UNIT 3 reflections

Unit 3: Adapt Resources Using Effective Principles for Materials Development

In this Unit I learned how to adapt resources using effective principles for Materials Development.

While reading Principles of Effective Materials Development Tomlinson (2010, pp. 86-97) I found out about six principles of language acquisition and four principles of language teaching that can be applied to the development of ELT materials.

Below you may find my completed Assignment # 3: Adaptation or creation of ESL materials

The goal of this assignment is to adapt or create ESL materials for my lesson activities.

My target learners are:

• Adult newcomers to Manitoba. They are just starting their ESL course.
• 30-45
• CLB 4
• Professional truck drivers who came from different Post Soviet Union countries
• They need special content related to the trucking industry
• They are most proficient in smartphones and communication through chats, phone calls and social media, but less effective on the computer. 

Their goals are:

• to find a job as a long haul truck driver in Canada; 
• to improve all 4 areas of English and get to work; 
• to overcome a speaking barrier; 

In this lesson students will:

• learn why it is important for a truck driver to know English; 
• learn some new vocabulary related to trucking; 
• learn how to get to know another person, respond to questions about their personal information and have a small talk by asking simple questions; 
• learn how to use “Can…” when talking about ability 
• learn to skim a text for important information; 

WARM-UP

Activity 1 

“Why do I need to know English?” 

The instructor asks questions for the class discussion and lists responses on the whiteboard. Students pronounce out loud words from the whiteboard and the teacher Introduces the word ‘Reason”.

1. Is it important for a truck driver to know English? 
2. In what situations will you have to use English language as a truck driver? 

Possible answers:


To communicate to:

• Employer
• Colleague
• Dispatcher
• Fleet manager
• In-cab Instructor
• Customs officer
• Shipper
• Receiver
• Customer
• Police
• Tow truck driver
• Shop worker
• To do training in class and on the field.
• To send and read satellite messages.
• To fill in an electronic logbook.

After this activity the instructor shares the fact:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, at 49 CFR 391.11, requires that in order to get a Commercial Driver’s License, an applicant must be able to “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records.”

In addition, the instructor tells a short trucking story from a real-life to stress on English language importance and motivate students to study it.

“News story from West Virginia tells about a Russian truck driver who wrecked and spilled a truckload of chemicals. He could not speak English, but somehow had obtained a Maryland CDL.”

INSTRUCT AND MODEL

Activity 2.

Listening exercise on how to use “Can…” when we are talking about our ability.


The instructor can use the below link and do this activity online or print and hand out a script and quiz to the students.


Student material:


http://elllo.org/english/beginner/B21-ToddSarah-Language.htm




GUIDED PRACTICE

Activity 3.

“CLB 4 Can Do Checklist for self-evaluation.”

It will allow students to use “can...” while reading and the teacher gets some feedback on students’ English level knowledge.


Hand out CLB Can Do Checklist Level 4 and a green marker to each learner. Have learners write the date at the top of their page. As a class, go through each competency. Help learners decide whether they can do it. If they can, have them to mark only part of the text, which they believe they are able to do. After that collect the completed Can Do Checklists. Tell students that we will update them in two months or at the end of the session.


Student materials:

Listening:

I can…


Understand my friend talk about weekend plans.


“On Saturday, you will go to …”


Follow simple instructions from a dispatcher.


“First, pick up an empty trailer. Then, go to the shipper…”


Understand short simple commercials.


“Hurry and buy it today. Shipping is free.”


Understand some details in a weather report.


“Tomorrow, there will be some rain.”


I understand simple communication on familiar topics. But, I struggle to understand when sentences are complex or the information is unfamiliar. I sometimes need repetition and explanation. Understanding on the phone is difficult for me.

Speaking

I can…


Leave a simple telephone message.


“Hello. This is Sam. Please call me back. My number is…”


Give simple, everyday instructions.


“Take the bus to Main Street. Then walk north.”


Make a simple request.


“I cannot work on Monday. Can I work on Tuesday?"


Say that I like or do not like something.


“I do not like cold weather. Winter is cold. I like summer.”


