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UNIT 3: ADAPTING MATERIALS

3.0 Intended Learning Outcomes

a. Discuss the range of technology-based materials and tools available to classroom
language teachers;
b. Apply the criteria in selecting and evaluating language learning materials; and
c. Show awareness of the process of materials adaptation by outlining it from different
points of view.

3.1. Introduction

The previous unit deals with materials evaluation. On the other hand, Unit 3
underscores materials adaptation. Finding and choosing materials to use in classes can be
a challenge to language teachers. They must take into account a number of things,
including authenticity, the original source, the target language skill, and learners’ language
levels and ages. After choosing materials, language teachers must then decide if the
material needs to be further adapted to fit the needs of their learners. And that is what this
unit is going to disclose.
The teacher in this particular lesson may ask students to explore technology-
based/digital language learning materials and tools, and to allow them to outline the
process of materials adaptation from different points of view. The main output of this unit
is the selection, utilization and adaptation of language learning materials.

3.2 Topics/Discussion

Task: From Scrap to Craft. Obtaining materials for a class

doesn't have to burn a hole in a teacher’s pocket. There are plenty
of free materials available that he or she could remember to save
them and know what to do with them. In this task, you are going
to create something out of nothing. Craft a material which you can
use in teaching language to your class using scraps or unused
materials. Paste the pictures respectively on the boxes below –- a
representation of your “scrap” and “craft” versions. Then, write
a paragraph below which explains the inspiration behind your https://freepikpsd.com/craft-png-
png-transparent-images/615480/
masterpiece.

SCRAP CRAFT
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3.2.1 Teacher-Centered and Learner-Centered Approach

to Adaptation

Materials adaptation refers to the application of

some strategies to make the textbook more effective and
flexible. The process of changing or adjusting the various
parts of a course book is closely related to the reality of
dealing with learners in the dynamic environment of the
https://fujomedia.eu/partner/193/adapt/
classroom (Halim & Halim, 2016).

The simple fact of using a piece of teaching/learning materials inevitably means

adapting it to the particular needs of a specific teaching and learning scenario. According to
Tomlinson (2013), the adaptation process is considered at two levels:
• adapting materials with the purpose of making them effective and relevant to a
specific classroom;
• adapting materials with the purpose of changing their objectives, in order to reduce
the distance between research and classroom practice.

The former refers to the more traditional way of looking at the adaptation process,
where teachers and learners contribute to adding value to the materials when adapting
them to their specific context. The latter represents one of the most significant points of this
chapter, for it is probably taking the adaptation process a step further

The following part outlines the process of materials adaptation from different
points of view.

A. Teacher-Centered Approach to Adaptation

Having proposed the importance of materials adaptation as a relevant and useful

link between the reality of the language classroom and SLA research findings, there is
obviously a great need to develop such a process further and put it into practice in a more
systematic manner. However, materials adaptation, in the great majority of cases, is still left
to the teachers’ hands, and it is largely based simply on their intuition and experience. On
the one hand, research has, for decades, stressed the importance of the learner and their role
in the language classroom; many areas of research, have extensively explored and described
the advantages of learner involvement in programme design, methodology, materials
selection and adaptation, since the 1970s and 1980s (Nunan, 1988; Clarke, 1989). On the
other hand, particularly as far as adapting courses is concerned, learners are traditionally
left with a rather passive role (Tomlinson, 2013).
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B. Learner-Centered Approach to Adaptation

Clarke (1989) provides a typical example of a learner-centred approach to

adaptation: he acknowledges the importance of learner involvement in the adaptation
process and he distinguishes what he calls a Negotiated Syllabus, from an Externally
Imposed Syllabus. The former is internally generated and it is a result of the product of
negotiation between teacher and students. The latter is a syllabus imposed by an external
body such as the teacher, the institution or any other administrative authority. There is,
however, a fine line between the Negotiated Syllabus and the Externally Imposed Syllabus
in the sense that the former turns out, very often, to also be an imposed syllabus for the
reasons given below. If we write about the learner’s more active role in the adaptation
process and his/ her negotiation with the teacher, we are assuming that the syllabus is the
product of cooperation between the teacher and the learners. However, generally in this
case, the teacher’s input tends to become the dominant one, accepted by the learners as the
‘right one’ and the one to follow, whereas the learners’ ideas on adapting materials are very
often perceived to be ‘wrong’ if different from those of the teacher. This still comes from the
traditional, teacher-centered concept of teachers feeding knowledge to the class; hence the
learner’s role in this process is still rather limited and not truly learner-centered (Tomlinson,
2013)

