UNIVERSITY OF CALOOCAN CITY

Biglang Awa St., Corner Catleya St., EDSA, Caloocan City

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

LANGUAGE LEARNING MATERIALS

DEVELOPMENT
SUBJECT CODE: ENG 504
TOPIC OR LESSON: Introduction to Language Learning Materials
Development
WEEK: 2
SUB-TOPIC/S: Defining Materials and Materials Development

OVERVIEW OF THE TOPIC

Welcome to your learning material on English 504 – LANGUAGE LEARNING

MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT. This week you are tasked to learn and accomplish
activities on introduction to material development.
This module will discuss the introduction to material development. Also, you will
define the materials and materials development.

LEARNING
OUTCOMES

On the completion of this module, you are expected to understand and

appreciate material development. Furthermore, you will point out the role of materials in
language teaching.

LEARNING
OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Define and discuss the purposes of language learning materials development.
2. Appreciate the essence of instructional materials.

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 ENGAGE

Answer the following questions during the synchronous session.

A. What comes to your mind when you heard material development?

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B. What are your uncertainties when you develop a specific material?

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EXPLORE

Answer the following questions during the synchronous session.

1. Based on your experience, how do you distinguish plain material from

instructional material?
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2. What instructional materials have you been frequently exposed to?

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 ________________________________________________________________
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EXPLAIN

Communication is a survival resource. In this era of massive advancement in

information, science, technology, you need to be equipped with a wide array of scaffolds
that can help facilitate active engagement with different kinds of environments for you to
survive in this globally competitive world. In the school setting, this can be achieved
when communicative teaching-learning strategies, activities/instructional
materials are well-planned and are framed towards linguistic and communicative
competence of learners. Nunan (1992) states that teaching materials are often the
most substantial and observable component of pedagogy. This premise leads to the
idea that in language learning activities, oftentimes, teachers consider learning
materials as fundamental elements towards the attainment of the expected
competencies as they support meaningful teaching and learning. Edge (1993) stated
that materials exist to support learning/ teaching, so they should be designed to suit the
people and the processes involved.
Seeing this as a valuable yet opportune challenge, this course is two-pronged.
This ushers you to the essentials of language learning materials development as this
will equip you to prepare meaningful language teaching and learning. In the process,
you are guided that as you become professional teachers, you don't only pay
attention to the competencies or outcomes, topics and assessment measures but
you have to give equal value on the instructional materials as these enhance
students' learning. According to Tomlinson 2011, instructional material is anything
used by the teacher to facilitate teaching and learning as the material designer builds for
a pedagogic purpose.

ESSENCE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

As many would claim, instructional materials serve as the heart of the active
engagement of students in language learning. In other words, aside from the teachers'
pedagogy, students need tangible and intangible aids to ensure that language learning
engagement is meaningful and relevant. In the development of instructional materials
for language learning, it is fundamental to enrich your understanding on the following
important concepts as shared by experts of instructional materials development and
how these would foster meaningful learning the language:

Instructional materials refer to those alternative channels of communication,

which a classroom teacher can use to concretize a concept during teaching and
learning process. Before a teacher can design or produce an instructional material, he
has to know what these instructional materials are, their advantage and disadvantage,

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characteristics, limitations, etc. -the essence of producing instructional materials, is to
facilitate the teaching-learning process. (Amadioha, 2009)

An instructional material is any systematic description of the techniques and

exercises to be used in the classroom, teaching. (Brown, 1995)

They are didactic material things which are supposed to make learning and
teaching possible. (Obanya, 1989)

They are human and non-human materials and facilities that can be used to
ease, encourage, improve and promote teaching and learning activities. They are
defined as resources that organize and support instruction, such as textbooks, tasks
and supplementary materials." (Remilliard and Heck 2014)

Teaching Aids are objects (such as a book, picture or map) or devices (such as
DVD or computer) used by a teacher to enhance or enliven classroom instruction.
(Shukla, 2018)

The role of materials (particularly textbook) in language teaching as a resource

for presentation materials; activities for learners' practice and communicative
interaction; for learners on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation stimulation and ideas for
classroom activities; a support for less experienced teachers. (Cunningsworth as cited
in Richards, 2003)

It is worthy to note that in order to make instructional activities effective, the

teachers' corresponding instructional materials need to be well-thought-of, appropriate
and responsive to the varying needs of students. In other words without them, learning
becomes theoretical and not practical. In support, instructional materials are the
tangible, non-tangible; print or non-print devices which lead the students to become
lifelong learning skills who are critical and creative thinkers.

Let’s define a few important terms:

Materials
Most people associate the term ‘language-learning materials’ with coursebooks
because that has been their primary user experience. However, in this module, the term
refers to anything used by teachers or learners to facilitate the learning of a language.
Materials could obviously be videos, DVDs, emails, YouTube, dictionaries, grammar
books, readers, workbooks, or photocopied exercises. They could also be newspapers,
food packages, photographs, live talks by invited native speakers, instructions given by
a teacher, tasks written on cards, or discussions between learners. In other words, they
can be anything that is deliberately used to increase the learners’ knowledge and/or
experience of the language.

Materials Development

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 Materials development is both a field of study and a practical undertaking. As a
field, it studies the principles and procedures of the design, implementation, and
evaluation of language teaching materials. As a practical undertaking, it refers to
anything which is done by writers, teachers, or learners to provide sources of language
input, to exploit those sources in ways that maximize the likelihood of intake, and to
stimulate purposeful output: in other words, the supplying of information about and/or
experience of the language in ways designed to promote language learning.
Ideally, the two aspects of materials development are interactive in that the
theoretical studies inform and are informed by the development and use of classroom
materials. Materials developers might write textbooks, tell stories, bring advertisements
into the classroom, express an opinion, provide samples of language use or read a
poem aloud. Whatever they do to provide input, they do so ideally in principled ways
related to what they know about how languages can be effectively learned.

