why do teachers need to adapt course materials

Why we need to adapt materials

• Unsuitable material level. Whatever materials we may have or be able to get may not be suitable for our learners’ needs. ...
• Too difficult. ...
• Too long or short. ...
• Use of grammar or language. ...
• Explore relevancy. ...
• Adapt for specific use. ...
• Adapt to student learning styles. ...

Full Answer

Why is it important to adapt materials?

12) When teachers feel the need for materials adaptation, they are sensing the mismatch between the materials and their theories. Including the evaluation stage in materials development helps teachers to identify what may be causing the mismatch. The evaluation process does not always have to be a thorough one for adaptation.

How can teachers adapt materials for language learners?

Teachers might need to delete language that distracts from the lesson’s target skills or that may present a challenge for learners. Teachers might need to add text to a material. This adaptation often is done when vocabulary in a text needs an explanation or a definition or when learners might need background information on

Is it worth adapting materials to meet learner needs?

Feb 19, 2016 · When it comes to ELL students, Lingo Jingo has proven to be a very effective tool to help supplement the teaching done in a classroom. The ability of every ELL student will differ when it comes to grasping the language. However, with the help of Lingo Jingo, teachers get the convenience to adapt their classroom methods and teaching styles to ...

How can I adapt the materials available for use in class?

Nov 09, 2021 · Educators use differentiation to ensure that they are addressing the varying levels of students in the classroom. Explore the process of selecting and adapting content, applications, and other...

What is CC in writing?

3. Sharing is caring. A Creative Commons ‘CC’ licence is used when an author wants to give people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that they have created. This could be either openly free to everyone online, or free to those who contribute to the shared project.

What is a material bank?

Materials banks are non-sequential and do not impose a syllabus or order of lessons to be followed. They allow teachers to dip in and out of the bank as they please to cherry pick and adapt the materials to their students’ needs and level. Materials could be used in a one-off class or to build an entire course.

Where is Myles from?

Myles is known for his dynamic teaching style that encourages student interaction and hands on learning. Originally from Australia, he has been living in Barcelona since 2010 when he completed his TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate, and four years later the Cambridge DELTA (Diploma in Teaching English to Adults). He has worked as a head teacher of an English academy in Barcelona as well as specialising in Business English and Exam Preparation classes for adults and teenagers. Back in Sydney, he studied business marketing and worked, both at home and in London, as marketing manager for Vodafone before making the move into the education sector. His diverse professional experience makes Myles able to teach in a wide range of contexts helping you with your specific English needs, whether they be to communicate more effectively by email or contribute more on that conference call you try to avoid. While thoroughly enjoying teaching Business English, lately he has ...

How to differentiate instruction?

There are three ways to differentiate instruction: through changing the content (what is being taught), the process (how it is being taught), and the product (how students demonstrate learning). Instructors can differentiate content by providing a variety of materials of different levels, languages, and views for students to access.

Who is Mira in the classroom?

Mira is a teacher with many different students in her classroom. Her students vary from way behind academically to scholastic superstars. She also has a variety of different cultures and languages in her classroom. Often, classrooms like Mira's have students of varying levels, cultures, and belief systems.

What is differentiation in classrooms?

Each of these students is unique, and each student has unique needs. Differentiation is the process of modifying instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners. There are three ways to differentiate instruction: through changing the content ...

What is differentiated learning?

Differentiation is the process of modifying instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners. In a fully differentiated classroom, each student has their own personalized instruction and materials.

What does authentic materials mean?

Authentic materials are usually produced for native speakers. This often means that an adjustment is required before we can may effective use of the materials.

Why is language important in foreign language learning?

Using language in a relevant context to promote meaningful input and output from the learners is a key aspect of foreign language learning. If material has no obvious relevancy for the learners, it will be that much more difficult for them to approach its acquisition.

Who is Larry Lynch?

Written by Larry Lynch. Prof. Larry M. Lynch is a bi-lingual copywriter, expert author and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines.

Is a lesson time controlled?

Lessons and study sessions are most often time-controlled. If we need an activity or segment for a short classroom practice activity, a longer authentic language piece might need to be excerpted or shortened to make it fit into our lesson’s context. A shorter piece may need additions in the way of activities or discussions to flesh out its usefulness in the classroom setting.

Why do teachers need to adapt?

All of these situations require teachers to adapt in order to successfully navigate them. Adapting may involve adjusting lesson pacing to better engage students, minimising frustration when a lesson is not going according to plan, or adapting one’s approach to collaboration to work well with a new colleague.

Why is adaptability important for teachers?

Adaptability is something teachers require on a regular basis and likely plays an important role in helping them to navigate the demands of their work. In our prior research, we found support for this. We found when teachers were more adaptable, they tended to report better well-being.

How do teachers live their lives?

Just as general life is full of changing, new, and uncertain situations, so are our working lives — and especially the working lives of teachers. For example, at work teachers regularly: 1 encounter a diverse range of learners to whom they must respond appropriately 2 face unexpected situations in the classroom or shifts in timetabling that they need to navigate 3 interact with with new colleagues, students, and parents 4 integrate new and changing knowledge from professional learning into their teaching practices.

What is work disengagement?

Work disengagement occurs when teachers continue to do their work, but they invest little or no effort; that is, they have largely “given up”. This is a negative experience for teachers and usually occurs when teachers feel they can do little to influence their workplace experiences.

What is job commitment?

Job commitment refers to teachers’ attachment to and personal identification with their workplace. When teachers have high job commitment, they tend to invest more effort into their work and are less likely to quit their jobs. Principal support was also an important factor. Shutterstock.

1. They provide structure

One struggle at times this year has been putting together a coherent course. I have had plenty of short-term goals based on diagnostic tasks such as writing assignments or feedback from subject teachers, but I am conscious of the fact that overall my courses at times lack flow.

2. They have plenty of optional extras

Of course, the material within the main pages of a unit may not be sufficient to facilitate understanding for every student. That is where optional extras such as the workbook, photocopiable worksheets, digital resources, and language extension tasks come in. These can be used to provide extra support as well as to challenge stronger learners.

3. They save time

Taking a moment for a selfish thought, this is the main aspect I miss at present. As mentioned in my February post, finding time to stay on top of things has been a challenge at times this year and part of that comes from having to create my own materials from scratch.

4. The materials have been professionally produced and edited

I have moved on from my early hand-made efforts to become quite adept at designing worksheets and other materials now using a variety of digital applications. However, I am no graphic designer and cannot match the polish, colour, and efficient use of space of a well designed coursebook page.

5. They have engaging characters and stories

There have been plenty of groanworthy characters and stories in coursebooks I have used over the years, especially some of those aimed at teenagers with their ‘real life’ characters attempting to appear ‘cool’.

6. We can work around their limitations

As has been mentioned a few times now, whatever limitations a coursebook has, we can work around them. They do not have to be followed completely (though it is easy to see why some people end up doing that with the carefully laid out teacher’s books and ready-made lesson by lesson plans) nor do they need to be covered sequentially.