Authentic Materials for Military English Teaching Purposes



ikrark@yahoo.com

safarnur@yahoo.com

English Educational Department

Graduate Program of State University of Makassar, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

Authentic materials are especially important for English for Specific Purpose (ESP) classroom, since they reproduce an immersion environment and provide a realistic context for tasks that relate to learner’s needs. This paper therefore emphasized on effective teaching model with authentic materials to be applied in ESP Classroom paticularly in Military Classroom. At the beginning, a review of ESP categories and roles of ESP teaching Materials are also offered in this paper. To end with, the interactive model of language learning by using authentic material in military classrooms is also addressed.

Keywords: Authentic materials, ESP, military classroom

INTRODUCTION

Authenticity has been pointed to by various authors as a relevant feature in ESP methodology (Safont & Esteve, 2004) and thus, authentic materials constitute an aspect traditionally emphasized in the ESP literature. The learner-centred approach is essential to ESP teaching, and identified learner’s needs are not fully satisfied by published texts. These authentic materials should be taken from the real world and not primarily created for pedagogical reasons. Such materials are particularly important for communicative purposes since they reproduce an immersion environment and provide a realistic context for tasks that relate to learner’s needs. Authentic materials can provide problem-solving, project-based learning, case based learning, role-play, and simulation and gaming methodology. Students and teachers can use authentic materials as a means to “link the formal, and to some extent artificial, environment of the classroom with the real world in which we hope our students will eventually be using the language they are learning”(Martínez, 2008). This also encourages top-down processing. It is important to bear in mind that the concept of context must be made central to in-class teaching, and therefore, authentic materials may lose much of their suitability when used in a very different context from that for which such material was originally intended. Indeed, authentic materials do not automatically lead to authentic responses, and this must always be remembered. Unfortunately, this conclusion was not self-evident in the early days of ESP, with what has been called “it is the headlong rush to use authentic materials willy-nilly”(Mishan, 2005). In fact Triki (2002) suggests that the need for ESP to access authentic materials is a strong argument for the application of Pragmatics to ESP.

Authentic materials are often found in ESP course books today and are particularly prevalent in commercial English. They can increase students’ motivation and expose them to real language as well as to the different genres of the professional community to which they aspire. Unlike simulated authentic materials, they must be constantly brought up-to-date. However, using authentic materials can be risky if the methodology is not carefully chosen because it is not always easy to use journals, magazines, documents from companies and other real sources, on a daily basis, especially with beginners. This may be due, amongst other things, to the difficulties presented by the language. In fact, such material will often have to be edited (and sometimes even discarded), in order for there to be a suitable match between learner and material learned.

Fortunately, ESP learners are not typically beginners in the foreign language, and authentic materials usually provide a good setting for introducing roughly-tuned input in a comprehensible way. In this fashion, teachers need consider appropriate approach when developing instructional program. Particularly in Military English teaching, English teachers should try to establish a model which is best to use in developing receptive and productive skills of students.

Furthermore, the aim of this paper is to explain the the use of authentic material in ESP classrooms particularly in Military Clasroom by suggesting an interactive model. In order to realize the aim, some key points are raised in this paper incuded; classification of ESP, roles of ESP teaching materials, authentic materials; and authentic materials for military purposes.

DISCUSSION

Classification of ESP

 
ESP has emerged to satisfy learners’ needs. According to Kennedy and Bolitho (1984), some of those needs are important for their studies, whereas others are crucial for their work and profession. The former is called English for academic purposes (EAP) and the later is referred to as English for occupational purposes (EOP). EAP and EOP are the main common parts that can be subsumed under the field of ESP. Each of which has its own characteristics. EAP refers to English as a course for academic purposes. This course is to develop English language skill of the learner for the study purposes. The term EOP, on the other hand, refers to English for occupation or professional purposes.

Roles of ESP Teaching Materials

Teaching an ESP classroom means to have certain qualities in order to help students in satisfying their needs. ESP students need to know the basic foundations of their specialism. They need to learn the common vocabulary and master different grammar rules in order to achieve the ultimate aims of teaching and learning process. ESP materials are useful when doing so since they provide helpfulness through appropriate selection of materials that teach vocabulary content and grammar rules.

Teaching Vocabulary content

Vocabulary is the backbone of ESP classroom teaching. Thornbury (1997)states that vocabulary and lexis in English are frequently used interchangeably. However, words are the building blocks in a language. One cannot develop his knowledge of a specific specialty unless he gets a rich background of its lexical items. English learners may face big problems when learning vocabulary and even when moving from one level to a higher one. Macaro (2005) spots the light on vocabulary when learning a foreign language, especially if it deals with different disciplines where sub-technical vocabulary exists and which are considered as the most crucial type of vocabulary to be learned in order to enhance the teaching and learning process within an ESP classroom.

When selecting ESP materials, a great consideration must be given to vocabulary content since it presents the main concern of students’ needs. In ESP, “specialized texts of any sort, whatever written or spoken, exhibit various characteristic lexical features.”(Kennedy & Bolitho, 1984, p. 56). Technical abbreviations, symbols and formulae, highly technical vocabulary, and subtechnical vocabulary are the lexical features of ESP texts. Teaching vocabulary to ESP students starts from word formation (prefixes and suffixes and identification of word classes) then moves to word relationships (synonymy, contextual clues, selection from alternatives, building up sets, and collocations. ESP materials are of different forms and contain different vocabulary content; the selection depends on the needs of the course, intended language and the degree of authenticity, and the students’ level and specialty.

Words do not exist as isolated items in language. They are integrated in a complex system in which different levels of a lexical item is produced in order to supply a suitable understanding in receptive skills and provide an adequate production of ideas in productive ones.

Teaching Grammar Rules

It has been remarked that vocabulary takes a great part within ESP classrooms. But knowing vocabulary without mastering grammar rules does not help students in their studies since grammar has its importance as well. Though discourse can be understandable with wrong grammar rules’ use, but it would not be coherent and appropriate, and the meaning of the discourse would not be accurate. Ur (1991, p. 75) defines grammar as “… a set of rules that define how words (or parts of words) are combined or changed to form acceptable units of meaning within a language”.

Grammar can be taught through two different approaches as (Harmer, 2002, p. 49) states “There are basically two ways in which a learner can achieve understanding of a rule, the deductive (rule-driven) path and the inductive (rule-discovery) path”. Deductive approach is based on teaching grammar from rules; students are asked to retain the definitions, the rules, the examples, and the exceptions. It is very helpful for students to gain more time in practicing excercises. Inductive approach is based on teaching grammar from examples and students are asked to discover the organizational principles and formulate a set of rules. Inductive learning can be an effective means of teaching grammar. Learning inductively means studying examples of language in use, and exploring underlying patterns and rules. This approach is very helpful in making learners more active through giving more chance to interaction and discussion when giving them the opportunity to extract rules from the examples.

Macaro (2005) proposes two ways that teachers may use when wanting to provide helpfulness to their learners in order to get better memorization and understanding of grammar rules. First, practice might be a good solution. It is controlled, contextualized or communicative. It contains series of stages based on activities that are helpful to transfer the information from short to long memory. Second, consciousness-raising is the other solution. It is an attempt to motivate learners in grammar rules understanding so that their knowledge can be discovered.

The ESP materials that are used to teach grammar rules should respect two principles: efficiency-factor and appropriacy-factor. On the one hand, to be efficient is very crucial. According to Harmer (2002, p. 25) “when considering an activity for the presentation or practice of grammar the first question to ask is: how efficient is it?”. Efficiency might be measured according to three elements: economy, ease, and efficacy. On the other hand, appropriacy is the second crucial principle of grammar teaching. Learners are different concerning their interests, level, needs, and goals, beliefs, values, attitudes, age, materials and resource, experience and expectations, cultural factors, group size, educational context, and the constitution of the group. These variations must be taken into account when wanting to be appropriate. These factors are interrelated and cannot be taken separately.

Authentic Materials

Authentic materials can provide experiences in the real life, present authentic information about culture, that meet the learners’ need. Besides, authentic materials can increase students’ motivation and support teachers in implementing effective teaching method (Richards & Rodgers, 2001). Herrington and Oliver (2000) suggested a new pedagogical term, called "authentic learning". This term is directly related to the students' real life and prepares them to face and deal with real world situations. In other words it emphasized on learning 'materials and activities' which imitated from real world situation. In addition to make clear distinction about authentic materials, Nunan (1989) defines authentic materials as the materials "which have been produced for purposes other than to teach language".

Today, with the help of technological developments, we have access to many sources easily and quickly. Almost all the printed materials are on the Internet in electronic forms and we can easily search anything anytime. As a result, we do not lack cultural content to use in our classrooms.

Teaching materials are a very essential part of teaching and learning a foreign language. These days, the resources for teaching materials are available for everybody. The internet is regarded as a very important and rich source for authentic materials.


There are also lists sources of cultural information such as:

1. Newspapers: these are a good source of cultural information: local papers will give more of a flavour of everyday life in towns.
Video: a number of published ELT video tapes are a good visual source of cultural information. (Today, we have CD/DVD versions of these video tapes, which provide us with better quality.)
Talks/discussions: some topics may be suitable for giving information to students in a plenary session.
Role play/dramatizations: these can be used to initiate discussion and introspection.
Culture quizzes/tests.

Preparing authentic materials for use in the classroom can be very time- consuming. Osborne (2005) suggests that it is essential to have a clear purpose in mind as well as a personal approach that permits the adaptation of most authentic materials. Likewise, the ESP instructor must always incorporate authentic texts that are locally meaningful. The definition of authentic materials in an ESP course is closely related to that authenticity “refers not only to the form, contents and the communicative goal of a text, but also and most importantly, to the purpose of reading.”. Cañado and Esteban (2015) first suggest evaluating the authenticity of ESP materials; then they elaborate a very complete checklist as part of their authenticity evaluation proposal for the area of Business English. The checklist includes headings such as: context and target situation; the student; the teacher; and contents, which include linguistic aspects, sociocultural aspects, notional-functional aspects, topics, organization and activities.

