Cambridge
University Press
This is an edited collection and is an excellent coverage of the area. A wide range of
courses and materials are presented.
McDonough and Shaw. 2003 Materials and Methods in ELT. Blackwell
This updated book remains a useful background guide to the link between
methodology and materials in the classroom.
McGrath, Ian (2002) Materials Evaluation and Design for Language Teaching.
Edinburgh University Press.
Although this covers the evaluation of coursebooks for language teachers, it also
covers the production and adaptation of materials and is an excellent overview.
Multiple copies will be available in Resources Room
Nikolov M and Cutain H 2000 An Early Start: Young Learners and Modern
Languages in Europe and Beyond Brussels: Council of Europe Publishing
This book contains 18 chapters describing EYL programmas from many different
parts of the world.
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Nunan, D. (1988) Syllabus Design. Oxford University Press
Nunan’s book considers general issues in syllabus design and he examines a wide
range of syllabuses and course materials. In the final section, he helps teachers to
analyse their own teaching situation and to apply relevant and useful ideas to their
selection of books for learners.
Pinter, A. 2006. Teaching Young Language Learners. Oxford: Oxford University
Press
This book covers issues and aspects of teaching second and foreign languages to
children with a teacher development focus. It discusses links between theory and
practice and encourages teachers to explore their own classrooms.
Richards, Jack C. (2002) Curriculum Development in Language Teaching.
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press
A systematic introduction to the issues involved in developing, managing and
evaluating language programmes. Key issues such as needs analysis, materials
development and teacher support are all covered in a lively and readable manner.
Tomlinson, Brian (1998) Materials Development in Language Teaching.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
This is a sequel to Brian Tomlinson's best-selling book published by Cambridge
University Press, Materials Development in Language Teaching (1998). It is meant to
be both a resource book for teachers working on materials' development and a followup book for workshops and as a stimulus book for practicing teachers
Tomlinson, Brian ed. (2008) English Language Learning Materials: A Critical
Review. Continuum Press
This book considers English Language Teaching Materials in terms of trends and
issues emerging over the last decade. The focus is both regional/geographical and on
different fields of ELL, such as EYL.
Web links
The British Council’s site ‘Teaching English’ has a ‘try’ section – which features
materials and activities
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try
Macmillan ELT Resources
http://www.macmillanenglish.com/BlankTemplate.aspx?id=28164
Onestopenglish – Many materials require subscription – but there are plenty of sample
materials
http://www.onestopenglish.com/
TEFL net has a useful on-line worksheet designer – this covers topic and skills based
lessons
http://www.tefl.net/esl-lesson-plans/
Professional Practice Module (ELT/ESP/EYL) 2010-2011
Humanising the Coursebook (Brian Tomlinson)
http://www.hltmag.co.uk/apr08/sart01.htm
DIY Materials Design (David Block)
http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/45/3/211
Task-based-learning resources
http://www.willis-elt.co.uk/
Bolitho, R. 2003. Designing textbooks for modern languages: the ELT experience
http://www.lang.ltsn.ac.uk/resources/goodpractice.aspx?resourceid=1470
A fuller list will be maintained on the PP Option webpages
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