Material Design & Development

Week 3

Tomlinson’s Good Materials

Describing Learners

Housekeeping:Name Cards

Name: _________________ English Nickname: _________

Email address: ______________

Phone #: __________________

Something about your self:_________ ______________________________

Your Picture

Homework for Next Week

• Read and answer the questions to “Defining Learning Objectives” p. 161 (Qs) 162-170 (reading).

Reflection on Homework• Discuss in small groups or with a partner:

– Which learning style do you think you are? Why?– Which learning style do you think is the most difficult

to teach? Why?– What are some things that teachers can do to help

motivate their students

Inductive vs. Deductive

• What is the difference between “inductive” teaching and “deductive” teaching?

Kinds of Language LearningExplicit• learners are aware of when and what they are learning

Implicit• learners are not aware of when and what they are

learning

Involving Declarative Knowledge• knowledge about the language system

Involving Procedural Knowledge• knowledge of how the language is used

• What is the position that most researchers take in terms of the kinds of language learning?

• Communicative competence is primarily achieved as a result of implicit, procedural learning.

• What does the term “communicative competence” mean?

• “Communicative competence refers to a learner's (second language) ability. It not only refers to a learner's ability to apply and use grammatical rules, but also to form correct utterances, and know how to use these utterances appropriately”. (definition from: Wikipedia on-line encyclopedia)

• What should the main objective of materials be?

• To provide learners with meaningful experiences of language in use and opportunities to reflect on these experiences.

• When are learners guided to see explicit aspects of the target language?

• Prior to students’ use

• After students’ use

• *NOTE: both can be done inductively so the teacher can facilitate students’ discovery of rules.

Features of Good Materials

• What are the 16 features of “Good Materials” that are listed in the reading?

1. Materials should achieve impact2. Materials should help learners to feel at ease3. Materials should help learners develop confidence4. What is being taught should be perceived as relevant and useful5. Materials should facilitate learner self-investment and discovery6. Learners must be ready to acquire the points being taught7. Materials should expose the learners to language in authentic use8. Learner’s attention should be drawn to the linguistic features of the input9. Materials should provided opportunities to use the TL for communicative

purposes10. Materials should take into account that the positive effects of instruction

are usually delayed11. Materials should take into account that learners have different learning

styles12. Materials should take into account that learners differ in affective attitude13. Materials should permit a silent period at the beginning of instruction14. Materials should maximize learning potential15. Materials should not rely too much on controlled practice16. Materials should provide opportunities for outcome feedback

1. Materials should achieve impact

2. Materials should help learners to feel at ease• Things that a material developer can do to make Ss feel at ease: ’

– lots of white space– illustrations that learners can relate to– balance Ss academic and emotional needs, so….– materials seem helpful rather than test like– materials that have a humane personality and voice rather than semi-

official documents that one might find at a government office– use active voice rather than passive– examples and stories that make it seem more real; concrete and

connect to the Ss lives and social context• Language should be inclusive It’s the learner’s language, too!

How material developers/Ts use of the target language shouldn’t make Ss feel inferior; the level and the way the TL is ‘used’ should neither demean nor patronize

Build rapport by sharing aspects of yourself

3. Materials should help learners develop confidence• Challenge level (i+1).

• Staging and task sequencing

• Removing scaffolding and support language

• Success builds success and success = confidence

4. What is being taught should be perceived

as relevant and useful • Find out what your Ss like and want to

learn through needs analysis

• Make task and activities “real” & “meaningful”

• Allow for Ss personalization of learning

• Use games, contest and competitions to create materials that have the perception of relevance

5. Materials should facilitate learner self-investment and discovery• Learning situations are created in which

the learning is often implicit• Inductive methods are used• Learner-centered, task-based, learn by

doing• Ss-Ss collaboration and peer learning

maximized• Teacher Talk Time (TTT) minimized• Teacher’s don’t teach; students learn

• Classroom that facilitate learner self-investment and discovery often look like this.