3.2.2 Key Features in Materials Adaptation

According to Shamem (2009), materials adaptation means matching materials with

the learner’s needs, the teacher’s demands and administration’s purpose. To adapt materials
we have to consider five major factors:
1. Addition: Addition is an adaptation procedure which involves supplementation of
extra linguistic items and activities to make up for the inadequacy/ insufficiency of
materials. Addition of extra materials is necessary/applicable/appropriate when the
following situations are faced:
• Areas are not covered sufficiently.
• Texts/pictures/ta sks are not provided.
• Texts/pictures/tasks are fewer than needed.
• Tasks are limited in scope.
• Tasks are of limited range.

2. Deletion/omission: Deletion is an adaptation procedure which involves removal

of some of the linguistic items and activities which are found to be extra and
unnecessary. So, deletion is a process in which materials are taken out rather than
added. Materials should be reduced through omission when the following situations are
faced:
• Learners are clear about a language point
• Learners are competent in a skill.
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• There are too many tasks on a particular area/point.

• The item/area concerned is not a priority.
• The item/task is not well designed.
• The item/task is not well-suited to its aim(s).
• The topic is not appropriate for learners.

3. Modification/changing: Mod ification means changes in different aspects of

materials, such as linguistic level, exercises, assessment system and so on. Modification
of materials is applicable/ appropriate in the following situations:
• Texts are of inappropriate length.
• Materials are inappropriate to the aim.
• Materials are inappropriate to the learners’ age/ experience.
• Materials are unclear, confusing or misleading.
• Tasks are badly designed.

4. Simplification: This procedure is employed to make materials less complicated or

easier to un derstand. If the language teaching material is found to be difficult or
mechanical for the target learner, it (material) can be made suitable for the learner
through the process of simplification.

5. Rearrangement/re-ordering: Rearrangement is a procedure of materials adaptation

through which different parts of a course book are arranged in a different order or
sequence. Rearrangement of materials helps to make them comparatively more
interesting and appropriate for the learner as well as the teacher. Learners may reorder
materials by:
• Matching their aims.
• Using a practice task for lead-in and elicitation.
• Revising an area earlier than the course book does.
• Comparing and contrast areas.
• Providing thematic unity.
• Providing an appropriate follow-up.
Masuhara (2004) also proposes different techniques to adapt material as shown in
the tables 1, 2 and 3. The author labels every group of techniques as plus, minus and zero
category. Plus category means that in the process of adaptation, the teacher will add or
expand details. Minus category refers the deletion or subtraction of elements and zero
category implies the modification of elements without addition or deletion (Duarte &
Escobar, 2008).
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If we apply these techniques in a systematic way we will be able to offer more

varied, dynamic and interesting materials. That is precisely what we, as English teachers,
want for our teaching contexts. Students and teachers will feel better using materials if they
offer students a more successful experience of learning English as a foreign language.

Littlejohn (2011) suggests that the following aspects of the target situation should
be taken into account when adapting ELT materials:
• the cultural context,
• the educational institution,
• the course aims, content, methodology and means of evaluation,
• the teachers,
• the learners.

Only after integrating this information with the material evaluation will teachers
be in a position to decide if the material should be rejected, adopted, adapted or
supplemented.

On the other hand, McDonough, Shaw & Masuhara (2013: 69) argue that the
following principles should guide materials adaptation:

• Personalizing, “(…) increasing the relevance of content in relation to learners’

interests and their academic, educational or professional needs”.
• Individualizing, addressing “(…) the learning styles both of individuals and of the
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members of a class working closely together”.