Authentic Materials for Military Purposes

In this framework, the authors suggest some a model which can be used to manipulate English learning into more alive with emphasizing on real life experience by manipulating the use of authentic materials in ESP classroom particularly in Military Classroom.

The Interactive Model

Under this model, the entire teaching process is based and characterized by interaction between teachers and students. If we are to consider the cultivation of communicative skills the primary goal of foreign language learning, then interaction is a must in the classroom. Real communication is defined as interaction between people; in the same way, linguistic interaction is seen as a collaborative activity and therefore classroom teaching and learning activities must be interactive in nature. Interactive language teaching stressess the importance of providing learners with opportunities to interact directly with the target language, to acquire it by using it rather than learning it by studying it. It shifts the focus from teacher centred to student centred activities; the teacher is no longer the sage on the stage but a facilitator, a manager, an independent participant, making the process of learning an easy task and helping students clear away roadblocks and finding their own way through different communicative situations. The learners are expected to cooperate by listening to each other, sharing information, negotiating meaning, solving problems, dealing with real life situations in the target language.

The interactive model is based on some fundamental teaching principles: the initiation of interaction (usually done by the teacher), achieved with the help of various questioning strategies (knowledge questions, comprehension questions, application questions, inference questions, analysis questions, synthesis questions, etc); the engaging of the students, meaning the application of active learning principles through discussions, debates, pair work and group work activities; the promotion of the appropriate language strategies, which requires that educators possess a solid theoretical background enabling them to promote learners’ awareness and their active involvement in the learning process (memory strategies, cognitive strategies, compensation strategies, metacognitive strategies, social strategies, affective strategies, etc.) (Rivers, 2000, p. 15)

Practice has demonstrated that the most workable interactive classroom activities are presentations, pair work, discussions, debates and written practice. Especially with ESP, these activities need to be task oriented, so that they can help nurture students’ problem-solving and creative abilities and give them experience in functioning in realistic contexts. The example we have chosen in support of this model is the usage of case studies, especially oriented to suit military students’ needs, since they are most of the time during their careers placed in situations where they have to analyze and solve a typical problem. Case studies have proven to be an extremely effective method of provoking controversy and debate on issues for which definite solutions do not exist.

A specific example would be the following activity taken from the collection of authentic military texts and exercises Mil-to-Mil (Dumitrescu & Dragomir, 2008).

1. Firstly, students are asked to read a text about famous war. This activity involves reading comprehension skills and the reactivation of the previously-taught vocabulary and grammar points. The follow-up activity for this reading is a situational task, in which the military students are instructed to use a map and draw the tactical movements of the armies involved in the conflict.

2. The learners are then put into groups of three or four and asked to discuss, analyze and evaluate the military strategies used. This activity is a very complex one, allowing a diverse usage of language, language functions and skills. The students are offered discussion cues, which focus them on using specific vocabulary and concepts from the lesson (e.g. discuss the leadership skills involved in the battle).

3. Grammar points are not neglected; based on the information in the text, the students are instructed to create a number of hypothetical situations related to the possible outcome of the battle (e.g. imagine alternative strategies, what if’s). The array of language functions to be practiced is also extremely diverse. When asked to assess and evaluate the military strategies presented in the text, students have to demonstrate a good command of language functions: summarizing, paraphrasing, hypothesizing, argumenting, defending policy, explaining, exemplifying, etc.

4. We should not overlook the opportunity such activities give us for practising critical thinking skills, with the big advantage of creating a genuine, real-life, contextualized situation which offers the learners the necessary level of comfort, even with the newest aspects of the language they do not master so well.

CONCLUSION

The use of authentic materials in the ESP classroom has been discussed, with the student benefiting from the exposure to real language being used in a real context. Authentic materials are highly motivating, giving a sense of achievement as well as usefullness when understood and encourage further reading. It also become a flexible material for interactive teaching model, particularly in Military context. They reflect the changes in the use of language, there is a wide variety of text types, and they are also very versatile since it holds an efficient balance between receptive skills and productive skills.


REFERENCES

Cañado, M. L. P., & Esteban, A. A. (2015). Authenticity in the teaching of ESP: An evaluation proposal. Scripta Manent, 1(1), 35-43.

Dumitrescu, A., & Dragomir, I. (2008). Mil-to-Mil: a Collection of Authentic Text-Based Exercises. Sibiu: Editura Academiei Forţelor Terestre "Nicolae Bălcescu".

Genhard, J. (1996). Teaching English as a foreign language: A teacher self-development and methodology. Ann arbor: the university of Michigan press.

Harmer, J. (2002). How to Teach English: An Introduction to the Practice of English Language Teaching. Malaysia: Addison Wesely Longman.

Herrington, J., & Oliver, R. (2000). An instructional design framework for authentic learning environments. Educational technology research and development, 48(3), 23-48.

Kennedy, C., & Bolitho, R. (1984). English for specific purposes: Macmillan Pub Ltd.

Macaro, E. (2005). Teaching and learning a second language: A guide to recent research and its applications: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Martínez, R. D. (2008). Didactic Approaches for Teachers of English in an International Context (Vol. 138): Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca.

Mishan, F. (2005). Designing authenticity into language learning materials: Intellect Books.

Nunan, D. (1989). Designing tasks for the communicative classroom: Cambridge University Press.

Osborne, P. (2005). Teaching English One-to-one: Modern English Publishing.

Price-Machado, D. (1991). English for Specific Purposes (ESP):Tailoring Courses to Students Needs and to the Outside World. In M. Celce-Murcia & L. McIntosh (Eds.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (3 ed.). United States: Heinle & Heinle.

Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching: Cambridge university press.

Rivers, W. M. (2000). Interactive Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Safont, M. P., & Esteve, M. J. (2004). Online resources for the EAP classroom: Ways of promoting EFL learners’ autonomy. Linguistic Studies in Academic and Professional English(17), 261.

Thornbury, S. (1997). About Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Triki, M. (2002). Pragmatics for ESP purposes. GEMA Online® Journal of Language Studies, 2.

Ur, P. (1991). A Course in Language Teaching: Practice And Theory. New York: Cambridge University Press.


 

Neurolingusitic Programming in Language Teaching and Learning



ikrark@yahoo.com

English Educational Department

Graduate Program of State University of Makassar, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

This paper attempts to reveal the potential value of atypical method to be applied in English language learning by suggesting some popular models used in Neurolinguisitic Programming (NLP). The paper consists of two essential parts. In the first part, five models as well as strategies in NLP explained briefly along with their implementation to language teaching and learning. The second part of this paper includes a specific technique to language learning drawn from the author’s perspective. Finally some procedures of implementing NLP in language learning which are addressed in this paper based on the principle of subjective experience. Therefore the teachers are expected to have success work by making use of NLP as a methodology in their teaching practices.

Keywords: Neurolinguistic programming, language teaching and learning

INTRODUCTION

Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) has attracted considerable attention among practitioners in recent years. Developed by Richard Bandler and linguist John Grinder in the 1970s as a method of personal change and communications, it has transformed into flexible approach and prospect essential in many contexts including self-development, education, businesses and organization. In its development, NLP is not atypically referred to techniques or tools (Robles, 2000) rather than as a method, hypothesis or theory. It is quite often defined as interpersonal communications model and an alternative approach to personal development based on the subjective study of language, communication and personal change (Harris, 2001; Hosseinzadeh & Baradaran, 2015; O’Connor & Seymour, 1993).

In general, NLP is esteemed as the study of subjective experience stemming from individual’s exclusive view of the world (Moore, 2009). Originator of NLP, stated its fundamental philosophy is encapsulated in the conceit the map is not the territory, meaning that individuals’ reflections are based upon their confined internal representation of the world (map) and not the world itself (territory) (Grinder & Bandler, 1976). This leads several other scholars to regard NLP as a model rather than a theory of human behavior (Tosey & Mathison, 2003; Zastrow, Dotson, & Koch, 1987). It is a further practical (technique driven) than theoretical (Heap, 2008). Furthermore, its content embracing models, strategies, and techniques seem to be strongly eclectic.

In numerous practical applications of NLP, education is ranked within the top. Among a broad range of techniques and frameworks offered by NLP, some specifically aim at teachers and learners (Beaver, 2002; Freeth, 2013). This goal-oriented approach employs multiple techniques to generate enhanced performance in education. There seems to be much within NLP from which educators, teachers, and learners can avail. Moreover, Moore (2009) regarded NLP as a catalyst in fulfilling the needs of pedagogical systems. Kudliskis and Burden (2009) proposed NLP tactics as “given away” to teachers and students encountering exam anxiety and other germane pressures. Technically speaking, NLP could be taught to help improve memory, promote personal strength, adopt effective learning strategies, distinguish and reframe impeding educational beliefs, raise self-esteem, and optimize motivation (Robert Dilts & Epstein, 1995; Thornbury, 2001). Building on previous findings, NLP can engender considerable improvements in learning and education.

Despite its widespread popularity as conceptual framework to educational context, there are only few published literatures concerning NLP used particularly in language teaching and learning. Consequently, as criticized by Witkowski (2010) today, after 35 years of research devoted to the concept, NLP has not been accompanied by knowledge of empirical underpinning of the concept. The focus in NLP was more likely pragmatic. It concerns with how people construct their experiences through cognitive processes (Fitriana, 2012) rather than explicit instruction as mainly be applied in English language teaching. In other words, it is not an easy task to manipulate particular attitude whereas motivating is a highly skilled job.

Some scholars have introduced NLP as a supplementary technique in teaching language which is claimed to help achieve excellence in learner performance. Pishghadam, Shayesteh, and Shapoori (2011) gave a new dimension to the understanding of NLP in relation to the field of English language learning and teaching. They constructed and validated an NLP scale (via exploratory factor analysis) to investigate to what extent English language teachers incorporate NLP into their teaching performance. Evaluating its association along with teacher’s amount of success, experience, gender, and degree, they underlined NLP‟s absolute power in bringing up change within pedagogical settings. All the same, the attempt did not gain considerable recognition and was not conspicuous enough to the scholars of the field probably due to NLP’s anti-theoretical status (Bandler & Grinder, 1979), unclear evidence base, lack of evaluation of its practices (Tosey & Mathison, 2003), or teachers’ lack of relevant knowledge (Yero, 2001).

Considered as an alternative approach to language teaching (Richards & Rodgers, 2001), NLP is claimed to achieve excellence in the performance of learners through enhancing teacher learner congruence (Millrood, 2004). Millrood, who emphasized the importance of establishing a smooth and natural classroom environment, claims that NLP has an essential role in teacher discourse as addressing the learners’ cognitive-emotional domain (the neuro component) through verbal interaction with the learner (the linguistic’ component), resulting in optimal harmony in teachers’ and learners‟ classroom interaction. Jane Revell and Norman (1997) highlighted the importance of teacher-learner congruence by claiming that for effective communication to take place between the learner and the teacher, instructors should use various classroom activities to find out about the preferred representational channel of their students, which will help establish rapport-the establishment of trust, harmony, and cooperation in a classroom environment.

A review of the literature on NLP demonstrates that its role in the realm of education and particularly second or foreign language learning (ESL/EFL) has not been examined effectively. Due to the scarcity of research in this area, the paper aimed to reveal a potential value of NLP to be applied in English language learning.

DISCUSSION

Neurolinguistic Programming has a very meaningful sense. According to Jane Revell and Norman (1997) Neuro refers how we experience the world trough our five senses and represent it in our minds through our five senses. Linguistic refers to our language ability; how we put together words and phrases to express ourselves, as well as how our “silent language” of movement and gestures reveals our states, thinking styles and more. It relates to the communication aspects (both verbal and non-verbal) of our information processing Programming, taken from computer science, refers to the idea that our thought, feelings and actions are like computer software programs or it is behavioral and thinking patterns we all go through. In conclusion, there is a relationship between perception, thinking and behavior that is neuro-linguistic in nature.

The most recently defined inventory of NLP techniques which have been put forward by Millrood (2004) are to establish rapport between the teacher and learners, modelling (offering strategies for better pronunciation), to create a learner filter (monitoring correct/incorrect knowledge), to pace and to lead the learner (introducing a cognitive challenge), to elicit learners’ creative responses (guiding the learner to an output), to recognize learners’ individual differences, to reframe the approach (stopping unproductive teaching strategies), and to reinforce learner achievement by emphasizing success have been put forward by Millrood. To do all the inventories as suggested by Millrood (2004), specific NLP technique, strategies, model used in language teaching are addressed in further discussion of this paper.

Strategies and Models in NLP

There are a number of different strategies that are used by proponents of NLP. In this part, strategies and models are defined and explained along with their implementation to language teaching and learning.

Modelling

Modelling, is the process of observing and mapping the successful behaviours and strengths of other people. Modelling requires careful observation strategies so as to notice what the person being modelled does, and try to imagine what it is like to be in their “skin” (Revell & Norman, 1999, p.107). In brief, modelling in NLP involves profiling behaviours, physiology, beliefs and values, internal states and strategies.

In language classroom, this model allows students to model the teacher-his/her intonation, stress patterns, pronunciation. The second view on modelling is

that students can be asked to model their successful peers. The participants whose names are indicated for the first view of modelling said that they might as well ask students to model their classmates to remember and record vocabulary, scan a reading text and so on.

Meta-programs

Meta-programs, which refer to non-conscious preferences for processing information that affect behaviours, can be applied in any classroom setting for the personalisation of learning. As J. Revell and Norman (1999, p. 64) ) puts it, “Meta-programs in NLP refer to non-conscious filters our brains habitually used to select relevant information from our sensory experience”. Revell and Norman (1999) provide, among a variety of other NLP-based language teaching activities, an activity called know your meta-programs, by means of which they underline the fact that “once our brain finds a way of behaving that works, it tends to repeat it, so that it becomes a habit, or a program.

Pacing

Pacing is another NLP strategy which is used to establish rapport by matching certain aspects of one’s behaviour to those of the person being communicated with (R Dilts & DeLozier, 2000). Pacing is the process of giving a sort of feedback to the person with whom you are interacting, through your own behaviour that you have observed in that individual. This can be done by matching that person’s breathing rate, language patterns, and gestures, to help establish rapport. In short, being able to establish rapport requires finding the points of overlap between different models of the world to create and maintain harmonious mutual understanding with the person being interacted.

Reframing

In simple terms, reframing can be considered as a change in one’s perception of reality and is defined as a combination of decisions that are used to reinterpret the experience of learning disability in a positive manner so as to overcome the disability (Gerber, Reiff, & Ginsberg, 1996). More explicit definition has been provided by Bandler, Grinder, and Andreas (1982, p. 2) in which reframing is defined as “changing a frame in which a person perceives events in order to change meaning”. This change in meaning paves the way to the change in the behavioral responses of the person’s. In their article focusing on ways of reframing adult learning disabilities, Gerber et al. (1996) suggest that one’s strengths should be identified in order to transform them to success experiences, and at the same time awareness of one‟s weaknesses helps a person to make a conscious effort to mitigate them.

Reframing is used when students have a tendency to use some very negative words…like “I can‟t do that”…or like...“this is difficult” and I think ...especially as a teacher he/she needs to reframe some sentences and some phrases to help the students see it from another perspective. The teacher may use reframing strategy particularly after identifying whether they have any inhibiting negative feelings about learning. Reframing is useful in cases when students have lack of self-esteem and determination for success. It is used to show students what their negative beliefs or learning anxiety stem from, so that they find their way around to overcome them.

Metaphors

Metaphors, which can simply be defined as “any word or phrase which links one idea with another…shape the way we think about the world, and therefore, the way we behave in relation to it” (J. Revell & Norman, 1999, p. 72). Stories and analogies, examples of which are available in their book entitled In Your Hands, are considered as extended metaphors in language classrooms, and can enable students to make more sense of what they learn by means of a fruitful metaphor.

In teaching reading, metaphor is useful as a warm-up activity before a reading text. The teacher writes on the board “Learning English is like a ..., because ...., and asked my students to complete the sentence. Using metaphors such as Honey or other fun things help students reframe their negative perceptions about language learning as well.

Anchoring

Anchoring is the process of associating an internal response with some external trigger (similar to classical conditioning) so that the response may be quickly, and sometimes covertly, re-accessed. Anchoring can be done in three ways; when specific hand gestures are used, it is called visual anchoring, and when specific words and voice tone is used, it is auditory and kinaesthetic when touching an arm or laying a hand on someone's shoulder. Anchoring involves doing “something striking so that it is remembered or forgotten” (Acton, 1997). From an NLP standpoint it means first, ensuring concentration and then bringing together the right combination of modalities to set the memory. Acton (1997) reminds teachers that anchoring can also be used in the summary or concluding phase of their lessons. Anchoring may be in the form of giving the learner vivid and memorable context to take home, such as a phrase that contains the new sound while teaching pronunciation.

Visualisation

Visualisation is one of the core strategies used by NLP for planning and programming changes in behavior. It is the backbone of many NLP techniques such as the New Behavior Generator, the Swish Pattern, Future Pacing, the Visual Squash, VAK Dissociation, and the Disney Imagineering Strategy, all of which make extensive use of the processes involved in visualisation. Within the perspectives of NLP, visualisation is a conscious transformation, as well as a deliberate activation of the visual representational system, and it is actualized by using memories, fantasy or a combination of both (R. D. Dilts, J., 2000).

In language classroom particularly in learning grammar, the teacher may ask students to close their eyes and think of their past regrets, then ask students to put those on to paper. Finally, teacher asks them to fold the paper many times, and throw it in the rubbish bin. They (students) get the chance to practice past regret forms in grammar, as well as getting rid of the negative beliefs that lead to negative states.

NLP and specific technique for language learning

Some pattern in NLP seem to be motivating activities by recalling subjective experiences to language teaching rather than specific procedures to improve students’ language ability. The reason of many NLP techniques only show general explanation and become difficult to be applied because it cannot be generalized whereas every students also has diffent subjective experience. However the author adapted one strategy in recently updated pattern in NLP (Aknin, 2010) that will help students to memorize foreign vocabularies particularly English words very quickly by using his own subjective experience. This specific pattern uses the power of sub-modalities.



Step #1. Select 5 new words.

I will select five words that I wish to learn from English and it must be unfamiliar word. I try to establish the intention to learn all five within the next five to ten minutes. I read through them slowly, pronounce each one and read its translation. In this part, I translated the words to make sure that I know the meaning of the translated word.

Step #2. Substitute

I will take the first word and make it something familiar. As the example below shows, I take the syllables of the word apart in my mind. I will use them to build a mental image that is memorable because the word is wild and strange in some way. Draw from my own experiences to find imagery and meaning that are significant to me because the word comes from my personal likes and fantasies.

Here is an example a;

For the English word "Abdomen" (“perut” in Bahasa Indonesia),

a. I deconstruct the word to "Ab" and "Domen."

b. In Buginese (Common ethnic in Sout Sulawesi) the word "Domen" almost have similar with “domeng” which means “domino”. I do not need to imagine all chunck, but the potential word which is more significant to be played. so I imagined, I played “domeng” with my friends.

c. In this imaginary scene, I hold my “domeng” from my hand to my stomach so that my friends cannot see them. But one of my friend yells at me “Jangan taruh domeng diperutmu, nanti kau sembunyikan lagi (do not put domeng upon your stomach, you will hide it anyway).”

d. In this image I have used personal images and meanings to link "domen" and "perut."

Coming up with these can be a challenge at first, but most of teacher who have NLP training find that it gets easy with practice. The best way is to keep practicing and as practicing over and over, it will build this skill while learning a language at the same time.

Step #3. Use sub-modalities

Sub-modalities are great for memory techniques. For those who are not familiar with the term, sub-modalities mean the "modes" of the experience. For example, let us take my strange domeng image. Can the dots in my domeng become seven or five so I could win this Domino game? Of course, in my imagination, it can be manipulated as I wish it to be. Sub-modalities for my made up scene can include the brightness of the image, its size, whether the imagery is in color or black and white, whether one of my leyyed friend has a high or low voice, and so forth. However If you are not comfortable working with sub-modalities yet, you can still do this pattern without them.

Step #4. Move mentally faster

I run the image as fast as I can over and over again. I use my body. Move my arms. Move my eyes up and to the left when I say the foreign word. I say the foreign word out loud. I put my hand on my stomatch when I say the foreign word out loud and imagine it as wild, and as big, and as strange, as I can, the image I came up with. I do it again, faster. I can run the pattern faster than I think, because the brain can learn surprisingly quickly. Use repetition to improve my results. Repetition is very important for getting things into long term memory. By repeating it, imagining a wild associative image, and doing it faster each time, I am embedding each word in my nervous system.

Step #5. Compress in groups of 5's

Once I feel comfortable with imagining wild stuff, I do it with the rest of the words, in group of five. That is, I go through the group, build a wild image for each one of them, and then repeat them in a row, one through five, repeatedly, faster and faster. This saves time, and makes it more interesting. I also make up a UNIQUE image for each word. Variety will help my mind distinguish between the words.

Step #6. Test.

After the first 20 words, I take a rest for a minute; stretch or do something else. Then I take only the foreign words (without the translation/meaning) and imagine the wild picture and then the meaning for each one. I try to feel the meaning of the words without translating them.

One essential thing in step 6 is that do not be alarmed if we cannot remember the meaning of all the words. All it means is that we should come up with better, more personal, wilder and stranger images for these words. The rest, of which we did remember, we will remember for a lifetime.

All the explanation above show that it is possible to label NLP as a language teaching methodology, all the techniques, strategies and models provide considerable contributions to make ELT classrooms become more effective through subjective experience. Nevertheless, some techniques are implicitely explained because of the latter NLP’s principle. Therefore, further discussion regarding NLP in language teaching should be more exposed in published research to enrich literatures as well as generating NLP as common technique used by language teacher in their teaching.

CONCLUSION

As for the NLP techniques, strategies and models which are written in this paper to be influential in language teaching classes, some are explained to be effective in ensuring a good performance of either students or teachers. Another potential of NLP to be pompous in this current education is that it has considerable flexibility to language teaching methodology whereas the common patterns are believed to support learners to lower their likely affective barriers and increase their motivation for learning through subjective experiences. Furthermore, a complex activity must be handled with proper handler. By understanding the principles of NLP in language teaching, the teachers are then able to manipulate the language learning into a change which lead to better activity.

REFERENCES

Acton, W. (1997). Seven suggestions of highly successful pronunciation teaching. Language Teacher-Kyoto-Jalt, 21, 21-26.

Aknin, S. V. (2010). The Big Book Of NLP Expanded 350+ Techniques, Patterns & Strategies Of Neuro Linguistic Programming. United States of America: Inner Patch Publishing.

Bandler, R., Grinder, J., & Andreas, S. (1982). Neuro-Linguistic Programming™ and the Transformation of Meaning. Moab, Utah: Real People.

Beaver, D. (2002). NLP for lazy learning: How to learn faster and more effectively. London: Vega Books.

Dilts, R., & DeLozier, J. (2000). Meta Program, In Encyclopedia of Systemic Programming and NLP New Coding. Scotts Valley (CA): NLP University Press.

Dilts, R., & Epstein, T. (1995). Dynamic learning (Vol. 426): Meta Publications Cupertino, CA.

Dilts, R. D., J. (2000). Visualisation. In Encyclopedia of Systemic NLP and NLP New Coding. Scotts Valley: NLP University Press.

Fitriana, I. (2012). Neuro-Linguistic Programming As Student’s Energizer. Diglossia, 3(2).

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Harris, T. (2001). NLP if it works use it. CAUCE, Revista de Filología y su Didáctica, 24, 29-38.

Heap, M. (2008). The validity of some early claims of neuro-linguistic programming. Skeptical intelligencer, 11, 6-13.

Hosseinzadeh, E., & Baradaran, A. (2015). Investigating the relationship between Iranian EFL teachers’ Autonomy and their Neuro-linguistic Programming. English Language Teaching, 8(7), 68.

Kudliskis, V., & Burden, R. (2009). Applying ‘what works’ in psychology to enhancing examination success in schools: The potential contribution of NLP. Thinking skills and creativity, 4(3), 170-177.

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O’Connor, J., & Seymour, J. (1993). Introducing Neuro-Linguistic Programming: Psychological Skills for Understanding and Influencing People. London, UK: Thorsons: ISBN 1-85538-344-6.

Pishghadam, R., Shayesteh, S., & Shapoori, M. (2011). Validation of an NLP scale and its relationship with teacher success in high schools. Journal of language teaching and research, 2.

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Tosey, P., & Mathison, J. (2003). Neuro-linguistic programming and learning theory: A response. The Curriculum Journal, 14(3), 371-388.

Witkowski, T. (2010). Thirty-five years of research on Neuro-Linguistic Programming. NLP research data base. State of the art or pseudoscientific decoration? Polish Psychological Bulletin, 41(2), 58.

Yero, J. (2001). NLP and education: A shift of focus. Anchor Point Magazine, 15(9), 37-41.

Zastrow, C., Dotson, V., & Koch, M. (1987). The neuro-linguistic programming treatment approach. Journal of Independent Social Work, 1(1), 29-38.


 

Ego is Amigo: Web-Based Material for Learning English Grammar

Ikrar

161052501069

ikrarki@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

This paper reports on the use of ICT in support of language learning that utilizes one of the web-based or online material called English Grammar Online (EGO). Some descriptions aim to support teachers for enriching experiences of using the internet in teaching English grammar and also to provide students with a lot of educated and friendly activities concerning the features included in EGO. Thus, the author underlines two essential points which consist of an overview of the internet, web based learning and some series of insights regarding the features of EGO to be applied in language teaching particularly at Grammar activity in educational context. Finally, the content of the paper mainly inform both students and teachers to integrate technology in the field of language education.

Keywords: English Grammar Online (EGO), friendly tool, grammar, vocabulary

INTRODUCTION

Internet has a positive impact on both learner and teacher (Noni, 2010). Over few decades, educators around the world have been using the Internet to facilitate teaching and to enhance students learning. The benefits of web access as one of the internet services to encourage language learning are also well documented. Greenhow, Robelia, and Hughes (2014) found that the web provides broaden conceptualization of classroom in language learning. The students need to engage actively to the learning where they have more choices about how and where to spend their time and not just merely listening to a rigid instruction in a mainstream classroom. The web therefore provides almost everything that the students need. The existence of web at last assist teacher and provide students efficient learning through a virtual library which contains amount of many informations that the students can access (Bell, 1998; Greenhow et al., 2014; Murray & McPherson, 2004; Son, 2005).

Given the above mentioned benefits that the web has afforded to language learning, more specific approach for language learning have been created due to using the web. Shih (2010) found that the blended-model of learning by using video-based blogs contribute to the ability of students public speaking in ESL context. Another aspect in language components and also considered as the most complex subject such as grammar is also taken into account, Mohamad (2009) claimed that Internet-based grammar instruction showed effective result than conventional pen and board instruction. A multimedia courseware (e.g ELLIS Middle Mastery) in teaching grammar also have been researched (Nutta, 1998), the use of computer-based instruction performed bettwer than traditional directed instruction. Technology can equip students to independently organize their learning process. So, “instead of being passive recipients of information, students using technology become active users (Moeller & Reitzes, 2011).” It is obvious that the use of technology and many internet services to support language learning cannot be doubt as the innovative way from time to time in this globalization era.

With regard to the teaching grammar, the author introduces the website called English Grammar Online (EGO). EGO provides features as well as the materials that allow students to learn grammar, and at the same time practicing wiriting and vocabulary. The material can be freely accessed through online and no need to install any software in that case. The features also allow the students to choose and work on web-based exercises with their own or with the help of teachers. All the menus provided with systematic funtions and ease of use. The explanations and the examples, which students can always deal to even without broad explanation from the teacher. Furthermore this website is not merely focussed on serious learning but tend to attract students and as a friendly tool to learn English. Thus, the author called EGO as Amigo (friend in Spanish) particularly in learning English grammar.

EGO can be a very good resource of teaching English grammar if handled in appropriate way. By familiarizing students with innovative learning or using web page, they are motivated to learn English. The teacher are also expected to avoid the paradigm that grammar is a difficult subject for the students, moreover by using EGO website the obstacle to some extent will be solved. As Brown (1994) suggested that the teacher are hoped to create the optimal conditions for teaching of grammar. Interesting materials, interactive and gaming activities integrated into one website called EGO to bridge the gap of the latter case. The government also has facilitated students with computer and internet connection in many schools. Finally there may be no serious constraints that potentially hinder students to use technology and internet services. However the evaluation of the material need to be main concern since not all of the content of the website can be adapted as the instructional material.

It has to be acknowledged that teachers and students are positively affected by the use of Internet, in response to this, the paper briefly discusses an overview of Internet in language teaching especially in grammar and outlining the use of web site “English Grammar Online” for the students using them in EFL classroom context.

DISCUSSION

An Overview of Internet, Web Access and Web-Based Learning

The Internet, and web access for the contexts of learning have been transformed and gain popularity in recent years. Internet connectivity in schools has become increasingly pervasive. Before having any further exploration into the use of internet, it is woth noting that the internet closely related to world wide web but it is not synonymously used. The Internet is network of networks that is, a worldwide group of interconnected networks which allows people and computers to communicate and share resources (Intraprawat, 1999, p. 33) where the web is the system used to access and view information. The information in the website can be accessed through the wire which we call here as the internet. Once we connect to the internet, thousand of millions of information in the website we can freely access including text, audio, video, graphics and so fort.

The students can found the information on the web, they may identify words or concepts and use web directories to find items based on a given topic. And as they more agile to select the appropriate information, this will evoke the integration of their critical literacy skills, such as skimming, scanning, discrimating and categorizing (Murray & McPherson, 2004). The current term of people use and search the information in the internet is surfing, because they will deal with a world of infinity texts and also informations. And to make them all organized, the internet companies has provided search engines such as Google and Yahoo. This two well-established search engine are now the most popular. Nonetheless in the future, no one can predict that these will feature will be vanished and replaced with more sophisticated search engine.

Web based learning that is popularly known as web-based education refers to the application of web technology in education (Rusman, 2016). In this case, any teaching and learning activities and make use of Internet technology to facilitate the learning process of the students can be categorized as web-based education. This facility is used to facilitate whoever, wherever, and whenever the person is to be able to learn more fun, easier and cheaper by using Internet. The students can access to the learning sources anytime and anywhere, more open, more comfortable, more fun, faster and without any limits.

Many parties have tried to use web technology unwisely. They only use this media to download the materials needed as a reading task or to submit chapter reports or any other assignments via Internet without any further actions. If the technology is only used by this level, of course the learning process will not be optimum. The expected learning process in class via web is quite hard to manage compared to a common regular class. As monitoring the learning process using web involves many aspects such as special instructional designs that are able to invite the students to participate actively and willingly in any learning activities without the existence of his or her lecturers near them.

English Grammar Online (EGO)

There are a number of reasons why using the Internet is an essential way to teach and learn grammar. As the author emphasized previously that Internet provides everything for both teachers and students. The Internet has plenty of websites, many of which offer grammar activities that are presented in inventive and refreshing ways. A common feature of these activities is their requirement of students to explore and learn through drill and answering the questions. As an example, the author introduce one of the multifunction website called “English Grammar Online” for learning Grammar.

The origins of the website come by giving private class through online in April 2000. A year later, the exercises in the website were used approximately 20 visitors per day during that year. Some of them found the sites via search engines. And this encouraged the owner Mario Müller (Programmer), Heike Pahlow (Translator; German/English/Spanish) & Stefanie Czapla (Illustrator) to offer more exercises on the internet. And in August 2001 they started https://www.ego4u.com. Now the features are kept growing and there are about 45,000 users per day which several of them are regular visitors.

Features of EGO

EGO contains of seven broad menu, consisted of “Cram Up”, “Read On”, “Business”, “Chill Out”, “Take On”, and “Teach” In. Each of them designed to represent the sub menu below them.

Cram Up

Cram Up is the primary menu which contains of many explanation as well as the test. This is a kind of cramp course corner for students who need to learn general English efficiently without classifying their level. It consists of Grammar, Writing Vocabulary, Tests, Study Tips, and Daily English. In Grammar section, we will be shown by six categories involving an Overview of all English tenses, English Tenses Active, Confusing Tenses, Conditional Subjunctive, i-Pad-Apps, All other Grammar Topics. In the Writing section, the students can choose on several options whom they prefers to learn, there are four categories that students can click on it. Punctuation, Essays & presentation, Businesss English or Other Topics. In Vocabulary menu, the students will deal with four categories, numbers (explanation + exercises) Communication Situations, Easily Confused Words and Common Phrases. In Test section, here the students are able to test themselves by clicking on the level that the students prefer to choose, from level 1-3 on tenses test and level 1-4 on other english test. The students need to answer the questions by giving click on appropriate answer and input their answer through typing on their keyboard. There are five questions for each type. There also sub menu called Daily English, here the students may find explanation and triks to successfully learn English Grammar.

Read On

In this menu, there are a a lot of literature provided with simple yet interesting reading materials. There are three menus that are countries, animal and literatures. In Countries there are many facts on sights, history, culture and people from English speaking countries. Animals contains of description and fact about particular animals. And the last one is literature which provides english novel

Business

This menu is commonly provided for everyone who wanty to learn english for specific purpose particularly in business area. It includes general information and conversation in business context including the way of writing resume or curriculum vitae. There are also standard grammar for students in relation to business English. And the last features in this menu is Business tips, which provides several helpful tips and info about marketing, careers, negotiation, costumer service and shopping

Chill out

This menu is probably the most interesting activities for students who desire to learn English in fun way. It inspires the author to give the title of this paper as well as judge the web as a friendly medium. The students may take a rest for a while and try this feature in their leissure time, because learning grammar is sometimes frustrating. Several gaming activities are designed in different way so the students will find this features as an awesome one. This feature is mainly about game, including familiar games (e.g board games, doublets and hangman), riddles, English quizzes (e.g Shoppig Quizzes, Australian quizzes ect.), quriosities (xoxktailsm, SMS English and GOTHI) and personality quizzes like love test.

One of the activity called Board Game, it is a vocabulary game where the students can improve their English the fun way. All the students need is a ‘board’ figures, cards which are already provided in PDF (downloadable), a die, and a number of friends. The students as players only put the board on the table. Place the cards on the foto with the ego4u logo and put the figures on the START field. Every players chooses a figure and then the students can start. The first player casts the die and tries to translate the vocabulary/ phrase on the top card. Is the translation correct, the player may move forward by the number cast; is the translation wrong, the player must move back by that number (or remain on START). Then it’s the next player’s turn. The winner is who first arrives on the FINISH field.

CONCLUSION

This author comes to conclusion that the use of internet become a need in English language learning. Several websites are likely to design more innovative material for language learning. One of them is English Grammar Online (EGO) website. EGO is a necessary in helping students particularly when they are learning about English grammar. Many features are provided in the website not only to enhance the students grammar skills, but also their writing skills, vocabulary buldings, reading comprehension, basic conversation and evoking their English learning enthusiasm by engaging activities like game. It is obvious that the websites offer many facilities that the students want, they just need to search the information cleverly and wisely. Furthermore every activities in the internet should be tutored by teacher and guide the students to follow the lesson and fulfill the learning objectives.

REFERENCES

Bell, C. (1998). Everone’s using the Web, so why aren’t we?: Web design and the ESOL teacher. CAELL Journal, 8(4), 8-12.

Brown, D. (1994). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Greenhow, C., Robelia, B., & Hughes, J. E. (2014). Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship in a Digital Age: Web 2.0 and Classroom Research: What Path Should We Take Now? . Educational Researcher, 38(4), 246-259.

Intraprawat, P. (1999). Using the Internet for English Language Teaching. In K. O’Sullivan (Ed.), CALL: a guide for English language teachers: Thailand-Australia Science & Engineering Assistance Project (TASEAP).

Moeller, B., & Reitzes, T. (2011). Integrating technology with student-centered learning. United States of America.

Mohamad, F. (2009). Internet-based grammar instruction in the ESL classroom. International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, 5(2), 34-48.

Murray, D. E., & McPherson, P. (2004). Using the Web to support language learning: National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research Sydney.

Noni, N. (2010). Teknologi Informasi dan Komunikasi dalam Pendidikan. Makassar: Badan Penerbit Universitas Negeri Makassar.

Nutta, J. (1998). Is computer-based grammar instruction as effective as teacher-directed grammar instruction for teaching L2 structures? Calico Journal, 49-62.

Rusman. (2016). The Development of an E-Learning-Based Learning Service for MKDP Curriculum and Learning at the Indonesia University of Education. Development, 7(31).

Shih, R.-C. (2010). Blended learning using video-based blogs: Public speaking for English as a second language students. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(6).

Son, J. (2005). Making Web-based language learning meaningful. Paper presented at the Second International Conference on Pedagogies and Learning, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia.


 

Implementation of Material Development in Language Teaching




INTRODUCTION

Language teaching has three essential components: students, teachers, and materials. Those are integrated to create the process of teaching and learning in language classroom. The materials play a role as the most substantial and observable component among all of them. Therefore we cannot deny that nowadays the materials has evolved into more complex object (Rubdy, 2007) which include workbooks, practical guides, audio and video supports, even the sophisticated CALL programs are also taking consideration as result of today’s development.

In this current decade, educators in language teaching tend to use all guidance provided by the material, where the content for instance in the commercial coursebook does not always meet the variety of conditions in a language class. In this regard, teachers as materials developers need to explore their instructional materials in order to be relevant to the need and demands of particular students. In doing so, well-established set of principles and the procedures should be taken into account during teachers’ involvement in material development.

This paper provides insights into how theoritically the materials are designed as well as the practical undertaking of the material development. As Tomlinson (2007) stated that materials development is both a field of study and a practical undertaking. This paper therefore divided into two sections. The first section will mainly outline the principle and several frameworks concerning material development as a field of study. The second section will present the illustration of how practically the materials are developed with reference on the principle and framework in the first section.

Finally, the content of the paper are designed so as to be applicable for the teachers in a time when they need to design their instructional materials. Every teacher is a material developer (Nunan & Carter, 2001) so the teachers put themselves in challenging situation. Furthermore by understanding the principles and the procedures of developing the materials, at least these efforts to some extent can contribute to the quality of the instructional material and finally create an effective language classroom.

DISCUSSION

The further explanations contain of theprocess of material development in which devided into two sections. Material as a field of study and the implementation of the material development.

A. The Process of Material Development: In Theory

Materials development refers to anything which is done by writers, teachers, or learners to provide sources of language input and to exploit those sources in ways to promote language learning. Jolly and Bolitho (2011) in their frameworks for developing materials mentioned that the identification of need (particularly students’ need) are necessary. By considering the latter aspect, any further issue will be overcome as teachers develop their material.

As in introduction emphasized that in this section, it will be focused on the theory developed by scholars to design materials as well as systematically follow the procedure of material development including the process of evaluating, adapting and selecting the material. This part will be as the primary stage/theory to assist the practice in the section B.

1. Materials Evaluation

Tomlinson (2011) considered material evaluation as a procedure that involves examining learning materials to establish their value. It shows us that the materials in language teaching are not a perfect thing and they are likely unripe resources in which the content are needed to be examined as well as making judgments about whether or not it is suitable for the students’ need and their interest.

Furthermore, materials evaluation tries to measure particular aspect for instance, the appeal of the materials to the learners, the credibility of the materials to learners, teachers and administrators; (Do the material looks as though they are going to meet their needs and wants?), the validity of the materials (i.e. Is what they teach worth teaching?, is the learning they attempt to facilitate worth facilitating?), the reliability of the materials; (i.e. would the materials have the same effect with different groups of target learners and when “delivered” by different teachers?), the ability of the materials to interest the learners and the teachers, the ability of the materials to motivate the learners, the value of the materials in terms of short-term learning (important, for example, for performance on tests and examinations), the value of the materials in terms of long-term learning (of language, language skills and communicative), the learners’ perceptions of the value of the materials, the teachers’ perceptions of the value of the materials, the assistance given to the teachers in terms of preparation, delivery and assessment, the flexibility of the materials (e.g. the extent to which it is easy for a teacher to adapt the materials to suit a particular context), the contribution made by the materials to teacher development, the match with administrative requirements (e.g. standardization across classes, coverage of a syllabus, preparation for an examination).

a. Principles of Materials Evaluation

Most evaluations by teachers are impressionistic. However, the evaluations should be driven by an articulated set of principles. In developing a set of principles, it is useful to consider the following;

1) The Evaluator’s Theory of Learning and Teaching

The evaluator’s theory of learning and teaching is a theory that comes from the teachers experience in learning and teaching process. All teachers develop theories of learning and teaching which they apply in their classroom. Many researchers argue that it is important for teacher to try to achieve an articulation of their theories by reflecting on their practice. The experience of one teacher to other is different; it means that every teacher needs to consider their own teaching experience in constructing their teaching materials.

2) Learning Theory

Learning theory is a theory that comes from the result or findings of the research that conducted by the expert. There are 7 theories that are convincing and applicable according to Tomlinson (2011) such as: (1) Deep processing, processing is semantically focused on meaning of the intake and relevance to learner, it refers to effective and durable learning, (2) Affective engagement focuses on showing positive attitudes towards the learning process, (3) Mental connection focuses on students are actively making connection that constitute learning which connection need to be made between what is being learned and the learner’s life and between the learning experience and its potential value in the future, (4) Experiential learning is essential (though not necessarily sufficient) and, in particular apprehension should come to the learner before comprehension, (5) Learner’s will only learn if they need and want to learn, (6) Materials which address the learner in an informal, personal voice are more likely to facilitate learning than those which use a distant, formal voice, and (7) Multidimensional processing of intake: mental processes as sensory imagine and the use of inner voice.

b. Types of Materials Evaluation

There aredifferent types ofevaluation, they differ in purpose, in personel, in formality and in timing. Tomlinson (2011) stated that there are three types of material evaluation, they are: pre-use evaluation, whilst-use evaluation and post-use evaluation.

1) Pre-use Evaluation

Pre-use evaluation involves making predictions about the potential value of materials for their users. It is based on three contexts namely, context free, context influenced, and context dependent. Context free, as in a review of materials for a journal, context influenced as in a review of draft materials for a publisher with target users in mind and context-dependent, as when a teacher selects a course book for use with her particular class. Often pre-use evaluation is impressionistic, unreliable, and subjective. It consists of a teacher flicking through a book to gain a quick impression of its potential value. Making an evaluation criterion-referenced can reduce (but not remove) subjectivity and can certainly help to make an evaluation more principled, rigorous, systematic and reliable.

2) Whilst-use Evaluation

Whilst use Evaluation involves measuring the value of materials while using them or while observing them being used. It can be more objective and reliable than pre-use evaluation as it makes use of measurement rather than prediction. However, it is limited to measuring what is observable and cannot claim to measure what is happening in the learners’ brains. It can measure short-term memory through observing learner performance on exercises but it cannot measure durable and effective learning because of the delayed effect of instruction. There are some things that can be measured in a whilst-use evaluation, they are; clarity of instructions, clarity of layout, comprehensibility of texts, credibility of tasks, achievability of tasks, achievement of performance objectives, potential for localization, practicality of the materials, teachability of the materials flexibility of the materials, appeal of the materials, motivating power of the materials, impact of the materials, effectiveness in facilitating short-term learning

3) Post-use evaluation

Post-use evaluation is probably the most valuable (but least administered) type of evaluation as it can measure the actual effects of the materials on the users. It can measure both short-term effect (motivation, impact, achievability, instant learning) and long-term effect (durable learning and application). It can answer such important questions as: What do the learners know which they did not know before starting to use the materials?, What do the learners still not know despite using the materials?, What can the learners do which they could not do before starting to use the materials, What can the learners still not do despite using the materials?, To what extent have the materials prepared the learners for their examinations?, To what extent have the materials prepared the learners for their post course use of the target language?, What effect have the materials had on the confidence and motivation of the learners?, Did the teachers find the materials easy to use? Did the materials help the teachers to cover the syllabus? and Did the administrators find the materials helped them to standardize the teaching in their institution?.

Furthermore, there are some ways of measuring the post-use effects of materials include: tests of what has been ‘taught’ by the materials; tests of what the students can do; examinations; interviews; questionnaires; criterion-referenced evaluations by the users; post-course diaries; post-course ‘shadowing’ of the learners; Post-course reports on the learners by employers, subject tutors, etc. The main problem, of course, is that it takes time and expertise to measure post-use effects reliably (especially as, to be really revealing, there should be measurement of pre-use attitudes and abilities in order to provide data for post-use comparison).

c. Developing Criteria for Materials Evaluation

In order to develop a set for formal criteria for use on a particular evaluation and then to use that set as a basis for developing subsequent context-specific sets. Initially this is demanding and time consuming, but it not only helps the evaluators to clarify their principles of language learning and teaching but it also ensures the future evaluations (both formal and informal) are systematic, rigorous and above all principled .one way of developing a set of criteria is a follows.

1) Brainstorm a List of Universal Criteria

Universal criteria are those which would apply to any language learning materials anywhere for any learners. Brainstorming a random list of such criteria is a very useful way of beginning an evaluation by phrase the criteria as specific questions rather. For example; do the materials provide useful opportunities for the learners to think for themselves? and are the instructions clear?

2) Subdivide Some of the Criteria

Subdivide the criteria into more specific question is useful if the evaluation is going to be used as a basis for revision or adaptation of the materials. For example: Are the instructions: succinct?, sufficient?, separated?, sequenced?,

3) Monitor and Revise the List of Universal Criteria

Monitor the list and rewrite it according to the following criteria:

· Is each question an evaluation question? (e.g. To what extent are the tests likely to provide useful learning experiences?)

· Does each question only ask one question? (e.g. Is the book likely to be attractive to your students?, Is it suitable for the age of your students?)

· Is each question answerable?

· Is each question free of dogma? (e.g. Are the various stages in a teaching unit (what you would probably call presentation, practice and production) adequately developed?)

· Is each question reliable in the sense that other evaluators would interpret it in the same way (e.g. are the materials sufficiently authentic?, Do the activities work? )

4) Categorize the List

It is very useful to rearrange the random list of universal criteria into categories which facilitate focus and enable generalizations to be made. Possible categories for universal criteria would be: learning principles, cultural perspective, topic content, teaching points, texts, activities, methodology, instructions, design and layout.

5) Develop media-specific criteria

These are criteria which ask questions of particular relevance to the medium used by the materials being evaluated (e.g. criteria for books, for audio cassettes, for videos, etc.). Example of such criteria would be: Is it clear which sections the visuals refer to?

6) Develop content-specific criteria

These are criteria which relate to the topics and/or teaching points of the materials being evaluated. Examples of content-specific criteria would be: Do the reading texts represent a wide and typical sample of genres?

7) Develop age-specific criteria

These are criteria which relate to the age of the target learners. These criteria would relate to cognitive and affective development, to previous experience, to interests and to wants and needs. Examples of age-specific criteria would be: Are there short, varied activities which are likely to match the attention span of the learners?


8) Develop Local Criteria

These are criteria which relate to the actual or potential environment of use. According to Tomlinson, typical features of the environment which would determine this set of materials are: the type(s) of institution(s); the resources of the institution(s); class size; the background, needs and wants of the learners; the background, needs and wants of the teachers; the language policies in operation; the syllabus; the objectives of the courses;

9) Develop other criteria

Other criteria which it might be appropriate to develop could include teacher-specific, administrator-specific, gender-specific, culture-specific or L1-specific criteria and, especially in the case of a review for a journal, criteria assessing the match between the materials and the claims made by the publishers for them.

10) Trial the criteria

It is important to trial the criteria (even prior to a small, fairly informal evaluation) to ensure that the criteria are sufficient, answerable, reliable and useful. Revisions can then be made before the actual evaluation begins.

11) Conducting the evaluation

From experience, Tomlinson (2011) has found the most effective way of conducting an evaluation is to:

· Make sure that there is more than one evaluator;

· Discuss the criteria to make sure there is equivalence of interpretation;

· Answer the criteria independently and in isolation from the other evaluator(s);

· Focus in a large evaluation on a typical unit for each level (and then check its typicality by reference to other units);

· Give a score for each criterion (with some sets of criteria weighted more heavily than others);

· Write comments at the end of each category;

· At the end of the evaluation aggregate each evaluator’s scores for each criterion, category of criteria and set of criteria and then average the scores;

· Record the comments shared by the evaluators;

· Write a joint report.

2. Materials Adaptation

Material Adaptation is the altering of materials to improve or make them more suitable for a particular type of learner or group of students. In preparation for a particular lesson, teacher may decide to use only part of a unit, add or delete texts or activities, replace or supplement texts or activities with one from other sources. When they teach this lesson, they make further on-the-spot changes in response to the learners’ reactions. They may, for instance: shorten or lengthen an activity, skip an activity and go to the next one, change the order of activities.

What teachers are doing here is in fact materials adaptation. Interestingly, materials adaptation seems to be something teachers do a lot but which is rarely researched or included on training courses. Consequently, teachers may not have any help but their own personal beliefs, experience and intuition in adapting materials.

a. A model for Adapting Courses

In process of adapting material, the important thing that should be considered are the materials tend to focus on the learning styles, the learning needs and the learning interest. Here are the list of key features in doing material adaptation as suggested by Saraceni (2011);

1) Learner-centered

The material should put learners at the center of learning process and make them the main input providers, while the teacher have a role as a facilitator of language learning and should give a stimulus, starting point, for language exposure as well as for different approaches.

2) Flexibility and choice

Materials should be flexible which the learners can deliver possibility alternative task, activities, project and approaches and therefore of adapting the materials to their own preferred learning needs. In other hand, they should also be exposed to a variety of different activities and approaches so that they can more flexible and having different experience or way in learning. Materials not only provide choice, but also enable learners to develop a variety of skills and learning styles by stimulate them to be exposed and choose to experience a wide range of task and approaches so they may become independent learners.

3) Open-ended

In this context, the materials aim to make learners open with the other perception or opinion. The aim of materials moves from comprehension testing towards a deeper understanding and awareness of the language exposure with the emphasis on individual differences. If the materials are open-ended, it is become more relevant to learners thanks to adaptation.

4) Relevant

In the process of adapting material, the material should significance and potential for the learners. It is in fact, by virtue of such contributions that materials are produced and adapted. The adaptation process is a process that can make materials relevant and effective for learning development.

5) Universal

Materials should be based on universally appealing topics which are culturally provoking in the sense that they are culturally specific but at the same time, they are present in all cultures. This provides the stimulus for discussion and it enables learners to focus and become more aware of cultural differences as well as cultural similarities and commonalities.

6) Authentic

Material should be based on authentic texts which have been written for any purpose other than language teaching. The task should be based on realistic situation in order to expose the learners to realistic input.

b. Reasons for adaptation

Reasons for adaptation have varied and changed as the field has developed and views on language acquisition and teaching practice have become better informed by research and experience. McDonough and Shaw in Islam and Mares (2011) have listed the reasons for adaptation clearly reflects a concern that communicative language teaching implies an unsystematic approach to grammar presentation and a belief that a systematic approach to grammar presentation, they are:

1) Not enough grammar coverage in general

2) Not enough practice of grammar points of particular difficulty to these learners

3) The communicative focus means that grammar is presented unsystematically

2) Reading passages contain too much unknown vocabulary

3) Comprehension questions are too easy, because the answers can be lifted directly from the text with no real understanding

4) Listening passages are inauthentic, because they sound too much like written material being read out

5) Not enough guidance on pronunciation

6) Subject matter inappropriate for learners of this age and intellectual level

7) Photographs and other illustrative material not culturally acceptable

8) Amount of material too great/too little to cover in the time allocated to lessons

9) No guidance for teachers on handling group work and role-play activities with a large class

10) Dialogues too formal, and not really representative of everyday speech

11) Audio material difficult to use because of problems to do with room size and technical equipment

12) Too much or too little variety in the activities

13) Vocabulary list and a key to the exercises would be helpful

14) Accompanying tests needed is necessary

Besides, there are other factors of adaptation that is also concluded by Cunningsworth, they are: the dynamics of the classroom, the personalities involved, the constraints imposed by syllabuses, the availability of resources, the expectations and motivations of the learners.

c. Techniques for Adaptation

In conductingthe adaptation, teacher should deal with the techniques in roder to prepare them to face awkwardness in adapting their materials. To ease that, McDonough, Shaw and Cunningsworth in Islam and Mares (2011) offer lists of techniques that may be used when adapting materials better to ‘fit’ a specific class. These techniques are:

1) Adding

When adding to published materials the teacher is supplementing the existing materials and providing more material. The teacher can do this by either extending or expanding. Extending is when extending an activity the teacher supplies more of the same type of material, thus making a quantitative change in the material. Expanding classroom material is different from extending in that it adds something different to the materials; the change is qualitative. For instance, the teacher may feel her students need to be made aware of the different sounds of verb endings when used in the simple past but the coursebook does not address this phonetic issue.

2) Deleting; Subtracting and Abridging

As with the technique of adding, material can be deleted both quantitatively (subtracting) or qualitatively (abridging). When subtracting, for example, a teacher can decide to do five of the questions practising the simple past tense instead of the ten in the coursebook. When abridging, however, the teacher may decide that focusing attention on pronunciation may inhibit the learner’s fluency and decide not to do any of the pronunciation exercises in a coursebook.

3) Simplifying

When simplifying, the teacher could be rewording instructions or text in order to make them more accessible to learners, or simplifying a complete activity to make it more manageable for learners and teachers. It is worth pointing out here that there is a distinct danger of distorting language when attempting to simplify a text and thus making the text inauthentic.


4) Reordering

When reordering, the teacher has decided that it makes more pedagogic sense to sequence activities differently. An example is beginning with a general discussion before looking at a reading passage rather than using the reading as a basis for discussion.

5) Replacing Material

When replacing material a teacher may decide that a more appropriate visual or text might serve an activity better than the ones presented in the published material. A teacher could decide to replace an illustration for one that students could identify with more closely or use information concerning a popular figure with whom the students are familiar rather than the one presented in the published materials. Or teachers may also decide to replace a whole activity depending on the goals of a particular class or lesson. For example, a reading activity might be replaced with a listening activity.

3. Materials Selection

The selection of material includes; corresponding the material to the context which they are going to be used according to the needs and interest of students and teacher. It is aimed to find the best fit of them. Littlejohn (1998) in Rubdy (2007) observes that the use of a set of material need to be able to examine whether or not the methodology and content is appropriate to the students, teacher, and classroom for particular language teaching context.

The selection of materials inevitably includes a process of evaluation which can be taken from variety of purposes and carried out in a variety of ways. The essential analysis in Materials involves two stages. The first stage would consist of evaluating the content of the book in relation to its professed aims. This stage would also include considering whether the target age range, culture, assumed background of students have been clearly specified in the blurb and the extent to which they are valid and appropriate to the intended learners.

The second stage of analysis involves assessing the effectiveness of materials in terms of the specific needs and context of the intended learners as well as how well they serve the teaching–learning process. The framework basically addresses stage of evaluation and consists of three broad categories: (1) the learners’ needs, goals and pedagogical requirements; (2) the teacher’s skills, abilities, theories and beliefs; and (3) the thinking underlying the materials writer’s presentation of the content and approach to teaching and learning respectively.

a. A Framework for the Selection of Course books

When it comes to design a course book, Rubdy (2007) provided a framework for choosing course books. There are three elements namely ‘psychological validity, pedagogical validity and process and content validity’. In other words, it focuses on students, teachers and materials. When developing materials, the materials should be coherent to students’ needs, objectives and academic requirements. The materials should also concern with teacher’s skills, abilities, theories and beliefs. Lastly, the materials should consider how the teaching contents are presented and the process of teaching and learning.

1) Psychological Validity

Psychological validity represents a need for student-focus. Materials should be developed to include such factors as learners’ needs, learners’ autonomy, self-development, creativity and cooperation. Materials should be relevant to the needs of language learners. The experience of working with the activities contained in materials should provide students with confidence in their ability to communicate despite difficulties (Hall in Brian Tomlinson, 2007).

2) Pedagogical Validity

Pedagogical validity focuses on teachers’ needs and developments. While it is their role to teach students, teachers should be encouraged to improve their skills and capabilities and obtain new ones. This can not only be achieved by teachers’ abilities and willingness to reflect on their practices but it also requires teachers to have a positive attitude to a possibility of acquiring new skills. As a result, materials should provide detailed teachers’ notes but with a balanced guidance. Materials should be flexible to allow a wide variety of teachers who have different teaching styles and personalities to use a course book effectively. Materials should cater for nonnative teachers to meet their expectations, perspectives and preferences. Materials should encourage teachers to create their own choice of teaching in such ways that they can add or delete teaching contents or structure their lessons in their preferred ways. Materials should offer teachers opportunities to adapt and localize the teaching contents.

3) Process and Content Validity

Process and content validity concerns about a course book’s design and a process of a course book’s writer intention for its book to be used. In this section, it focuses on such factors as the methodology, content, format, appropriacy, authenticity, layout, cultural sensitivity, accessibility, linkage, selection/grading, sufficiency, balance/integration/challenge, stimulus/ practive/revision, flexibility and educational validity.

Materials including activities, should be realistic and taken from the real world’ settings. Materials should encourage the real-world’s communication developments. Materials should concern about students’ cultural differences and offer contents that are suitable for each culture. Materials should offer similarities and differences of cultures for learners’ exposure. Materials should be accurate without typographical errors, colorful and have enough white spaces on each page. Materials should be user friendly with a clear flow and a list of indexes, vocabulary lists and other methods to aid students to use materials without difficulty especially when they want to revise or study by themselves. Materials should be challenging that go beyond the superficial understanding of the contents and it should require students to challenge their own abilities for their further development. Materials should allow students to make their own revision and evaluation where self-checks should be made available.




B. The Process of Material Development: In Practice

In this section, it will be focused on the practical undertaking of the process of material development. By considering the theory which already discussed previously, the writer develop the process regarding the evaluation and adaptation of the course book.

1. Material Evaluation

In this section the writer applies pre-use evaluation to evaluate the material. The writer develops some areas concerning material evaluation as follow;

a. General Apperance

The material evaluated is the students’ commercial coursebook entitled Bahasa Inggris for Second Grade of Senior High School (SMA/MA/SMK/ MAK) of first semester. The students’ course book is prepared by governments as regard to the implementation of 2013 Curriculum (K-13). For the purposes of this paper, the evaluation is limited only to Chapter 2 with the main topic Stop Bullying Now. The topic is considered as a relevant material for students since bullying in educational context is still rampant and must be eradicated.

The font size used is Calibri, 11pt, it size and type are considered fair for the particular students. The layout and design of the materials reflect a very structured approach. There is a clear structure and consistency in appearance throughout the student book in terms of activity and colours. This is good for learners who like the familiarity of such a structured approach, but not so good for those who prefer more variety. The illustrations in the books and on pictures are generally realistic and functional, but there is also ambiguous. in page 28, there is a picture of a boy and there is written in the middle of the picture, stand up and speak out. It informs the students to fight for himself if they are bullied rather than avoiding any harsh behaviour that ead to bullying.

b. Learning Context

The learning context is an EFL school in Indonesia. The students attend only two hours of English lesson per week which means the allocated time is very limited. The syllabus is closely linked to the course book with student progress reports being issued twice a year indicating whether learners can satisfactorily use the language from each of the course book units that they have studied. The group of students being considered in this paper is around sixteen to seventeen years of age. The students have all been learning English for a minimum of five years and have slightly differing proficiency levels.

c. Activities

The content of chapter 2: Stop Bullying Now contains of several activities including; pre reading activities-post reading activities, personal journal writing, answering the question from particular tasks, role play conversation, writing connection, parents connection.

Although there are various activities presented in the chapter, there is an inappropriate balance of activity types. As an example, in individual acitivities, there are four kinds of activities including pre-reading, personal journal writing, task completion and writing connection. Where the others have insufficient scope like in pair only has role play conversation activity and for group work there are post reading activity and parent connection activity. The activities allow for some individual to recognize some expressions and practice them, but overall reflect on the topic (bullying). Therefore the consistency of the materials are well presented.

While many activities are sufficiently challenging and engaging for students, some appear to be of little difficult and exhausting for sixteen- or seventeen-year old learners. For example, in the post-reading activity, the students are asked to note down their opinion regarding the open questions. Some of them are presented in writing question which are largely used in IBT TOEFL test (for example. Do you think bullying is a serious issue in your school? Give reasons to support your opinion, on page 30). Here the subjects are EFL students, by asking such questions and answering them will take too much time and in fact, there are seven of them and this will eventually make the students feel exhausted.

Such activities, as presented, do not engage the learners’ interest or provide a sufficient linguistic or cognitive challenge. However, it is possible to adapt materials such as the flashcards, which come in small and large sizes, for use in more interesting and challenging activities.

d. Language Skills

The materials provide adequate opportunities for developing language skills of reading, writing, and speaking. Reading activities in the material consist of three phase; pre, while and post reading and each of them has provided detail instruction about what the students have to do. In Writing, most of the activities are presented in a way that the students put their own idea into their writing. The last language skill cited in the material is Speaking. Unfortunately the activities concerning the instruction of speaking skill is not maximized as good as the tasks. The materials have provided some expressions about; statement, agreement and disagreement but not followed by innovative instruction to support interactive speaking. For example, on the page 36, there are a lot of sample of expressions that the students can use when they talk, but there is no any instruction that lead the students to apply them in certain condition. Another lack of this chapter is that Listening activity is not mentioned explicitely in the material.

Overall, the materials provide sufficient opportunities (yet need to be revised) to develop all the essential elements in language.

e. Language Content

The language presented provides generally American English and it is appropriate (no harsh words) for the age and abilities of the EFL students. Most of the vocabularies in the passage (Page 29) are high frequencies which means that the students will easily recognize and understand the content of the passage. However, there are some of them who still have low frequency level of vocabularies. In addition, the content of the dialogues are too formal which not representative of everyday speech, also the expression sounds like writing structure rather than speaking.

f. Topic Content

The topic content is generally realistic and likely to appeal the students. The topic of negative behavior like Bullying can be experienced by students any time in their real life. The materials also mostly avoid presenting negative racial, cultural and sexual stereotypes. The example case in the passage is also taken from the indonesian context, it can be clearly seen from a kind of mocking like Sumatran elephant or baboon gentong. However, the activity of let’s create/contribute (page 45) appear to be more irrelevant to the topic since it discussed about the corruption.

g. Teachability and Flexibility

The materials are easy for teachers to use. It offers extensive teaching support, providing complete lesson plans and many ideas for games and activities. However, it is based again on the teacher’s skill to manage them all. The activity in chapter 2 of the book is particularly well-suited to teaching in EFL classroom. The materials provide Indonesian-specific content it is possible to localize and personalize most activities. Furthermore it is possible to adapt the materials to cater for different preferred learning styles.

2. Material Adaptation

Previously we have just illustrated about material evaluation. It shows us that there are some aspects in the material that need to be adapted, including the aspect of inappropriate balance of the activities, limited instruction, missing essential language componet (listening activity) and irrelevant topic. In this section, the writer presents the example of how activities from the English book in chapter 2: Stop Bullying Now can be adapted to make it more effective for language learning.

The writer’s model for adapting is based on a learner-centered perspective outlined on page 10 of this paper because the topic of Bullying has more potential to create effective learning envrionment if they are given more chances to deliver their opinion and become the center learning process. The writer therefore emphasizes at interactive lesson with various approaches and instruction that the teacher may use.

a. The activity and the instructions

As in the evaluation section discussed that the students book in chapter 2: Stop Bullying Now has inappropriate balance of activity types where the activityies are dominated by individual effort. The topic of Bullying is best delivered in group or at least in pair. The phenomena of bullying become worse because students as victim are afraid to tell their experience to their parents, so if they have many friens to share, the problems to some extent can be resolved. Having regard to this discussion, the interative activity in chapter 2 should be added for instance grouping the students.

In post reading activity (page 30), the instruction and the question should be MODIFIED into;

Read the questions carefully. Note down your opinions and reactions to the questions. Discuss with your seatmate about the best response of each questions.

The question is also REDUCED (Substracting) into three from seven questions so that the students will give their best answer easily.

1) Did this opinion article raise/change your awareness about bullying? Please explain.

2) Discuss the article on bullying in a group? Does it change your perspective on bullying or not? Give reasons to support your answers.

3) What can young people like you do to prevent or stop bullying? List at least three things you and your friends can do to prevent or stop bullying.

In writing activity (page 31), the instructions quite clear and creative. The writer consider that this activity should be maintained and no need to make any change at all.

In speaking activity (expressions), the writer OMITS (Abridging) some of the lessons (page 33-35) and SIMPLIFY them so as the content of the activity will be easily followed by the students. The structure of lesson will be more like the table as presented in page 36 but cover all the previous lesson that ommitted previously. The instruction will be like;

Complete the agreement and disagreement expressions below into a sentence that involving your reasons! Please complete at least two expressions of your choice for each statement. The first one has been done for you!





After completing this lesson, there is a follow up activity that allows students to work in pair concerning their previous answers.

Compare your answer to your seatmate, and discuss what best decision of each answer. Then the teacher will conclude of all the students’ answer.

Because there was no explicitly listening activity in the book of chapter 2, the writer expects that the teach can provide the an example of an audio or a video regarding debate contest session so that the students will listen to the conversation, the debate between pro and contra party. During that process, the students will identify and differentiate between the expression of agreement and the expression of disagreement in a piece of paper.

Please note down any statement you hear from the audio/video, make sure that the statements are considered as disagreement or agreement.

b. Language Content

Most of the vocabularies in the passage of Bullying : a cancer that must be eradicated on page 28 are designed in high frequencies which mean that the students will easily recognize and understand the content of the passage. However, there are few vocabularies which have low frequency level that need to be changed into high level frequency.





The table below will show the lists of vocabularies level of frequency.




Another activity that need to be revised is in the Building Blocks activity (page 32), the conversations between a man and a woman look so rigid. The word choices and sentence structure seem like difficult for the EFL students and some of the conversations are more like writing structure rather than speaking in action. For example;

Woman : In my opinion Government should provide means of sustenance for under privileged people instead of building tall towers.

Man : I agree with what you are saying but have you ever thought that building tall towers provides work for unemployed people?

In woman line, her reason is so too and contains of several low level frequencies which most of the students will difficult to understand her. Notice that the purpose of the conversation is we are as the listener can get information from the speaker. So we should make clear the point we want to deliver.

The sentence can be SIMPLIFIED into;

Woman : In my opinion, the government serve their society first instead of building tall towers

In man line, he shows disagrement expression yet it sounds like the writing structure. Instead of saying I agree with what you are saying, it is better if we just say I agree wih you. This sounds much better and simple, and the EFL students will probably apply this expression in their real life.

c. Topic Content

There is no significant change to the topic content of the material. However, the activity of let’s create/contribute (page 45) appear tobe more irrelevant to the topic since it discusses about the corruption, smoking and others unrelated issue. The writer will change the content (DELETING) into more interactive activity in order that is connecting to the topic. Below there will be detail instruction as well as the task that the students will deal with.

Let’s create/Contribute

The objective of this activity is to gather opinion of people by conducting an interview. With a partner, develop a series of questions (not more than 6) related to prevent a bullying behavior, and ask your friends, your neighbor or your closest family. After the interview, make a poster and put the opinions you have collected on the poster or you can make a flash card by your own drawing and share it in your class.

d. Flexibility of the material

In earlier explanation about material adaptation, the writer decides to apply the model of learner-centered in order that the students feel aware about the topic. Regarding to the flexibility of the material, the students’ English course book in chapter 2 about Bullying has interesting activities but still needed to explore more. For instance in the tips box (on page 32), it should be EXTENDED. The students’ feel curious about interesting and unusual fact. The tips box that should be added for instance;





DID YOU

KNOW?




1 in 3 teens on the internet has experienced harrashment




NOTICE THIS?




160.000 children miss school everyday due to fear of attack or intimidation by peers

CONCLUSION

In this paper, the writer have attempted to show that while commercially produced materials can be valuable language learning resources, evaluating and adapting activities found in them can increase their potential for effective learning. This process has been shown to involve several systematic steps. Although many of the analysis only give prediction rather than measurement, the writer infers that it is better to recognize the students’ responses first and then begin to design appropriate materials for them. And also before evaluating and adapting the materials, it is also necessary to have a teaching approach which suit to the needs of the particular students.

Furthermore the evaluation of the materials revealed that although the contents of the students’ coursebook in Chapter 2 with the main topic Stop Bullying Now contain several creative activities, the contents still have flaws in certain parts. Therefore it is always worth conducting adaptation to make the materials are more suitable for language learning in classroom. By adapting activities found in course book to make them engaging tasks, teachers can provide young learners with experiences that enhance opportunities for effective language learning.




















REFERENCES

Islam, C., & Mares, C. (2011). Adapting Classroom Materials. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials Development in Language Teaching (2 ed.). UK: Cambridge.

Jolly, D., & Bolitho, R. (2011). A framework for materials writing. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials Development in Language Teaching (2 ed.). UK: Cambridge.

Nunan, D., & Carter, R. (2001). The Cambridge guide to teaching English to speakers of other languages. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Rubdy, R. (2007). Selection of Materials. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Developing Materials for Language Teaching. London: Continuum.

Saraceni, C. (2011). Adapting Courses: A Critical View. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials Development in Language Teaching (2 ed.). UK: Cambridge.

Tomlinson, B. (2007). Introduction: Are Materials Developing? In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Developing Materials for Language Teaching. London: Continuum.

Tomlinson, B. (2011). Materials Evaluation. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials Development in Language Teaching (2 ed.). UK: Cambridge.