I connect sentences to express simple ideas, and I have adequate control of basic grammar. But I speak slowly with pauses, and I need some support from the listener. My mistakes in grammar and pronunciation sometimes make it hard for people to understand me.

Reading

I can…


Read a simple personal email message


Hi Susan,
How was your weekend? We went for a hike yesterday. The weather was great…


Read and follow steps in a simple recipe to prepare a food item


Preheat oven to 350℉. Place chicken in a large pan...


Find information in online advertisements


Apartment for Rent: 2 bedrooms, large balcony.


Understand some details from a short, simple news story


○ The community festival was a success. The event raised thousands of dollars for a local charity...


I understand most of the ideas in a very short paragraph when the vocabulary and structure are simple. But, I may need some support, such as pictures or graphics, to help me understand.

Writing

I can…


Write a short personal message.


Hi Anna. I have good news…


Copy information about two different hotels.


Wave Hotel: $149 per night Island Hotel: $179 per night


Write a simple request.


Please fix my fridge. It is broken. The food is not cold ...


Write a short paragraph about a familiar topic.


I came to Canada in July. The weather was hot ...


I can communicate a simple message on a personal familiar topic, and I have adequate control of simple grammar. But, I have some trouble with word order and word forms, and this sometimes makes it hard for a reader to understand my meaning.

Activity 4.

“Getting to know each other questionnaire”.

Hand out “Getting to know each other questionnaire to each learner. Go through the questions and the format. Learners interview 1–3 classmates to fill in the information. If there is time they can report back to the class one thing that they learned about one of the interviewees.



Student materials:


What is you name?


Where did you come from?


How long have you been in Canada


What is your favorite food?


What do you like to do?

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

Activity 5.

“Online Investigation”

Student materials:


Imagine you are looking for new job as a long haul truck driver. Use the Internet to find job listings for a truck driver position and write down the main truck driver job responsibilities and truck driver skills and qualifications (10 points max). Use Google Translate app to add new words that you found, listen to their pronunciation, and try to remember them. Next lesson we will talk about your new vocabulary and how to use them.



ASSESSMENT


The instructor corrects individual learner during exercises. The Instructor is walking and listening during activities in groups or pairs.


I believe according to the described context, this set of materials is suitable for this lesson. It can be further improved, adapted and some parts can be omitted or added. Materials for this lesson were adapted and created according to pre-avaluation criteria by Rustamova, Z. (2016) such as:


Content related

Language related criteria

Student related criteria



The Copyright Licence


Text of this assignment is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA, unless otherwise marked. Please attribute to Sergii Prymachok and link back to this page where possible.


References


Beginner Engish #21. Can - talking about ability. Talking language. Retrieved from http://elllo.org/english/beginner/B21-ToddSarah-Language.htm


Rustamova, Z. (2016). Pre-use evaluation. Retrieved from http://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/te714zr37/2016/03/10/pre-use-evaluation/


Canadian Language Benchmarks. Retrieved from https://www.language.ca/home/

UNIT 2 reflections

Unit 2: Evaluate Resources

In this  Unit I learned  about the process of material evaluation and usage of authentic materials.

And now I able to:

- develop criteria for ESL  Criteria selection
-  to apply evaluation criteria for the selected ESL resources
- chose the right course book and authentic resources  for ESL classroom

I tried to apply my knowledge doing  my Material Evaluation Assignment.

If you are Tutela member  you may  read it  by clicking this  link:

https://tutela.ca/DownloadAreaShared?downloadarea=34790&group=syn_downloadarea_sharing34790

Or you may  review  my completed assignment  in this post below:

 

 

 

Assignment 2: ESL Materials Evaluation 

Sergii Prymachok

Department Teaching English, University of  Manitoba

TESL 0150: Resource  Development and Integration

Dr. Tatiana Galetcaia

April 26, 2020

 

 

  

Abstract

The goal of this assignment is to demonstrate my skill in evaluating ESL resources. My target learners are newcomers to Manitoba with an English level CLB 3-4. Most of them came from post-Soviet Union countries and they can speak and understand Russian language. The average age is between 30-45 years old. Professional background: experienced truck drivers.

