CRITICAL BOOK REVIEW

Brian Tomlinson, “Developing Material For Language Teaching”. Bloomsbury, 2014,

CHAPTER 2. ; Freda Mishan and Ivor Timmis, “Material Development for TESOL.” Edinburgh
Univeristy Press,2015, CHAPTER 2. Reviewed by Jonni Hendika Harianja.
INTRODUCTION

These books are the study of English Teaching Material that can help the teachers to
set the material in classroom . This material really helps the students to achieve the taching
and learning process and helping the students learn systematically to achieve the demands,
and the balance skills in school. It is possible to describe materials in terms of the quality of the
paper and binding, pricing, layout, size, typeface, and so on, but a more pedagogic, focus, rather
than simply pragmatic one, would lead one to examine those aspects of material that more
directly aid the learning-teaching process Littlejohn, 1998).

These books which stressed on the material development shows the role of the
teacher in setting the methods and the strategy in teaching, how the material should be
set, how it is done and how we must show it to the students. Therefore, these books also
present complex theory, and practice so both the student and the teacher can work hand in
hand to really do the process of learning and make the best outcome and implementation.

In this paper, book summary, critical reflections, the comments about the books as well
as suggestions to the issue being raised are precisely presented.

ARTICLE SUMMARY

The first chapter is from the main book, Developing Material For Language Teaching
(chapter 2) entitled “Material Selections” mainly discuss about the material development in
language teaching which is very helpful for teachers to set the content of teaching. This
chapter is talking about some criteria in developing material which divided into three parts
; the process and the content validity, psychological validity and pedagogical validity.
Firstly, this chapter shows there is s psychological validity that has some criteria in
developing the teaching material.

To begin with, the material must be Rationale and based on the learners need,
purpose or interest, the material must help the students to be confidence and help them to
be professional in the future. The second is Independency, meaning that the learners
should be able to learn independently, making decision, guess, predict, discover, take risk
and find several alternatives. The third is, self-development meaning that the learners can
be encouraged to be creative and using their critical thinking and help them to develop
their talents. Next is, creativity and cooperation. The material should help the children
to be creative and able to work in groups. Secondly, the pedagogical validity is divided into
guidance, choice, and exploration and innovation. Lastly, the process and contents is
divided into some parts which are methodology, content, appropriacy, authenticity,
cultural sensitivity, layout, accessibility, linkage, balance, practice, and flexibility.

The second chapter is from the book Material Development for TESOL (chapter 2)
entitled “Principled Material Development” mainly discussed the same stress with the first
book. This chapter discusses about how to set a good material, especially in language
acquisition. It is stated there are some factors that a material called as effective material.
The material should; Achieve impact, help learners feel at ease, help learners to develop
confidence, be perceived by learners as relevant and useful, require and facilitate learners
self-investment, take into account that learners must be ready to acquire the points being
taught. Other than that, the material also should expose learners to language in authentic
use, the material also must provide the learner with opportunities to use the language to
communicate with other people because, in the end of the day, language is the tool and
medium for human to speak.

This book also explains that a good material must be able to bring a positive impacts
to the students, it also can help the students to learn in different styles based on their
learning style preference. The good material also needs to build the attitudes of the
students and able to maximize the potential of the students by encouraging their potential
in intellectual, aestethic and emotional involvement. The book also explains how and what
methods a teacher should use in teaching by using Blooms Taxonomy in addressing the
material which divided into knowledge-remember, understand-describe, explain, apply,
analyze, evaluate, create.

CRITICAL REFLECTION

English Curriculum Material Development is the study on how to develop the

teaching material in classroom to achieve the demand of the study. In this case, the teacher
will learn the methods, strategy or ways to build the material and the classroom needs. In
this case, the teacher will learn the methods, strategy or ways to build the material and the
classroom needs. The reviewer tried to analyse and compare two books with the same
contents especially in language teaching material development. The reviewers used The
book entitled “Developing Material For Language Teaching” edited by Brian Tomlinson as
the main book and The book entitled “Material Development for TESOL” written by Freda
Mishan and Ivor Timmis.
 The writer chose this chapter to be reviewed because the writer as a teacher
candidate, thinks that this is such a core and basic competency to master in order to be a
professional teacher in the future. Both of the chapter mainly discuss the same stress
which is about how to develop a good material in class and what should the material
consists of.

After analysing both of the book, the reviewers found some strengths and weakness
from both of the book. To begin with, the reviewers will explain some weaknesses of the
first chapter. After reading the books, the reviewers think that the explanation in main
book is too long so it is kind of difficult to get the essence of the material by skimming or
scanning it and the information provided in the book is not the most-updated information.
But overall, the reviewers believe that the contents of the book is very good and very
helpful especially for teachers. The weakness of the second chapter is also similar with the
main book which the explanation is very long and hard to understand.

The reviewer also thinks that the highlight of this book is in the sub-units and the
criteria of the material. The second chapter has a lot of points that the first chapter don’t.
For example, the first chapter doesn’t link the material to the scientific approach which is
very important especially related to the implementation of the Curriculum 2013 in
Indonesia, while in the second chapter the authors link the materials development to the
real process of the teaching-learning for students in classroom and it is provided with the
Blooms Taxonomy. That is the reason the reviewer thinks that the first book is not the
most-updated.

On top of that, both of the books have a good content, the first chapter provides a
clear information about how to develop the material by explaining the concept in graphic.
the book also provides about some considerations in material development such as the
psychological validity, pedagogical validity and process and content validity. It is very
important to know that the material must provide the children the needs, the demand and
the concept that can help the students to not only academically well-prepared but also
good at soft skills. So the process and the content of the teaching material must be set in to
a good plan. One of the highlight of this book can be seen that the author gives the
introduction and the conclusion in the chapter so the readers can easily understand
without reading the whole chapter.

The strength of the supplementary chapter is, the reviewer can see the highlight of
the book is very updated because the concept of material development is connected with
the Blooms Taxonomy which is related to HOTS or critical thinking. The book clearly
explain about how the teacher should develop the material by using the criteria such as the
material must achieve impact, help learners feet at ease, help learners to develop
confidence, be perceived by learners as relevant and useful, require and facilitate learner
self-investment, take into account that learners must be ready to acquire the points being
taught. Other than that, the material also should expose learners to language in authentic
use, the material also must provide the learner with opportunities to use the language to
communicate with other people because, in the end of the day, language is the tool and
medium for human to speak.

The reviewers believe that both of the book have a good content and explanation in
helping the teachers develop the teaching material and it is very recommended for teacher
candidates. As the reviewers recommendations, the reviewer The writers suggests that this
study to be carried out to wider field so that teachers candidate would understand and
trying the teaching development.

RECOMMENDATION AND FURTHER RESEARCH

The reviewer thinks that this knowledge is very helpful for teacher candidates to set
the effective and efficient material in language teaching. Not only this knowledge will ease
the teacher but also will help the students to learn effectively. The reviewer does Agree
with the authors of the books and suggests that this study to be carried out to wider field so
that the teacher candidates will understand and showing a better implementation in the
real educational environment.

CONCLUSION

Bloomsbury ,Freda Mishan and Ivor Timmis have presented clear information
related to the english language teaching development to help the teacher candidates in
setting an effective way in language-teaching process. The language is a basic knowledge of
human beings, so, the material should be set appropriately and it can help the teacher in
teaching as well as the students in learning.