Diseño de Materiales - Week 3 - Choosing Materials - First Steps

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 3 of the course Diseño de Materiales. In this class we will share some of your beliefs about teaching and learning and articulate how the can inform your approach to materials evaluation. We will also discuss some of the key concepts from the assigned chapter that gives an over view to different ways of analyzing and evaluating coursebooks.

Today's Goals:

• Contribute to a group document that expresses your collective beliefs about the teaching-learning process and propose related criteria for effective materials.
• Discuss the importance of developing a critical mindset regarding materials design and evaluation.
• Consider factors to take into account when carrying out an analysis of context and learner needs.
• Review four methods of materials analysis.

Guiding Questions:

• What are my beliefs about teaching and learning and how will they influence my choice of criteria to evaluate didactic materials?
• What methods of analysis can I use to evaluate didactic materials?

Task 1: Sharing our Learning Manifestos

Take a moment to share your manifestos with your partners. For the sake of time, be breif in your explanations. After each person shares, use the framework below to facilitate your group discussion.

Task 2: Categorizing Beliefs

Click the link below and add some of your most important beliefs to the document. Choose from the existing categories or write new categories in the spaces provided.

• Group Document: CLICK HERE

Task 3: Reading Concepts Discussion

Take a few minutes to discuss the prompts below related to the assigned reading for this week. 

• Critical Mindset: McGrath talks about the importance of teachers developing a critical mindset about materials. Look at the slide below and answer the question. 

• First Steps: McGrath reminds us of the importance of identifying important factors related to students' needs and the learning context before starting the process of materials evaluation. Look at the slides below and answer the questions. 

References:

McGrath, I. (2016). Materials Evaluation and Design for Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Edinburgh University Press. 

  TOEIC Preparation - Week 3

Warm Up: You saw that Knock Knock Jokes are a very common style of jokes in English that involve similar sounding words. To tell a knock knock joke, you must pretend that you are knocking on a person's door. The knock knock joke always follows  the same pattern.

• Joke Teller: "Knock Knock"
• Listener: "Who's there?"
• Joke Teller: "X"
• Listener: "X who?"
• Joke Teller: ...THIS IS "SUPPOSED TO BE" THE FUNNY PART

With your partners take turns clicking on the links and telling your knock knock jokes. You do NOT need to share your screen for this activity. If someone does not understand the joke, you can say it again. If nobody understands the joke, write down the number so you can discuss it with your teacher later.

Knock-Knock Jokes

• Joke 1: Click Here
• Joke 2: Click Here
• Joke 3: Click Here
• Joke 4: Click Here
• Joke 5: Click Here
• Joke 6: Click Here
• Joke 7: Click Here
• Joke 8: Click Here
• Joke 9: Click Here
• Joke 10: Click Here
• Joke 11: Click Here
• Joke 12: Click Here
• Joke 13: Click Here
• Joke 14: Click Here

Identify common distractor types!

Task 1: One of the most common distractor types in Parts 1 and 2 of the test are the use of similar sounding words. In this exercise you will practice identifying words that rhyme. On the top of page 1 in your anthology, draw the same shape around each of the words that rhyme. In the final column, you need to make your own symbol or letter system to identify the categories of rhyming words. 

Click to see full size image

Task 2: To practice some of the common distractor types for Part 1 of the test, draw a line to connect items from the three columns (Type, Description, Example) on the bottom of page 1 of your anthology.

Click to see full size image

What is the Question Asking?

Introduction: The biggest strategy for Part 2 is to pay very close attention to what the question is asking. Once you know that the question is asking about a person, place, time, etc., it will be much easier for you to identify which responses are appropriate and which are not. The graphic below contains some common question categories. 

Click to view full size.

Task 3: Make two teams, A and B. For task 1, Team A is going to CLICK HERE. Team B should NOT look at it! Team A is going to read some different questions and Team B will quickly say what category the question belongs in. 

Task 4: Now it's time for Team B to read the questions and Team A to categorize them. Team B is going to CLICK HERE. Team A should NOT look at it!

Task 5: Now both teams are going to take turns playing another quick thinking game. Team A says the name of a student from Team B and then reads one of their original questions. The student on Team B needs to respond to the question with a socially appropriate answer. Then Team B calls the name of a student from Team A and reads a question. The idea is to see how quickly you can do this!