Their goal is:


- to find a job as a truck driver on the local market as quickly as possible


- to overcome a speaking barrier


- to develop and improve their basic writing skills


- to be able to understand basic conversations and professional instructions


- to read authentic professional texts.




These people are mostly proficient in smartphones and communication through chats, phone calls and social media.

Chosen resource

South Eastman English & Literacy Services.(2020, January 20). English for Daily Life.  Employment. Unit 6. Retrieved from https://tutela.ca/Resource_33586 

Brian Tomlinson (2014) in his book describes a three-step evaluation process: pre-use evaluation, whilst-use evaluation, and post-use evaluation.  For my assignment  I will use a pre-use evaluation method proposed by Rustamova, Z. (2016), as we are not going to try out the materials or receive a post-use evaluation from students.

 Analysis

Tomlinson (2014) suggests first analyzing the materials – “an analysis focuses on the materials and it aims to provide an objective analysis of them. It ‘asks questions about what the materials contain, what they aim to achieve, and what they ask learners to do’ (Tomlinson, 1999, p. 10).”

What the materials contain?

Photocopied handouts:


- Manitoba job Market worksheet


- Classified ads section of the local newspaper


- Questions to answer


- Job application form


- Application form vocabulary vocabulary


- Vocabulary word and definition


- Resume worksheet for each learner


- Job Interview worksheet


- Job Interview practice worksheet


- Ben’s Traffic Trouble worksheet for each learner


- Ben Had Traffic Trouble worksheet for each learner


- Could you … worksheet for each learner


- A Pay Stub worksheet for each learner


 - Pay Stub samples for each learner

What the materials aim to achieve?

Manitoba Job Market


- to introduce Manitoba job market basics;


- to introduce the content and layout of classified advertisements;


- to become familiar with employment classifieds in the newspaper;


- to skim a text for important information;



Job Interview


- to introduce the format and style of a job interview


- to reinforce and practice a job interview



Employment Review


- to either introduce or reinforce occupation names


- using the simple present tense in questions and answers


- to practice the third person ‗s‘


- to introduce actions associated with various occupations



Ben’s Traffic Trouble


- to talk about feelings related to the first day of work


- to review simple past verbs.



Could You . . . (Specific to Work)


- to use could as an alternative to can when asking favours


- to learn vocabulary specific to workplaces



A Pay Stub


- to learn vocabulary related to a pay stub


- to find information on a pay stub



What do the materials ask learners to do?

• Brainstorm 
• Discuss in groups 
• Share their own experience, stories and ideas 
• Critical thinking 
• Project type tasks in groups and pairs 
• Presentation in front of the class 
• Ask questions 
• Understand the meaning of feeling adjectives 
• Understanding the vocabulary used in the materials 
• Fill in the blanks 
• Practice to use Present Simple and Past Simple grammar constructions. 
• Listen to the teacher’s instructions, reading and pronunciation.

1. Content-related criteria.

#	Evaluation criteria questions	Answers
1.	Do the materials have authentic elements?	Yes,  these materials have elements of authenticity. Sample of the local newspaper and paystub.
2.	Are the materials culturally and politically sensitive?	No,  this unit materials do not touch sensitive topics.
3.	Are the topics likely to promote cultural awareness?	Yes, newcomers are introduced to the local job market and it specifics.
4.	Are the topics relevant to the students?	I believe the topics are relevant. Students will learn general information about the job market in Manitoba.  It does not touch specifically the trucking industry though.
5.	Do the tasks have a real purpose?	In my opinion, many activities in this Unit were designed for active language practicing and indirect teaching.
6.	Are the topics likely to be affectively engaging to students?	I assume these topics are engaging and challenging for this group of students.