• Localizing, taking “(…) into account the international geography of English
language teaching”.
• Modernizing, “(…) not all materials show familiarity with aspects of current English
usage, sometimes to the point of being not only out of date or misleading but even
incorrect”.

Considerations for Adapting Materials to Meet Learner Needs

According to American English (n.d.), when adapting materials for language

learners, teachers must consider a number of factors in order to offer an effective and
relevant activity. The majority of materials available for use in class can be easily adapted
to fit a variety of teaching environments, but adaptation does require some time and
forethought. Here are some key factors to consider as you adapt resources to best suit your
goals and the needs and interests of your students:

Target Skill of the Lesson

The target skill (reading, writing, listening, or speaking) is the foundation of a

language lesson. When bringing in outside materials and adapting them for a lesson,
teachers must prioritize the lesson’s target skills and objectives over other factors. For
example, a teacher might find a wonderful material that is relevant to the lesson’s theme
and easily adapted for class size and environment, but the material does not fit well with
the lesson’s target skill. Therefore, this resource may not be the best choice. Here are
questions to help consider target skills:
• Can the material be adapted to work with the target skill of the lesson? What kind of
adaptation is needed for this material to be an effective part of the overall lesson?
• How much time and effort are required to adapt the material to fit the target skill of
the lesson? Is that time and effort better spent on incorporating other materials?

Class Environment and Size

The number of students in your class or your classroom context can affect a
resource’s impact and usefulness for your students. Consider these questions before you
adapt a resource for your learners:
• How easily can the material be adapted to fit a large or small group of learners? For
example, teachers with large groups of learners (40 students or more) might avoid
using a long article due to the number of copies it would require. Resources and
access to copy machines and other tools might be a limiting factor for large groups.
• How does funding and access affect what can be adapted? Some teachers have a
number of resources at their fingertips while others are working with limited
resources. Again, consider a classroom with a large number of students. Is there
enough money, paper, or even ink to provide this resource to a large class?
• What other factors in the teaching environment will contribute to the need to adapt
certain materials? For example, do you have access to technology that can help you
make adaptations to listening materials?
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Language Levels of Learners

Along with target skills, learners’ language levels are at the core of lesson planning
and design. Materials, whether adapted or used in their original format, must be evaluated
in terms of learners’ language levels. Some questions for consideration include:
• Would this material prove too difficult to adapt for the learners’ language levels? For
example, it may take too much time and language analysis to adapt an article from
the New York Times to fit the language levels of beginning or intermediate learners.
Learners’ Ages
Perhaps the easiest factor to consider when adapting materials are learners’ ages.
Many teachers know what topics interest their learners and are age-appropriate. Here are
some questions to ask when considering materials relative to learners’ age levels.
• Will the material hold an interest for the age group in question regardless of
adaptations? For example, it could be a challenge to adapt a political news story to
meet the interest level of younger learners. Likewise, adapting a children’s book to
use with adult learners could be seen as too basic or even insulting.
• Can the material be easily adapted to fit the interest and needs of the age group, or
would an adaptation require too much research and effort?

Answer the following questions:

1. If you are going to add up three (3) more considerations in adapting
materials to meet the learners’ needs, what are they?
2. Watch the Youtube video, “How to Select & Adapt Materials to Meet Student
Needs” and give your insights about what you have watched.
Link: “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdAvRWslYD0

3.2.3 Materials and Digital Technology

Digital learning materials or e-learning materials

are study materials published in digital format.
These include e-textbooks, e-workbooks,
educational videos, e-tests, etc. New materials and
di gital technologies are two of the most
promising and attractive playgrounds for
innovation inside the classroom. http://www.sonjara.com/index

According to Edublogs (2021), academics highlight numerous benefits of

implementing information and communication technology (ICT) in the EFL classroom. It’s
changing the way we think. It’s changing how we communicate. It’s changing how we
access information. It’s changing the way we use materials.