Book Exercises

Page 10 - Task A

Click to see full version.

Page 11 - Task B

Click to see full version.

Question Analysis

Instructions: Click your group link below. You will see 10 prompts. For each one you need do the following:

• Idenitfy what the question is asking for.
• Write a plausible answer to the question.
• Look at the real answer choices and select the best option.
• Classify the two distractors.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE
• Group 6: CLICK HERE

Focused Practice

Instructions: Work with your partners to complete some collaborative quizes. Choose the kind of questions you want to focus on below. Remember to check the transcripts after you submit your answers.

• Quiz 1 - WHO - CLICK HERE
• Quiz 2 - WHAT - CLICK HERE
• Quiz 3 - WHEN - CLICK HERE
• Quiz 4 - WHERE - CLICK HERE
• Quiz 5 - WHY - CLICK HERE
• Quiz 6 - HOW - CLICK HERE
• Quiz 7 - YES/NO - CLICK HERE
• Quiz 8 - STATEMENTS - CLICK HERE

 English V - Week 2 - Cultural Differences

Introduction: In today's class we will continue to talk about rules of politeness and respect in different cultures and families. We will also explore the topic of traditional and modern diet. Follow your teacher's instructions to complete the tasks below.

Warm Up: This or That? 

Let's play a little game to get started. Spin the wheel and make a choice between the two options. Say which one you prefer and why. You have to choose one. Don't sit on the fence!

Spin the Wheel

Task 1: Group Discussion

In the first part of today's class we are going to talk about parenting styles and rules and behavior for children. Click play on the video timer and discuss the following questions for 5 minutes. 

• Do you consider yourself to be a polite person? What does that mean to you?
• Complete the sentence with the best idea and explain the reason.

• Children and teenagers today are _____ (more polite than / less polite than / as polite as) children and teenagers of the past.  

• How can parents raise children to be polite and respectful of others?
• When you were a child what were some of the rules in your house about polite behavior?
• Parents also have the challenge of helping their children develop good habits. What were some of your bad habits when you were a child? 

• Which of these things do you think should be:
  
  

  • Controlled strongly by parents?
  • Controlled a little by parents?
  • Left to the child to decide?

  
  

  • Watching TV
  • Practicing a musical instrument
  • Going out to play with friends
  • Doing homework
  • Choosing which subjects to study in school
  • Choosing activities outside school
  • Using the internet

Task 2: Reading - Cruel to Be Kind

You are going to read about a parenting style called "tiger mother parenting" and express your opinions about it. Go to page 82 in your book and read the article "Cruel to Be Kind" and answer these questions. You do not need to write, only discuss. If your e-book is not working, CLICK HERE.

• What is a "tiger mother"?
• What are a tiger mother's attitudes about watching TV, practicing a musical instrument, going out to play with friends, and doing homework?
• What are the results of Amy Chua's "tiger mother" parenting?
• Are the typical parents in Costa Rica "tiger parents"? If not, what name could you give to their parenting style?

Task 3: Setting the House Rules

Imagine your family will receive a group of high school exchange students from other countries. These international teenagers will live with you for 6 months and they come from very different cultures. Create a list of house rules for them to understand appropriate and polite behavior in the house and in different social situations. 

CLICK HERE then go to your group's section of the document.

Task 4: Talking About Food

For our final topic today we are going to talk about modern and traditional diets. 

CLICK HERE to go to the Jamboard. On the first page use the sticky note function to write examples of what you consider to food from a modern diet. On page two write examples of what you consider to be a traditional diet. 

• What is a balanced diet? Is your diet balanced? Why or why not?
• We live in a tropical country. What elements of the Costa Rican diet are tropical?
• Look at the places geographic regions below. What do you think their traditional diet is like?
• Desert
• Arctic

Task 5: Listening Practice

Go to page 84 in your book. Listen to the audio about the traditional diet of people from northern Alaska and discuss the questions in exercises 2, 3, and 4. 

If you are having trouble playing the audio, CLICK HERE.

Task 6: Critical Thinking

Discuss the questions below with your partners. Try to use the phrases used to, didn't use to, usually, and get used to when appropriate.

• How have your eating habits changed in your life? 
• What did you used to do differently in the past?
• What do you usually do now?
• Did you have to get used to a new way of eating?

• What are some of the significant changes to the Costa Rican diet and lifestyle in the last 50 years?
• Finish the sentence, "When my grandparents were my age, people didn't use to..."

