Adapting material by Halim

Prévia do material em texto

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March 2016 
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND 
CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 
 
 
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Adapting Materials: Revisiting the Needs of Learners 
 
 
 
Shanjida Halim 
Department of English, College of Arts Abha 
King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia 
 
Tanzina Halim 
Department of English, College of Arts Abha 
King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia 
thlem@kku.edu.sa 
 
Abstract 
 
Text books undoubtedly play an important role for both students and teachers when they are 
being used in ESL / EFL classrooms, but some practitioners claim that there is not any text 
book that can be called perfect. Most of the time teachers are under a lot of pressure to select 
a course book for an ELT Program. However, most of the experienced teachers find that 
published materials do not always fulfill the needs of the learners. In our paper we are going 
to emphasize on the point why and how some teaching materials should be adapted for 
students. The paper will also focus on the debate of adopting and adapting materials 
preferred by teachers. The present study was carried out through an informal interview and a 
questionnaire was administered to a group of teachers who are experienced as well as new in 
the field of teaching. The findings revealed that most of the teachers preferred to adopt 
materials for teaching rather than adapting. 
 
Keywords: Adopting, Adapting, Textbook, Students' needs, Materials selection. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
mailto:thlem@kku.edu.sa
 
 
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Introduction 
 
There is a tendency to associate the term 'language-learning materials' with course 
books by many people. However, the term materials is used to refer to anything which is used 
by teachers or learners to facilitate the learning of a language. Materials could be cassettes, 
videos, dictionaries, readers, workbooks or photocopied exercises. They could also be 
newspapers, food packages, photographs, live talks, instructions given by teachers, tasks 
written on cards or discussions between learners. In other words, they can be anything which 
is used to enhance the learners' knowledge and/or experience of the language. 
 
Meaning of Adaptation and Adoption 
 
 Most English teaching programs focus on teaching materials as an essential part of it. 
However, in spite of the availability of English language teaching materials, many teachers 
produce their own materials for classroom use. Most teachers spend a lot of time looking for, 
selecting, evaluating, adapting and making materials to be used in their teaching. Materials 
adaptation refers to the application of some strategies to make the textbook more effective and 
flexible. The process of changing or adjusting the various parts of a course book is closely 
related to the reality of dealing with learners in the dynamic environment of the classroom. 
 
Adhering/ adopting to the textbooks means that whatever textbooks are provided to the 
teachers, they consider those as the authority, thus, few or no adaptations to text are made. 
According to Richards and Renandya, adopting textbooks as the main source' deskill ' 
teachers (p.67). Adoption, in contrast with adaptation, is sometimes severely criticized 
because some teachers, especially novice teachers, compel students to memorize ready-made 
information. Moreover, the teachers who adopt materials are termed by some experts as 
classroom managers, technicians or implementers of others' ideas. 
 
The context of adaptation 
 
 Despite careful the design of the materials, some changes will have to be made at some 
level in most teaching contexts. Many times a textbook presents the material in a way that 
does not fit the reality of the classroom or the current needs of the students. It is at this point 
where the teacher has to define what to change, eliminate, add or extend. 
 
 
Adaptation tends to be thought of as a rather formal process in which the teacher makes 
a decision about, say, an exercise that needs changing, and then writes out a revised version 
for the class. 
 
Adapted material does not necessarily need to be written down or made permanent. It 
can be quite transitory: we might think of the response to an individual's learning behavior at 
a particular moment, for instance when the teacher rewords – and by doing so adapts – a text 
book explanation of a language point that has not been understood. 
 
 
 
 
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 P/1 
Madsen and Bowen make the point clearly: "The good teacher is constantly adapting. 
He adapts when he adds an example not found in the book… He adapts even when he refers 
to an exercise covered earlier or when he introduces a supplementary picture… While a 
conscientious author tries to anticipate questions that may be raised by his readers, the teacher 
can respond not merely to verbal questions… but even to the raised eyebrows of his students''. 
 
Therefore, we can say that the purpose of adaptation is to maximize the appropriacy of 
teaching materials in context, by changing some of the internal characteristics of a course 
book to suit our particular circumstances better. 
 
Objectives 
 
 The objectives of this present study are: 
 
1. To explore the context of adaptation 
 
2. The existing process or methods of adaptation 
 
3. The need of adapting teaching materials 
 
 
Literature Review 
 
For all practicing teachers textbooks play a constructive role in the curriculum. Many 
teachers even feel that textbooks appear to be the heart of teaching centers, but a lot of debate 
is there on the actual role of materials in those textbooks. In this context comes the need for 
adaptation. Now we would like to take a look at the views of some experts. 
 
 Block (1991) states,' despite the bounteous harvest of ELT materials which the past 
decades have provided, published materials do not always provide the type of texts and 
activities that a teacher is seeking for a given class' (p.211) 
 
 G. White (1998: 73) points out, "published materials of any kind have to cater for a 
very wide range of possible users, which means they cannot address any individual student or 
group of students directly." Teaching materials maybe internally coherent but not totally 
applicable in context ; alternatively they may be largely appropriate but at the same time they 
can show signs of an inconsistent organization. With an emphasis on materials, Stevick talks 
of bridging a gap: "the teacher must satisfy the demands of the textbook but in ways that will 
be satisfying to those who learn from it." 
 
From the views of the experts which have been mentioned above, we understand that 
undeniably, textbooks can rarely be employed without adaptation to make them more suitable 
for particular contexts in which they are used. But, there are advantages and disadvantages of 
adapting materials. Therefore, teachers must be experienced enough to understand which 
elements are being left out or inadequately covered while adapting their materials. 
 
 
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Methodology 
 
 In order to find out why some teachersprefer adopting to adapting, a Questionnaire 
comprising five items was administered to 15 Faculty Members in the Department of English, 
College of Arts, Abha. The participants were required to answer the questions within 10 
minutes. The type of response item used in the questionnaire was closed items. 
 
The following are some questions on both experienced and new teachers' 
concept of Adaptation and Adoption of teaching materials. 
 
 
No Yes 1. Are you familiar with the terms Adaptation/ 
Adoption of teaching materials? 
 
No Yes 2. Do you often Adapt teaching materials? 
No Yes 3. Do you feel that your hands are tied when you 
cannot do anything beyond dealing with the prescribed 
materials? 
No Yes 4. Do you agree that adopting text books as the main 
source deskill teachers? 
 
No Yes 5. Is material adaptation most of the time necessary 
for the learners? 
 
 
Results 
 
Out of 15 teachers, only seven teachers were familiar with the concept of adapting 
teaching materials. The others were not familiar with the concept and they preferred to adopt 
materials rather than adapt something. 
 
Having collected the responses of the teachers, an informal/ unstructured interview of 
the teachers was taken. The following observations emerged from the teachers: 
 
1. Materials adaptation is difficult due to the lack of experience and understanding on 
the part of teachers because hardly teachers have any formal training before they take up the 
teaching profession. 
 
2. Adopting materials is easy because of the work load of the teachers. If teachers 
wanted to design their own materials, that would be time consuming, hence the teachers seek 
the easy way out. 
 
3. Many teachers are not motivated to adapt materials due to the constraints on them 
from the institution(s) where they work. 
 
 
 
 
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 Reasons for Adapting 
 
 Some teachers may raise the question as to why adapt teaching materials if everything 
they need is already in a textbook developed by knowledgeable people. Richards and 
Renandya (2000) claim, textbooks may not reflect students' needs and may contain 
inauthentic language. They also assert that textbooks might present an idealized view of the 
world and fail to deal with real issues. Therefore, it is said that textbooks as the necessary 
tools for students and helpful guide for the novice teachers should be adapted with care in 
order to meet student's needs and not threaten teachers' professionalism. 
 
