Materials Writing Materials Development
for a unit in a set of materials the text should have the potential to engage the learners affectively and cognitively and should offer the learners a rich experience of both
language and life. If the text is used as a basis for a readinglistening skills lesson, the text should not be selected just because it focuses on a particular skill which is taught.
It still has to fulfill the same criteria as if it is used as a basis for a unit in a set of materials. If the text is for use in language teaching, besides the criteria mentioned in
previous part, the text also has to include sufficient samples of the typical use of a particular language item or feature e.g. the simple past, reported speech, and
requests and provide sufficient contextual information to help the learners understand and generalize about the use of the language item or feature selected for
particular attention.
2 Writing Instruction
There are nine aspects discussed by Tomlinson 2004:29 that can help the materials writers to write clear instructions. First, it should be very clear for the
learners which words are instructions and which words are not. It can be achieved by putting the instructions in bold, in a distinctive font, in a different colour or in a box.
Second, each instruction should refer to one action only. It should also contain only one clause, use an imperative or a simple tense, be in the active voice, and only use
vocabulary known to the students. Third, an instruction should use nouns rather than pronouns and use clear indicators by mentioning numbers, letters, colours, or bold
type rather than such words as ‘opposite’, ‘above’, or ‘below’. Fourth, it is often 27
useful to give an example of what you want the learners to do. Fifth, it is important to specify what the learners actually have to do by using specific words such as ‘draw’,
’write’, or ’list’ rather than such words as ‘match’, ’connect’, or ’show’. Sixth, throughout the materials similar instructions should be expressed in similar ways.
Seventh, the instructions given should be in the same sequence as the actions you want the learners to do. Eighth, each instruction should be physically separated from
other instructions for the same activity. Last, instructions should be staged so that the learners do not have to remember a lot of instructions at once.
3 Using Illustrations
Illustrations in this study refer to all kinds of visual elements in materials. Hill, as cited by Tomlinson 2004:34, points out that photos and drawings are the
two major kinds of illustrations widely used in course books. Both have the strengths and weaknesses in terms of effects. Photos are useful to give impressions of reality
and authenticity in terms of people, objects, and events. However, photos can lack focus, inhibit learners’ imaginations and date very quickly. Drawings are more
flexible than photos and can be made to order in terms of specificity, focus, emphasis, and details. However, drawings can be seen to lack authority and reality, and different
artistic styles could induce either positive or negative reactions. 28
4 Arranging Design and Layout
Layout means structural arrangement of parts e.g. text and illustrations Tomlinson, 2004:35. Good layout can play a significant role in attracting attention,
providing focus, sequencing smoothly, separating different sections, attracting aesthetic responses, providing consistency, and providing impact by dramatically
departing from the normal layout. The factors that contribute to good layout may include positioning, size, sequence, use of space, balance of visuals and text,
separation, and repetition. Design is an overall plan which governs the appearance and functions of
materials Tomlinson, 2004:36. Materials with good design are likely to be appealing, aesthetic, impactful, functionally clear, easy to use, and cost effective.