• Where’s the teacher? • Present, but not directly involved.

6. Learners must be ready to acquire the points being taught• Materials are developed so Ts can easily

do initial and ongoing assessment

• Materials are created with the understanding that Ss learn at different rates, and not all Ss are necessarily ready to acquire what is being taught

• Developmental sequence is taken into account

Developmental Sequence

• The terms above refers to the passage of learners through a series (of in most cases) progressively more accurate manifestations of a given feature such as negation, question-forms, etc…The developmental sequence for L2 learners is very similar to the developmental sequence for L1 learners of English.

7. Materials should expose the learners to language in authentic use

• Authentic Input: listening and reading texts created by native speakers for native speakers

• Authentic Output: Tasks and activities that have a real context of use

8. Learner’s attention should be drawn to the linguistic features of the input

• Meaning before form

• Materials help s to notice gap in interlanguage

• Recycling of key points or features to assure that Ss notice and acquire

• Use enhanced input techniques to drawn Ss attn to salient features of input

• Schema activation

Enhanced Input

• Jane plans to marry Tom.

• She likes Tom, but Tom doesn’t like her.

• Tom always runs when he sees her.

• She catches Tom.

• Tom falls in love.

• It ends happily.

What do I want my Ss to notice?How is their attention drawn to the input?

Schema Theory & Schema Activation

Preparing Ss to learn new vocabulary and concepts

9. Materials should provided opportunities to use the TL for communicative purposes

• Information and opinion gaps

• Survey• Mingle activities

10. Materials should take into account that the positive effects of instruction are usually delayed

11. Materials should take into account that learners have different learning styles

• This will be discussed in detail later in the lesson.

12. Materials should take into account that learners differ in affective attitude

• providing choice of… – different types of texts– different kinds of activities

• providing optional extras for highly motivated and higher level learners

• remembering variety is the spice of life• including opportunities for Ss to discuss…

– the value of learning English– their attitudes and feeling about the course and materials

• being aware of the cultural sensitivity of your learners• giving Ss opportunities to connect classroom themes

and topics to their own lives and experiences• providing roles for reluctant learners who do not want

to participate in group work

13. Materials should permit a silent period at the beginning of instruction

•

14. Materials should maximize learning potentialLeft Brain• uses logic• detail oriented• facts rule• words and language• present and past• math and science• can comprehend• Knowing• Acknowledges• order/pattern perception• knows object name

Right Brain• uses feeling• "big picture" oriented• imagination rules• symbols and images• present and future• philosophy & religion• can "get it" (i.e. meaning)• believes• appreciates• spatial perception• knows object function

15. Materials should not rely too much on controlled practice•

16. Materials should provide opportunities for outcome feedback

How Do Learners Differ?

• Age• Level• Aptitude (Multiple Intelligences)• Background Experiences• Personality• Learning Styles• Beliefs and attitudes• Motivation

Age

• How do young children learn differently from older children, adolescents and adults?

• Respond to meaning even if they don’t understand individual words.

• Learn more indirectly than directly. (Implicit)• Understanding comes from what they see, hear,

touch and interact with, not just from explanation.

• Generally display an enthusiasm for learning and are curious about the world around them. (Learn through discovery)

• Have a need for individual attention and approval from the teacher.

• Keen to talk about themselves and respond well to learning that uses their own lives as topics in the classroom (personalization).

• Have limited attention span unless the activity is extremely engaging.

How can we apply this knowledge about how children learn to our teaching practice in the language classroom?

Discussion Questions

• What are the characteristics of a “good learner” in terms of Korean culture?

• What is your definition of a “good learner”?

• Do you think North American ‘ideal learners’ are the same or different? Why?

Motivation

• What is “motivation”?“Some kind of internal drive which pushes

someone to do things in order to achieve something” (Harmer, 2001)

• What are the two kinds of motivation?– Intrinsic and extrinsic

• What are some examples of each?

Discussion Questions

• Why is it important to motivate our students?

• How can we keep our students motivated to learn?