Our findings suggest that the following are the reasons for some teachers to adapt their 
materials: 
 
Unsuitable contents for the learners' level of proficiency 
 
Materials not fitting into the time available for the course 
 
Not enough grammar coverage 
 
Not enough practice of grammar points of particular difficulty for learners 
 
Grammar presented unsystematically 
 
Reading passages contain too much unknown vocabulary 
 
Comprehension questions are too easy and can be lifted from the text with no real 
understanding 
 
Subject matter inappropriate for age, culture or intellectual level 
 
Photographs and other illustrative materials insufficient or inappropriate 
 
Dialogues too formal not representative of everyday speech 
 
Too much or too little in the variety of activities 
 
Having discussed the reasons for adapting, we will now focus on some of the principles/ 
procedures of adaptation. 
 
Principles and Procedures of Adapting 
 
 Edge and Wharton (1998) suggest that ' experienced teachers do not tend to follow the 
script of a course book inflexibly. They add, delete and change tasks at the planning stage, 
and they reshape their plans during the lesson in response to the interaction that take place' 
(p.300) According to Allwright (1999, p.25)), textbooks are respected as ' resource books for 
ideas and activities' rather than as 'instructional materials'. However, if this receptacle of ideas 
 
 
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is not employed right, it can be a source of deviation. Modern teaching methodology 
emphasizes the importance of identifying and teaching to the individual needs of learners. 
English language classrooms are diverse places not only in terms of where they are situated 
but also in terms of the individual learners within each context. Commercial materials 
particularly those produced for the worldwide EFL market is that they are not aimed at any 
specific group of learners or any particular cultural or educational context. For many teachers 
designing or adapting their own teaching materials, enables them to take into account their 
particular learning environment and to overcome the lack of 'fit' of the course book. 
 
We will now take a look at some of the principles and procedures of adapting teaching 
materials: 
 
 
1. Adding 
 
2. Deleting 
 
3. Modifying / Rewriting 
 
 4. Simplifying 
 
5. Reordering 
 
Adding 
 
 The notion of addition is, on the face of it, straightforward, implying that materials are 
supplemented by putting more into them while taking into account the practical effect on time 
allocation. 
 
Example: If students find the explanation of a new grammatical point rather difficult, 
further exercises are added before they begin the practice material. 
 
It is worth pointing out that additions do not always have to be made on to the end of 
something. A new facet of material or methodology can be introduced before it appears in the 
framework of the course book. 
 
Deleting or omitting 
 
 Deletion is clearly the opposite process to that of addition. Addition and deletion often 
work together. Material may be taken out and then replaced with something else. 
 
 Example of Deletion from Reading Contents 
 
The following topics are included in the book titled Well Read 3 Skills and Strategies 
For Reading by Mindy Pasternak/ Elisaveta Wrangell which is followed in some institutions 
in Saudi Arabia 
 
 
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1. Affluenza 
 
2. Jobs, Occupations and Careers 
 
3. The Spirit of Competition 
 
4. Sea horse Fathers 
 
5. Addicted to the Internet 
 
6. Street Art Goes Inside (From Graffiti to Galleries) 
 
7. Solo Percussionist 
 
8. Free Bike Programs 
 
9. Give a Man a Fish 
 
10. A World of Fast Food 
 
Having looked at the contents of a reading book, teachers may want to investigate 
whether the reading materials are sufficiently transparent to motivate both students and 
teachers alike or, is there a student/ teacher mismatch. Some materials may seem attractive for 
the teacher but would not be very motivating for the learners. A balance has to be sought and 
hence teachers can delete some of the topics from the reading contents. 
 
Modifying/ Rewriting 
 
Modification is a very general term in the language applying to any kind of change. In 
other words, the act or process of changing something in order to improve it or make it more 
acceptable is known as modification or rewriting. 
 
The most frequently stated requirement for a change in focus is for materials to be made 
more communicative. This feeling isvoiced in many teaching situations where text books are 
considered to lag behind an understanding of the nature of language and students' linguistic 
and learning needs. 
Rewriting, therefore, may relate activities more closely to learners' own backgrounds 
and interests, introduce models of authentic language, or set more purposeful, problem-
solving tasks where the answers are not always known before the teacher asks the question. 
 
