The role of adapting materials in teaching and learning

The role of adapting materials in teaching and learning
It is also important to consider research into SLA when evaluating the usefulness of materials as SLA gives us insight into factors that help to facilitate effective and lasting L2 acquisition. Tomlinson (2013) highlights some of the most salient findings from the SLA research that we can apply to our evaluation of materials:

1. 
   Learners need to be exposed to rich, meaningful and comprehensible input of language in use.
   
2. 
   Learners need to be engaged affectively and cognitively in the language learning experience.
   
3. 
   Learners need to achieve positive affect to foster communicative competence.
   
4. 
   Learners need to notice the salient features of the language they encounter and how they are used.
   
5. 
   Learners need to be given opportunities for contextualised and purposeful communication.
   
6. 
   Learners need to be encouraged to interact.
   
7. 
   Learners need to be allowed to focus on meaning.
   

Materials adaptation
Materials adaptation “a general term for the process that involves making changes to existing materials to better suit specific learners, teachers and contexts for the purpose of facilitating effective learning. This may mean reducing mismatches between materials, learners, teachers and contexts or making fuller use of the potential value of existing materials” (Tomlinson & Misuhara, 2018, p. 82). Prior to using materials, they can be systematically evaluated to decide whether adaptation is necessary and also to decide the type of adaption that is suitable. An example of the choices that can be made in the evaluation and adaption process from Cunningsworth (1995) can be found in the links below.
Adaptation techniques
The main ways in which materials can be adapted are by addition, deletion, and modification.
Addition/deletion
Addition can be done by either extension or exploitation of materials. Extension is a modification of the quantity of materials when a language item isn’t covered sufficiently; extension differs to supplementation as the design and learning goals stay the same with the former and differ with the latter. Addition by exploitation is a qualitative addition to the way in which the materials are utilised; that is, the materials are used beyond there original purpose; for example, a picture used to illustrate a theme can be used to predict content or activate target vocabulary. Deletion, in very simple terms, is the opposite of addition—“two sides of the same coin” (McDonough, Shaw, & Masuhara, 2013, p. 72), in which materials are reduced because the quantity is too much for the learners or no not fit the intended purpose of learning.


Modification
Through modifying, we change the approach or focus of an exercise or piece of material. The change can relate to language, the context and content of the language, procedures for teaching and classroom management, and organising the components of the materials in a different way. Modifications can a time-consuming affair and there must be a solid rational for the change (identified through evaluation). Examples of reasons to modify are making the materials more relevant to the local context, personalising materials to learner needs and learning styles, simplifying the materials, and modernising out-of-date materials.
In the next step you have a go at evaluating and modifying a set of materials.
References
Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your coursebook. Heinemann.
McDonough, J., Shaw, C., & Masuhara, H. (2013). Materials and methods in elt : a teacher’s guide (3rd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
McGrath, I. (2013). Teaching materials and the roles of efl/esl teachers : practice and theory. Bloomsbury.
Tomlinson, B. (2013). Developing materials for language teaching (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing.
Tomlinson, B., & Masuhara, H. (2018). The complete guide to the theory and practice of materials development for language learning. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.