2. Language related criteria.

#	Evaluation criteria questions	Answers
1.	Are the grammar points presented in context?	We see some grammar materials presented such as Present Simple, Past Simple,  feeling adjectives, word “to be”,  Could.. questions.
2.	Do the materials encourage students to notice the grammar points in use?	Yes, Activities 4-7 emphasize proper grammar usage.
3.	Do the materials match the vocabulary and grammar level of the students?	I  believe so,  sometimes it may look a bit overwhelming.  But going through some pressure helps to learn. (Tomlinson, 2014, p. 10)
4.	Do the materials adequately balance the four skills?	I do not think so.  In this particular Unit,  most materials are focused more on the development of speaking and writing skills and less focused on reading and listening.
5.	Do the materials encourage communication?	Yes, materials in this Unit encourage the development of communication skills through discussions, presentations, sharing personal opinions, and ideas.
6.	Do the materials provide opportunities to develop pronunciation skills?	I found that only  Activity 5  has some emphasis on pronunciation from the teacher’s  side.  But  I did not notice any opportunities given to students to practice their pronunciation.

3. Student related criteria.

#	Evaluation criteria questions	Answers
1	Do the materials provide opportunities for output feedback?	Yes, author of the Unit says “  The teacher should elicit feedback from learners, ensuring that all of the above points were covered in their group discussions” on page 3 & 7
2.	Do the materials cater to different learning styles?	In my opinion, these materials do not cover all learning styles. The main activities in this Unit are: brainstorming, discussions, filling the blanks.
3.	Are the instructions easy to follow?	Yes,  as to me the instructions in this Unit are clear and simple to follow.
4.	Are the materials student-centred (do they give students choices and opportunities for personalization)?	Yes, this unit gives students a lot of opportunities to express their own opinion, experience and ideas.
5.	Are the activities varied in topics and processes?	Yes, each topic has different activities.  They may look similar, but processes vary.
6.	Are the materials likely to make the learners feel at ease?	I believe not all learners will feel at ease during this lesson. Especially immigrants from Slavic countries they are afraid to speak. But it depends on the teacher how he introduces each activity to the students and level of encouragement.

4. Teacher-related criteria.

#	Evaluation criteria questions	Answers
1.	Are the materials easily adaptable?	I  believe yes,  you can easily change one handout to another and use different activity.
2.	Are the materials easy to supplement?	Yes, if necessary you can add extra stuff and activities to this Unit. And the author mentions these options as well in the Extention section.
3.	Are the materials easy to use?	Yes,  these  materials are very  simple, easy for distribution and copy.
4.	Does the Unit have sufficient associated practice materials?	Yes,  this  Unit  was  built for practical usage of  English language
5.	Does the Unit  review and recycle language?	Yes, it does.  It is planned in activities 4 and 5.
6.	Is the unit logically structured?	Yes, this Unit is well planned.  We have a table of contents on the first page and separately each activity contains a list of goals on the left side of the teacher’s guide.

Conclusion

The materials in this  Unit are well structured even course book is not used.  Most activities are made to practice English language output (speaking and writing).   The students are less exposed to the input of the English language (reading and listening). Mostly reading is supposed to be done by the teacher and students getting input language from the teacher. If the teacher is not a native speaker, this is not going to be an authentic source for students.

The materials are very simple, photocopied handouts are not colorful. 

Technology related materials are not used at all, but in the job interview extension section the idea to film each other was mentioned.  I would use some activities which require to use smartphone apps and social media. I would also add to this lesson more audio-visual materials: colorful pictures and videos. For example, it could be a sample video of a job interview. 

In my opinion, these activities are still difficult for students with English level CLB 3 and 4.

But in general,  the structure and materials of this  Unit are good, variable and action-based  for the target group fo students.  It only needs some adaptation and improvements.

References

Tomlinson, B. (2014). Chapter 1: Materials evaluation. In B. Tomlinson. Developing materials for language learning. London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic.

South Eastman English & Literacy Services.(2020, January 20). English for Daily Life.  Employment. Unit 6. Retrieved from https://tutela.ca/Resource_33586 

Rustamova, Z. (2016). Pre-use evaluation. Retrieved from http://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/te714zr37/2016/03/10/pre-use-evaluation/

Marie-Elyse Gautier( 2019, February 21). Overview of CLB and NCLC competency levels. Retrieved from https://www.language.ca/overview-of-clb-and-nclc-competency-levels/

About  authentic  material  in less  than 2 min:

 How and when we  can  use authentic materials  on our ESL lessons: