The Complete Guide to the Theory and Practice of Materials Development for Language Learning provides undergraduate and graduate-level students in applied linguistics and TESOL, researchers, materials developers, and teachers with everything they need to know about the latest theory and practice of language learning materials development for all media.
The past two decades have seen historic change in the field of language learning materials development. The four main drivers of that change include a shift in emphasis from materials for language teaching to language learning; evidenced-based development; the huge increase in digital delivery technologies; and the wedding of materials developed for the learning of English with those for other second or foreign languages.
Timely, authoritative, and global in scope, this text represents the ideal resource for all those studying and working in the field of language learning.
Table of Contents:
Preface vii
1 Materials Development So Far 1
2 Issues in Materials Development 25
3 Materials Evaluation 52
4 Materials Adaptation 82
5 The Development of Materials 117
6 The Process of Publishing Coursebooks 145
7 Developing Digital Materials 171
8 Developing Materials for the Acquisition of Language 189
9 Developing Materials for the Development of Skills 220
10 Developing Materials for Young Learners 246
11 Developing Materials for Teenagers and Adults 270
12 Developing Materials for Different Levels, Users, and Purposes 291
13 Visuals, Layout, and Design 325
14 Writing Instructions for Language-Learning Activities 342
15 Materials Development Research 355
Conclusion 389
Resources Useful for Materials Developers 391
Index 399
About the Author :
Brian Tomlinson, PhD is TESOL Professor at Anaheim University, California, a Chair Professor at Shanghai International Studies University and a Visiting Professor at the University of Liverpool. He is the Founder and President of MATSDA, an association dedicated to the bringing together of researchers, writers, publishers, and teachers to facilitate the development of effective language learning materials. He has over one hundred publications, including SLA Theory and Materials Development for Language Learning (2016), Developing Materials for Language Teaching (2014), Applied Linguistics and Materials Development (2013), Materials Development in Language Teaching (2011), and Research for Materials Development in Language Learning (2010, with Hitomi Masuhara).
Hitomi Masuhara, PhD is Lecturer at the University of Liverpool and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She is a founding member and Secretary of MATSDA, and has authored many books, book chapters, and articles. She has worked in Japan, Oman, Singapore and the UK, has been involved in numerous international projects, and has given plenary presentations and workshops in more than 30 countries. Her recent publications include Materials and Methods in ELT: A Teacher's Guide, Third Edition (2013, with Jo McDonough and Christopher Shaw) and Practice and Theory for Materials Development in Second Language Learning (2017, with Freda Mishan and Brian Tomlinson).
Review :
"This thought-provoking and resourceful book will be of great help for teachers, publishers, and researchers interested in materials development. In addition to informing the reader about historical tradition, providing the results of the latest empirical findings, and summarizing the existing trends in materials development, the authors voice their own beliefs coming from their many years of personal and professional experience." - LINGUIST LIST, June 2019
"Everyone in this profession needs a copy of this book at hand to consult in their everyday working lives, be they teachers, teacher trainers, directors of study or publishers. The language in the book is accessible and the book will prove useful for those new to materials development as well as those who have been developing and adapting materials for years but who perhaps have not thought about it concisely as a distinct activity." - Naeema B. Han, Leeds Beckett University, UK, Folio 18/2 September 2018
“All in all, the book is informative and inspiring, and it is worthy of a thorough study by practitioners and esearchers who are interested in materials development, L1 and L2 acquisition, language teaching, curriculum design, language testing and teacher education.” – System, Volume 87 (December 2019) Article 102160