Materials Evaluation
This term refers to attempts to measure the value of materials. In many cases,
this is done impressionistically and consists of attempts to predict whether or not the
materials will work. Thus, the learners will be able to use them without too much
difficulty and will enjoy the experience of doing so.

Language Teaching
Most people think of teaching as the overt presentation of information by
teachers to learners. In this module, the term ‘teaching’ refers to anything done by
materials developers or teachers to facilitate the learning of the language. This could
include the teacher standing at the front of the classroom explaining the conventions of
direct speech, it could include a textbook providing samples of language use and
guiding learners to make discoveries from them, it could include a textbook inviting
learners to reflect on the way they have just read a passage or it could include the
teacher providing the vocabulary a learner needs whilst participating in a challenging
task.
Teaching can be direct (in that it transmits information overtly to the learners) or it
can be indirect (in that it helps the learners to discover things for themselves). It can
also be pre-emptive (in that it aims to prevent problems), facilitative (in that it aims to
help the learners do something), responsive (in that it responds to a need for language
when it occurs), or remedial in that it aims to remedy problems.

Language Learning
Learning is customarily considered a conscious process that consists of
committing to memory of information relevant to what is being learned. While such
direct learning of, for example, spelling rules, conventions of greetings, and vocabulary
items can be useful to the language learner, it is arguable that much language learning
consists of subconscious development of generalizations about how the language is

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used and of both conscious and subconscious development of skills and strategies
which apply these generalizations to acts of communication.
Language learning can be explicit (i.e. the learners are aware of when and what
they are learning) or it can be implicit (i.e. the learners are not aware of when and what
they are learning). Language learning can also be of declarative knowledge (i.e.
knowledge about the language system) or of procedural knowledge (i.e. knowledge of
how the language is used).

Answer the following questions: 10 PTS

ELABORATE
Share your insights about the discussed topic in both life and education.

In the teaching-learning process learning Strategies, methodologies and the

instructional materials must be well-planned and organized specially when it is about
the language learning. Instructional materials are tools that that we can use to facilitate
learning. Having a good instructional materials can lead students to better understand
the topic being discussed. As a future educator, we should always be mindful with
the appropriateness of an instructional material that we are about to utilize in our
class.

SCOR
RUBRIC FOR EVALUATION E

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 3– The explanation 2 – The 1– The explanation 0.5 – The 0–
is directly relevant explanation is is quite relevant to explanation is not Has no
to the topic. Every relevant to the the topic. Only few of clear and has a explanation
detail points toward topic. Most of the the details contribute very rough
the topic. details contribute to to the development transition of idea.
the development of of the topic. The details are not
the topic. relevant to the
topic.
3– The explanation 2– The explanation 1– The explanation 0.5 – The 0–
EVIDENCE/
ARGUMEN

shows at least 9 shows at least 6 to shows at 3 to 5 explanation shows Has no

correct/valid 8 correct/valid correct/valid at most 2 explanation
evidences to evidences to evidences to support correct/valid
support his/her support his/her his/her answer. evidences to
answer. answer. support his/her
T

answer.
2– The explanation 1.5 – The 1– The explanation 0.5 – The 0–
CLARITY

is clear, has a very explanation is is somewhat clear explanation is not Has no

good flow of clear, has a good and has a rough clear and has a explanation
discussion, every transition, most of transition from one very rough
detail is connected the details are idea to another. transition of ideas.
to each other. connected to each
other.
2– The explanation 1.5 – The 1– The explanation 1.5 – The 0–
TECHNI-
CALITY

has no error in explanation has 1 has 3 to 4 errors in explanation has at Has no

grammar, spelling, to 2 errors in grammar, spelling, least 5 errors in explanation
and punctuations. grammar, spelling, and punctuations. grammar, spelling,
and punctuations. and punctuations.

OVERALL SCORE:

EVALUATE

Directions: Read each question and select the correct answer. Write the answer on the
space provided before each number.

A 1. This term refers to anything used by teachers or learners to facilitate the learning
of a language. It could be videos, DVDs, emails, dictionaries, grammar books,
workbooks, or photocopied exercises.
a. Materials
b. Materials Development
c. Materials Evaluation
d. Language Teaching

B 2. It is considered both a field of study and a practical undertaking.

a. Materials
b. Materials Development

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 c. Materials Evaluation
d. Language Teaching

D 3. He said, “Learning materials are didactic material things which are supposed to
make learning and teaching possible.”
a. Nunan
b. Edge
c. Brown
d. Obanya

D 4. This term could include a textbook providing samples of language use and
guiding learners to make discoveries from them, or a textbook inviting learners to reflect
on the way they have just read a passage, or it could include the teacher providing the
vocabulary a learner needs whilst participating in a challenging task.
a. Materials
b. Materials Development
c. Materials Evaluation
d. Language Teaching

A 5. He said, the essence of producing instructional materials, is to facilitate the

teaching-learning process.
a. Amadioha
b. Richards
c. Shukla
d. Cunningsworth

REFERENC
ES
 McDonough, J. and Shaw, C. Materials and Methods in ELT. UK: Blackwell.
 De Leon-Abao, E et. al Language Learning Materials Development. 2021
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

PREPARED BY:

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Dr. Allan D. Yongot-Yongot

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