• Do you think Costa Rica has a meat eating culture? 
• What are some of the consequences of eating too much meat for the individual? For society? For the environment?

• What are some alternative sources of protein?
• Some cultures traditionally eat insects. Have you seen this before?
• What do you think about it?
• Do you think Costa Ricans could get used to eating insects?

 Materials Evaluation and Design - Week 2 - Materials, Courses, Teachers 

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 2 of the course Materials Evaluation and Design. In this class we will answer the question are materials even necessary? and we will explore the Dogme movement for a materials-light approach to ELT and explore the importance of aligning one's personal beliefs with classroom decisions. Additionally, we will discuss the often complex teacher-textbook relationship.

Today's Goals:

• *Review the course content, evaluation structure, and important dates from the syllabus.
• Consider arguments in favor of a materials-light approach to ELT and give your opinions.
• Discuss key concepts from the chapter Materials, Courses, Teachers.

Guiding Questions:

• What are the arguments against the heavy use of materials in ELT?
• How do I feel about these arguments?
• How can materials be classified?
• What are the advantages to a cyclical approach to materials selection?

Community Builder: How Much is Just Right? How Much is Too Much?

Tell your partners about the perfect amount of the following items.

Task 1: Reading Reactions

Discuss the questions below about Chapter 1 in McGrath (2016). Feel free to refer to your study guide if you need to. 

• What are ways that materials can be used in the language class? Tomlinson describes four functions of materials.

• What do they mean?
• Can a single material serve more than one of these functions? If so, provide an example.
• Which function do your materials serve the most? Why do you think that is?
• Which function is addressed less often by your class materials? Why might that be? 

• For better or worse, coursebooks have become the dominant form of materials in most ELT contexts over the last decades. Why do you think that is?

• How would you describe your relationship with the coursebook you use now or have used in the past? Read and react to these statements. Do they match your feelings about coursebooks?

• The coursebook is my boss. It tells me what to do.
• The coursebook is my helpful companion. It gives me good ideas.
• The coursebook is just there. It adds nothing of value to my teaching.
• The coursebook is my enemy. It brings negativity to my life.
• The coursebook is my "frenemy". We have a complicated relationship.
• The coursebook is ... (add your own ideas)
• The coursebook is ... (add your own ideas)

• What is the difference between coursebook-.ed teaching and coursebook-based teaching? Which discribes your current use of coursebooks? Did you use coursebooks differently in the past? 

DOGME: A Noble Experiment

Introduction: Is there an argument for a materials-light approach to language teaching? Well, a group of English teachers in 2001 were disillusioned with the current state of ELT and they got together in an online community (a new concept at the time) and created a radical approach to teaching foreign languages. The named their approach DOGME in honor of an experimental movement in cinema of the same name that had been popularized a few years earlier. Through DOGME, these teachers hoped to put the learners and their needs at the center of the teaching-learning process. 

Scott Thornbury, the group's unofficial leader, stated in his 2006 book An A-Z of ELT, "Dogme ELT argues for a pedagogoy of bare essentials, that is, a pedagogy unburdened by an excess of materials and technology, a pedagogy grounded in the local and relevant concerns of the people in the room (p. 70)"

Task 2: Dogme Manifesto

The DOGME group outlined their core beliefs in the following manifesto. Read each declaration carefully and answer the following questions.

• What does it mean? Do understand what it is trying to say?
• What do I think about it?
• To what degree does it match my own views about language teaching-learning?

The DOGME Manifesto: 2001

Task 3: Group Discussion

• Which of the statements from the manifesto stand out to you? Why?
• What could be the authors' rationale for expressing these statements?
• Which statements have some connection with the topic of didactic materials?
• DOGME was created in reaction to what these teachers saw as a decline in the effectiveness of ELT. What might these statements suggest about the reality of the teaching contexts in which these teachers were working?
• DOGME was created before our current online pandemic teaching paradigm. Which of their beliefs might still be applicable in our current context? Are of the beliefs more applicable now?
• For many reasons, DOGME is too radical to be a practical approach to language teaching in a formal context. However, what can we rescue from this nobel experiment? 
• How can some of these ideas influence your own approach to materials evaluation, design, and use?

Bibliography

McGrath, I. (2016). Materials Evaluation and Design for Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Edinburgh University Press.