Example 
 
 If we look at the textbook Upper Intermediate Headway Unit 1 (pg. 13), here is a 
topic on Holiday Camps where there are questions like' Are there holiday camps for children 
in your country ? What can the children do there?' First of all, the students in many parts of 
 
 
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the world may not know about summer camps for children and it would be difficult for them 
to understand the situation. If the students are not familiar with what happens in summer 
camps then how would they relate the pictures with the activities related to summer camps. 
 
Simplifying 
 
 Strictly speaking, the technique of simplification is one type of modification, namely, a 
rewriting activity. The main application of this technique has been to texts, most often to 
reading passages. We can simplify according to: 
 
Sentence structure: Sentence length is reduced, or a complex sentence is rewritten as a 
number of simpler ones. 
 
Some teaching situations require attention to the simplification of content when the 
complexity of the subject matter is regarded as being too advanced. 
 
Example: 1." Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; 
nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider." Of Studies by Francis Bacon (1561-
1626) 
 
2. "This ability to capture pieces of the world seemed to come from school. No one had 
confirmed this but the chalk, the satchel, the morning departure toward this unknown place 
seemed linked to a ritual of power into which he longed to be initiated. – School Days by C. 
Patrick Tapestry Writing 3 
 
 
 
Having looked at the two examples mentioned above, it can be said ' texts written 
specifically for the classroom generally distort the language in some way.' (Nunan, 1988, p.6). 
 
Simplification can refer not only to content, but also to the ways in which that content is 
presented: we may decide not to make any changes to the original text, but instead to lead the 
learners through it in a number of graded stages. 
 
 Reordering 
 
 This procedure refers to the possibility of putting the parts of a course book in a 
different order. This may mean adjusting the sequence of presentation within a unit, or taking 
units in a different sequence from that originally intended. 
 
Example: Vocabulary Building 1 by Stuart Redman 
 
In some institutions the following book titled Vocabulary Building 1 – Stuart Redman 
is followed in the class to teach the students vocabulary in context. While following the book, 
it is noticed that out of 100 units, most of the units do not have to be taught in any particular 
order. 
 
 
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A reordering of material is appropriate keeping in mind the length of teaching program 
which may be too short for the course book to be worked through from beginning to end. 
 
It is likely in this case that the language needs of the students will determine the 
sequence in which the material will be taken. There is little point in working systematically 
through a text book if key aspects of grammar, vocabulary or communicative function are 
never reached. 
 
Discussion 
 
 The main objective of the present study was to show that modern teaching 
methodology emphasizes the importance of identifying and teaching to the individual needs 
of learners. English language classrooms are diverse places not only in terms of where they 
are situated, but also in terms of the individual learners within each context. Designing or 
adapting their own teaching materials enables many teachers to take into account their 
particular learning environment and to overcome the lack of 'fit' of the coursebook. 
 
Conclusion 
 
Adaptation is a very practical activity carried out by teachers in order to make their 
work more relevant to the learners with whom they are in day–to-day contact. O Neil (1990, 
p.151) says, ' textbooks are a resource for staying in touch with the language', but what is 
undisputable is that the selection of textbooks should be in line with students' needs There is a 
striking image of a teacher as a chameleon according to Strevens (1990) and he emphasizes 
on the fact that no teaching / learning situation is really static. There are no “perfect” materials 
and hence teachers must be aware of matching materials to course needs. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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References 
 
Allwright, R.L.(1981). What do we want teaching materials for? ELT Journal 1, 5-18. 
 
Block, D. (1991). Some thoughts on DIY materials design. ELT Journal, 45(3), 211-
217. 
 
Cunningsworth, A.(1984). Evaluating and selecting EFL teaching materials. London: 
Heinemann Educational Books. 
 
Ellis, G., & Sinclaire, B. (19890. Learning to learn English. Cambridge: Cambridge 
University Press. 
 
McDonough, J. and C. Shaw. 1993. Materials and Methods in ELT. Oxford: Blackwell. 
 
Nunan, D.(1988). Principles for designing language teaching materials. Guidelines, 
10(2), 1-24. 
 
Tomlinson, B. (1998). Materials Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge 
University Press.