Hasper (2016) suggests her FACE IT key principles based on Griffith & Burns (2012)
ideas of effective learning practice.
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She argues that technology can be

implemented effectively at each of the stages.
For example, Google drive can be used for peer
feedback whereas voicethread.com records
your oral feedback. Hasper (2016) points out
that the rise of technology dramatically
increased our opportunity to move away from
teacher-centred learning and towards giving
learners more choice in their learning process.
Technology, she continues, can be used to
challenge our learners, for example, https://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/annaneileltmaterials/2016/04
using acceleread.com to develop their speed in /27/materials-and-digital-technologies/
reading. Finally, technology can be used to
increase students’ engagement using todaysmeet.com – a platform for a project work
or piktochart.com – a great tool to present project work results visually (Hasper, 2016).

Similarly, Saumell (2016) considers ways of helping to decide how and when to
use technology based on 6 principles for meaningful technology integration. These are:

1. Meaningful technology integration focuses on the learning task and not the
technology.
2. Meaningful technology integration involves the students (as opposed to just the
teachers) actively using the technology.
3. Meaningful technology integration works well for your specific context.
4. Meaningful technology integration addresses 21st century skills’ issues and digital
literacy training.
5. Meaningful technology integration facilitates learning activities that would be more
difficult or impossible without the technology.
6. Meaningful technology integration breaks down classroom walls.

Here is an example of adapting materials with the integration of technology by

Edublogs (Accessible at: https://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/ annaneileltmaterials
/2016/03/03/14/.) This activity is a simple example on how the material can be integrated
in a lesson using Aurasma app.

1. I’ve chosen to 2. I then scanned

adapt the text and cut the
from unit 6A of images from
New English the exercise.
File Pre- They would act
Intermediate. as the trigger
images.
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3. I typed the 4. I then scanned

sentences, printed and cut the
and took pictures
images from
of them.
the exercise.
They would act
as the trigger
images.

5. As a result, when students scan

an image using Aurasma app,
they will get a sentence related
to this image.

As Bill Gates once said ‘technology is just a tool, in order to enhance learning,
teachers are more important’. I couldn’t agree more. Technology is a fantastic tool available
to us, but only our experience and expertise as teachers can transform it into an effective
tool.

Term Requirement #3:

Search for an existing learning material (ex. text,

textbook, workbook, literary piece, magazine article,
document, file, etc.). Then, adapt the said material by
innovating it, with an application of ICT, in order to be
technologically relevant (ex. a literary piece being converted to an
animation or multimedia presentation).
Present the existing material and the adapted https://freepikpsd.com/advanced-technology-
material by recording yourself through a video, clipart-free-png-images-transparent/40565/
explaining how that material can be used in language
instruction.
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Rubric:

Adopted from: https://studylib.net/doc/9027158/rubric-for-multimedia-presentation

3.3 References

Books:
Tomlinson, B. (2013). Developing materials for language teaching. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Verghese, C. (2007). Teaching English as a second language. Sterling Publishers.

Photos/Icons:

https://freepikpsd.com/craft-png-png-transparent-images/615480/
https://fujomedia.eu/partner/193/adapt/
http://www.sonjara.com/index
https://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/annaneileltmaterials/2016/04/27/materials-and-digital-
technologies/

Online Sources:

Duarte, S. & Escobar L. (2008). Using Adapted Material and its Impact on University Students’
Motivation. Retrieved from:
http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1657-
07902008000100005
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Halim, S. & Halim, T. (2016). Adapting Materials: Revisiting the Needs of Learners. Retrieved
from: https://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/article/view/208
Masuhara, H. (2004). Materials adaptation. In Tomlinson, B. & Masuhara, H., Developing
language course material. Renandya, W.A. & Richards, J.C. (Eds.). RELC Portfolio
Series 11 (pp. 1-7). Singapore: RELC.
Shamem, T. (2009). Materials Adaptation. Retrieved from:
https://tanvirdhaka.blogspot.com/2009/10/materials-adaptation.html

3.4 Acknowledgment

The images, tables, figures and information contained in this module were
taken from the references cited above.