Thornbury, S. (2017, June 26). M is for Manifesto. An A-Z of ELT. https://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/2017/06/25/m-is-for-manifesto/

Thornbury, S. (2006). An A-Z of ELT. Macmillan Education. 

 

Diseño de Materiales - Week 2 - Materials, Courses, Teachers

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 2 of the course Diseño de Materiales. In this class we will explore the Dogme Manifesto and give our opinions about their claims, talk about the four functions of materials in language teaching, and review the benefits of taking a cyclical approach to materials selection.

Today's Goals:

• *Review the course content, evaluation structure, and important dates from the syllabus.
• Consider arguments in favor of a materials-light approach to ELT and give your opinions.
• Discuss key concepts from the chapter Materials, Courses, Teachers.

Guiding Questions:

• What are the arguments against the heavy use of materials in ELT?
• How do I feel about these arguments?
• How can materials be classified?
• What are the advantages to a cyclical approach to materials selection?

Community Builder: How Much is Too Much?

Tell your partners about the perfect amount of the following items.

Task 1: Reading Reactions

Discuss the questions below about Chapter 1 in McGrath (2016). Feel free to refer to your study guide if you need to. 

• What are ways that materials can be used in the language class? Tomlinson describes four functions of materials.

• What do they mean?
• Can a single material serve more than one of these functions? If so, provide an example.
• Which function do your materials serve the most? Why do you think that is?
• Which function is addressed less often by your class materials? Why might that be? 

• For better or worse, coursebooks have become the dominant form of materials in most ELT contexts over the last decades. Why do you think that is?

• How would you describe your relationship with the coursebook you use now or have used in the past? Read and react to these statements. Do they match your feelings about coursebooks?

• The coursebook is my boss. It tells me what to do.
• The coursebook is my helpful companion. It gives me good ideas.
• The coursebook is just there. It adds nothing of value to my teaching.
• The coursebook is my enemy. It brings negativity to my life.
• The coursebook is my "frenemy". We have a complicated relationship.
• The coursebook is ... (add your own ideas)
• The coursebook is ... (add your own ideas)

• What is the difference between coursebook-.ed teaching and coursebook-based teaching? Which discribes your current use of coursebooks? Did you use coursebooks differently in the past? Do

DOGME: A Noble Experiment

Introduction: Is there an argument for a materials-light approach to language teaching? Well, a group of English teachers in 2001 were disillusioned with the current state of ELT and they got together in an online community (a new concept at the time) and created a radical approach to teaching foreign languages. The named their approach DOGME in honor of an experimental movement in cinema of the same name that had been popularized a few years earlier. Through DOGME, these teachers hoped to put the learners and their needs at the center of the teaching-learning process. 

Scott Thornbury, the group's unofficial leader, stated in his 2006 book An A-Z of ELT, "Dogme ELT argues for a pedagogoy of bare essentials, that is, a pedagogy unburdened by an excess of materials and technology, a pedagogy grounded in the local and relevant concerns of the people in the room (p. 70)"

Task 2: Dogme Manifesto

The DOGME group outlined their core beliefs in the following manifesto. Read each declaration carefully and answer the following questions.

• What does it mean? Do understand what it is trying to say?
• What do I think about it?
• To what degree does it match my own views about language teaching-learning?

The DOGME Manifesto: 2001

Task 3: Group Discussion

• Which of the statements from the manifesto stand out to you? Why?
• What could be the authors' rationale for expressing these statements?
• Which statements have some connection with the topic of didactic materials?
• DOGME was created in reaction to what these teachers saw as a decline in the effectiveness of ELT. What might these statements suggest about the reality of the teaching contexts in which these teachers were working?
• DOGME was created before our current online pandemic teaching paradigm. Which of their beliefs might still be applicable in our current context? Are of the beliefs more applicable now?
• For many reasons, DOGME is too radical to be a practical approach to language teaching in a formal context. However, what can we rescue from this nobel experiment? 
• How can some of these ideas influence your own approach to materials evaluation, design, and use?

Bibliography

McGrath, I. (2016). Materials Evaluation and Design for Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Edinburgh University Press.

Thornbury, S. (2017, June 26). M is for Manifesto. An A-Z of ELT. https://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/2017/06/25/m-is-for-manifesto/

Thornbury, S. (2006). An A-Z of ELT. Macmillan Education.