When I hear Korean in movies, for example, “Yesman.”

Talking to my Jang-mo-nim

Talking to my wife in

Korean

My friends In Canada don’t think Korean is worth studying. Why not Japanese?

My teacher doesn’t

let me talk

enough.

Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI)

• Introduced by Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner in 1983.

• Suggested that as humans we do not possess a single intelligence, but a range.

• He listed seven intelligences (and added an eighth one in 1999).

• All people have these intelligences but in each person one (or more) of them is more pronounced.

• Most people can develop each intelligence to an adequate level of competency.

• Gardner suggests that virtually everyone has the capacity to develop all seven intelligences to a reasonably high level of performance if given the appropriate encouragement, enrichment, and instruction.

• Intelligences usually work together in complex ways - Gardner points out that the intelligences are always interacting with each other.

• There are many ways to be intelligent within each category - there is no standard set of attributes that one must have to be considered intelligent in a specific area.

• Consequently, a person may not be able to read, yet be highly linguistic because he can tell a terrific story or has a large, oral vocabulary.

• Similarly, a person may be quite awkward on the playing field, yet possess superior bodily-kinesthetic intelligence when she weaves a carpet or creates an inlaid chess table.

The Intelligences

1. Linguistic Learner2. Logical/Mathematical Learner3. Spatial Learner4. Musical Learner5. Kinaesthetic Learner6. Interpersonal Learner7. Intrapersonal Learner8. Naturalist Learner

Page 17

TYPE LIKES TO IS GOOD AT LEARNS BEST

Linguistic Learner (“word player”)

Read, write, tell stories Memorizing names, places, dates, problem solving

Saying, hearing, and seeing words

Logical/Mathematical Learner (“questioner”)

Do experiments, figure things out, work with numbers, ask questions

Math, reasoning, logic and problem solving

Categorizing, classifying, working with abstract patterns

Spatial Learner (“visualizer”)

Draw, build, design & create things, look at pictures, daydream, watch movies, play with machines

Imagining things, sensing changes, mazes/puzzles, reading maps, charts

Visualizing, dreaming, working with colours and pictures

Musical Learner (“music lover”)

Sing, hum, listen to music, play an instrument, respond to music

Picking up sounds, remembering melodies, noticing pitches/rhythms, keeping time

Rhythm, melody, music

Bodily/Kinesthetic Learner

Move around, touch and talk, use body language

Physical activities (sport, dancing, acting)

Touching, moving, interacting with space, body sensations

Interpersonal Learner

(“socializer”)

Have lots of friends, talk to people, join groups

Understanding people, leading others, organizing, communicating, mediating

Sharing, comparing, relating, cooperating, interviewing

Intrapersonal Learner Work alone, pursue own interests

Understanding self, focusing inward on feelings/dreams, following instincts, pursuing interests/goals, being original

Working alone, individual projects, self-paced instructions, having own space

Learning Styles

Korean students studying in USA:Preferred styles were: Visual: 14.07Kinesthetic: 14.58Auditory: 13.73Tactile: 14.48Individual: 12.46Group: 11.42

Remember that this is not representative of all Koreans, only those studying in the US.

Also, these are adult students. How might children be different?

Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP)

• What does the acronym: VAKOG mean?

• V = visual

• A = auditory

• K = kinesthetic

• O = olfactory

• G = gustatory

• This theory states that although we use all of these systems to experience the world, we tend to have one “preferred primary system”.

• What does this mean?

Discussion Questions:

• Is it important for teachers to know what kind of intelligences their students have?

We can find out our students levels by looking at their scores on different tests.

How can we find out what kind of learners our students are?

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES TEST

1. Where does your true intelligence lie?

2. This quiz will tell you where you stand and what to do about it.

3. Read each statement.

4. If it expresses some characteristic of yours and sounds true for the most part, jot down a "T."

5. If it doesn't, mark an "F."

6. If the statement is sometimes true, sometimes false, leave it blank.

1. _____ I'd rather draw a map than give someone verbal directions.

2. _____ I can play (or used to play) a musical instrument. 3. _____ I can associate music with my moods. 4. _____ I can add or multiply in my head. 5. _____ I like to work with calculators and computers. 6. _____ I pick up new dance steps fast. 7. _____ It's easy for me to say what I think in an argument or

debate. 8. _____ I enjoy a good lecture, speech or sermon. 9. _____ I always know north from south no matter where I am. 10. _____ Life seems empty without music. 11. _____ I always understand the directions that come with new

gadgets or appliances. 12. _____ I like to work puzzles and play games. 13. _____ Learning to ride a bike (or skates) was easy. 14. _____ I am irritated when I hear an argument or statement that

sounds illogical. 15. _____ My sense of balance and coordination is good.

16. _____ I often see patterns and relationships between numbers faster and easier than others.

17. _____ I enjoy building models (or sculpting). 18. _____ I'm good at finding the fine points of word meanings. 19. _____ I can look at an object one way and see it sideways or

backwards just as easily. 20. _____ I often connect a piece of music with some event in my life. 21. _____ I like to work with numbers and figures. 22. _____ Just looking at shapes of buildings and structures is

pleasurable to me. 23. _____ I like to hum, whistle and sing in the shower or when I'm

alone. 24. _____ I'm good at athletics. 25. _____ I'd like to study the structure and logic of languages. 26. _____ I'm usually aware of the expression on my face. 27. _____ I'm sensitive to the expressions on other people's faces. 28. _____ I stay "in touch" with my moods. I have no trouble

identifying them. 29. _____ I am sensitive to the moods of others. 30. _____ I have a good sense of what others think of me.

Scoring the MI test

• MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE SCORING SHEET• Count each item you marked as "true." Add your totals

for each category. A total of four in any of the categories A through E indicates strong ability. In categories F and G a score of one or more means you have abilities as well.

A. Linguistic = 7, 8, 14, 18, 25B. Logical-Mathematical = 4, 5, 12, 16, 21C. Musical = 2, 3, 10, 20, 23D. Spatial = 1, 9, 11, 19, 22E. Bodily-Kinesthetic = 6, 13, 15, 17, 24F. Intra-personal = 26, 28G. Inter-personal = 27, 29, 30               

The Lead VAKT Test: Read and ImagineFollow each instruction in your mind and give yourself a mark:0=impossible 1=difficult 2=okay 3=easy

SEE a kangarooSEE your front doorSEE your toothbrushSEE a friend’s faceSEE a plate of foodSEE a TV show…WATCH the TV scene change

HEAR a songHEAR rainHEAR a fire alarmHEAR a friend’s voiceHEAR your own voiceHEAR birds singing…HEAR the birdsong change to a call of alarm

FEEL excitedFEEL yourself swimmingFEEL grass under your feetFEEL a cat on your lapFEEL hotFEEL your fingers on a piano keyboardFEEL your fingers playing a few notes

Add up your scores for each sense:SEE ____ HEAR ____ FEEL ____

Does the highest score correspond with what you think your preferred lead system is?

How did you do when it came to changing the scenes slightly in the last one of each section?

“The Lead VAKT Test” from In your Hands by J Revell and S Norman (Saffire Press)

Discussion Questions:

• Should we incorporate our students’ intelligence areas and learning styles when we plan our classes? Why/why not? How?

• Is it possible to give these kinds of tests to our students?

• What are some other ways in which we find out what kinds of learners our students are?

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES TEST

• http://www.spannj.org/BasicRights/appendix_b.htm

Small group activity

• Please get into groups of three or four people.

• In your group:

Come up with an activity for each learning style (VAKT) for the topic given to your group.

Topics

• Comparatives

• Counting to 100

• Rooms in your house

• Questions using “is there a…?” and “are there any?”

Modalities, recall and motivation

• Check your classmate’s preferred sensory modality.

Taken from:

Robbins, Anthony, “Ultimate Power”