Evaluating and Adapting Materials

Objectives:
1. Determine the need to evaluate materials
2. Identify the reason to adapt materials
3. Discover the standards of evaluating and adapting materials

Evaluating Materials

The majority of instructors don't participate directly in the creation and

recommendation of materials. They work using the resources that have been
"given" to them by the Board, the Ministry, or any other official organization
in charge of creating or choosing course materials. What part do instructors
play in reviewing resources, then?

It should be obvious that evaluating teaching materials is a crucial professional

endeavor for all educators. Teachers alone are in a better position than others
to assess whether the chosen resources will live up to the expectations of
curriculum designers in achieving the goals of a particular teaching program
since they are the only ones who interact directly with the materials.

Whether or not instructors have a direct say in the selection of resources, they
should nevertheless view the evaluation of those materials as a worthwhile
and engaging task in and of itself. It keeps them up to date on the most recent
advancements in the industry and provides them with insight into the
fundamentals of material construction. Additionally, it enhances their own
proficiency with those resources.

The Need to Evaluate

The evaluation process entails determining if a certain set of resources is

compatible with the stated goals of a teaching program. The assessor will not
hesitate to label the book unsuitable for the course if the primary goal of a
short-term language course is the development of reading skills and the
course book chosen aims to encourage speaking and listening to the near
complete exclusion of reading and writing. This is just to say that the book
does not meet the goals of the educational program, not that it is a bad book
in every way. On the other side, a book that first looks acceptable might end
up partially failing when it is really used. Or consider a book that initially seems
difficult to use but ends up being really helpful in real-world situations. As a
result, evaluation is a continuous process. Instead of making a snap decision
on something's "worth" all at once, this is a process of trial and error to see
how well the material works as a teaching and learning resource.

External Evaluation

It makes sense for a teacher to be curious about the book they are required
to educate a class of kids about. Information about the book's contents and
intended audience may be gleaned from the cover, table of contents, blurb,
and especially the preface. The external assessment of course books is the
teachers' initial review of the subject. Theoretically, instructors should be able
to decide which books may be successfully incorporated into a given lesson
plan from among the resources available for selection.

The table of contents makes clear how the information is organized. The
introduction and the blurb both paint a clear image of the layout and goals of
the resources. For whom is it meant? What and how does it hope to
accomplish? What distinguishes it from other materials on the market and how
does it improve upon them?

Internal Evaluation

Internal evaluation is the term for an "in depth" analysis of the materials to
determine the validity of the claims made by the publishers and writers and
the degree to which those claims have been successfully transformed into
teachable material. The correct context for internal evaluation is provided by
external evaluation. It is not sufficient to say that this book aims to improve
the four language abilities (the introduction has made that claim).

Has the author properly and comprehensively addressed every linguistic skill?
Is the integration natural and suitable for the setting where we are required
by the curriculum to educate them? Has the author limited his or her
treatment of skills to isolated sentences, or has he or she gone above and
beyond to incorporate longer texts for the improvement of reading ability? In
order to verify the accuracy and support of the author's statements,

Internal evaluation examines the overall applicability of resources for students

in a specific instructional program in light of the specified objectives. In other
ways, evaluation is only a formal exercise and may not ultimately determine
if the resources are beneficial. The final exam can only be conducted in a
classroom setting with actual students. The feedback can then only be genuine
after that.

Adapting Materials

In the preceding section, we covered several criteria for evaluating materials

that help us determine if a certain collection of course materials is appropriate
for adoption in a teaching-fit program. We have also seen that teachers
frequently do not actively participate in the selection or assessment of
resources. We have argued that teachers' professional development at their
own level should include material evaluation.

Evaluation results in "adoption" of the contents by everyone participating in

the process. Adoption in no way ensures that materials will be used
successfully in the end. Teachers and students are more equipped than others
to make judgments about the original selection and explain how the same
resources might be utilized in more meaningful ways with a little
"modification." As a result, adaptation is a process that results from and
follows adoption. It entails taking into account any adjustments that might
need to be made to the resources in order for them to be used in a balanced
manner in accordance with the goals of a particular educational environment.
To adapt the contents to the requirements, expectations, and skill level of
learners, adjustments may be made by eliminating or adding sections;
changing, simplifying, or rearranging sections.

Keep in mind that adaptation is not necessarily a formal process leading to

rewritten or changed content. Instead, it is a crucial component of a seasoned
teacher's day-to-day professional practice. It must be a component of a
competent teacher's toolkit since it simply involves matching "what is
provided" with "what Evaluating and Adapting Instructional Materials should
be delivered" in the appropriate context. Consider the time you spent
instructing a young child. Did you need to modify or revise a task? Did you
employ an illustration that wasn't included in the text? If you performed these,
you modified the materials for their most advantageous usage by adding,
eliminating, changing, and simplifying aspects.
Reasons for Adapting

Why would adaptation—whether it be a spontaneous adjustment or a

systematic reformulation that results in rewriting or revision—ever be
required? Consider likely circumstances when the subject matter does not lend
itself to successful implementation. Here are a few instances:

• A reading piece with an excessive amount of novel and unique

terminology. What should we do? Pick a handful of new terms, and then
explain each one. As many new terms as you can, teach. Give kids a
different passageway. Simplify the text while adding just a few
additional words. There are many different outcomes here, but
"adaptation" in some way seems to be required in each scenario.

• At the conclusion of a class, there is either no grammar or lots of it.

Some grammatical points haven't been properly illustrated.

• The comprehension questions provided simply assess factual

comprehension and do not truly evaluate understanding.

• Some sections' topic matter is out of line with the group's intellectual
capacity. Should those sentences be changed or deleted?

• Children should not be exposed to the content because of its

inappropriate cultural loading. If there are too many examples of this
kind, the entire book might need to be replaced.

• The amount of material is too large to handle in the time given.

• The exercises and activities are monotonous, and classroom interaction

is still dry and boring.
References:

1. Brian Tomlinson (editor), 2012, “Developing Materials for Language

Teaching,” Bloomsbury, USA
2. Julie Norton and Heather Buchanan, 2022, “The Routledge Handbook of
Materials Development for Language Teaching,” Routledge, USA
3. Brian Tomlinson (editor), 2022, “Developing Materials for Language
Teaching 3rd Edition,” Bloomsbury, USA
4. www.tesolonline.com