Lecture Task
(a) Compare and
contrast McDonough and Shaw, Maley and Tomlinson and Masuhara adaptation techniques. Are there are
differences or are they similar?
Adaptation Technique
McDonough & Shaw
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Maley
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Tomlinson & Masuhara
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McDonough
& Shaw’s Techniques
•
Adding – Expanding & Extending
•
Deleting – subtracting &
abridging
•
Modifying – re-writing &
re-structuring
•
Simplifying
•
Re-ordering
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Techniques for
materials adaptation
1. omission: the teacher leaves out things
deemed inappropriate,
offensive,
unproductive, etc., for
the particular group.
2. addition: where there seems to be
inadequate coverage,
teachers may decide to
add to textbooks,
either in the form of texts
or
exercise material.
3. reduction: where the teacher shortens an activity to give it
less weight or emphasis.
4. extension: where an activity is lengthened in
order to give it an additional dimension. (For
example, a vocabulary activity is extended to
draw attention to some syntactic patterning.)
5. rewriting/modification: teacher may
occasionally decide to rewrite material, especially
exercise material, to make it more
appropriate, more “communicative”, more
demanding, more accessible to their students,
etc.
6. replacement: text
or exercise material which is
considered inadequate, for whatever reason, may be
replaced by more suitable material. This is often
culled from other resource materials.
7. re-ordering:
teachers may decide that the order in
which the textbooks are presented is not suitable for
their students. They can then decide to plot a
different course through the textbooks from the one
the writer has laid down.
8. branching: teachers
may decide to add options to the
existing activity or to suggest alternative pathways
through the activities. (For example, an experiential
route or an analytical route.)
|
divided into
three main categories
in terms of quantity:
Plus (+),
Minus (-) or Zero (0)
Plus:
·
Techniques- Examples
·
Addition- Teachers may add
different text or activities
·
Expansion- Teachers may expand texts and activities by increasing the length,
difficulty, depth, etc.
Minus:
·
Techniques- Examples
·
Deletion- Teachers may delete
some texts and/or activities together
·
Subtraction-
Teachers
may decrease the number of sentences in a text or part of an activity
·
Reduction-
Teachers
may reduce texts and activities by decreasing the length, difficulty, depth,
etc.
Zero:
·
Techniques- Examples
·
Modification- Teachers may make changes to instructions
·
Replacement- Teachers may swap one activity with another
·
Reorganization- teachers may change
the positions of texts and illustrations
·
Resequencing- Teachers may change the sequence of activities
·
Conversion- Teachers may change the genre of a text (from narrative to poem), or
move the content from one medium to another (e.g. from print to a web page)
|
By thoroughly comparing and contrasting the adaptation
techniques suggested by all three (McDonough&Shaw, Maley,
Tomlinson&Masuhara), we noticed that all three techniques are fairly
similar eventhough the terms are named differently.
Differences
The only difference between them is the organization of their techniques. For example, in McDonough & Shaw and Maley , the techniques are just organised in a simple and direct manner from ‘adding’ to ‘ re-ordering’ and ‘omission’ to ‘branching’. As for Tomlinson & Masuhara , they divided their techniques into categories which relates by the type of adaptation they are using. In our opinion, Tomlinson & Masuhara’s choice of organisation is useful whereby it can be easily be chosen by teachers based on what they would like to do with their materials.
The only difference between them is the organization of their techniques. For example, in McDonough & Shaw and Maley , the techniques are just organised in a simple and direct manner from ‘adding’ to ‘ re-ordering’ and ‘omission’ to ‘branching’. As for Tomlinson & Masuhara , they divided their techniques into categories which relates by the type of adaptation they are using. In our opinion, Tomlinson & Masuhara’s choice of organisation is useful whereby it can be easily be chosen by teachers based on what they would like to do with their materials.
Similarities
All of the techniques used are similar even if they have different terms. They can be categorised based on what is done to the materials when using the techniques. For example, the common technique found between them is addition. In all three techniques, they suggested that teachers can add and expand the materials using activities or exercises. The same goes for reduction. In McDonough & Shaw’s techniques, the term used is ‘simplifying’ while Maley uses the term ‘reduction’ and Tomlinson & Masuhara categorises it into ‘Minus’. All three terms share the same usage or adaptation which is removing or subtracting the unnecessary parts of the materials. Eventhough all three techniques are not organized the same, the usage or ways of adapting a material are fairly similar.
All of the techniques used are similar even if they have different terms. They can be categorised based on what is done to the materials when using the techniques. For example, the common technique found between them is addition. In all three techniques, they suggested that teachers can add and expand the materials using activities or exercises. The same goes for reduction. In McDonough & Shaw’s techniques, the term used is ‘simplifying’ while Maley uses the term ‘reduction’ and Tomlinson & Masuhara categorises it into ‘Minus’. All three terms share the same usage or adaptation which is removing or subtracting the unnecessary parts of the materials. Eventhough all three techniques are not organized the same, the usage or ways of adapting a material are fairly similar.
(b) Compare and contrast McDonough and Shaw with Tomlinson
and Masuhara’s materials adaptation
procedures. Are there are differences or are they similar?
McDonough and Shaw
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Tomlinson and Masuhara
|
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Materials’ Adaptation
Procedures
|
 |
i. -Profiling of teaching context
ii. -Identifying reasons for adaptation
iii. - Evaluating
iv. -Listing Objectives
v. -Adapting
vi. -Teaching
vii. -Revising
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Generally, the first move of materials’ adaptation
procedures in both the McDonough & Shaw and Tomlinson and Masuhara are the
same. They are only different in terms. In McDonough & Shaw, the first
thing need to be identified in adapting a material is to match certain internal
and external criteria to the material. External factors comprise both the overt
claims made about materials and the characteristics of particular situation. Internal
factors are concerned with content, organization and consistency. In this
context, the matching and congruency is needed in order to localise (as in
bringing in the local culture into teaching), personalise (relating the
material to learners’ personal schema as in interpersonal use), individualise
(relating the material to learners’ background information) and modernise (incorporate
IT into teaching)the material used. This is the same as the one in Tomlinson
& Masuhara’s procedure which is profiling of teaching context. It is same
as there is the need to collect information about something so that later, a
description about it can be done. This is important as it helps to identify the
reasons/needs for adaptation. After identifying the reasons, evaluation will
take place. The material will be evaluated to determine how it should be
adapted in order to fit the learners’ context.
In term of differences, McDonough & Shaw do have
something which is different compared to Tomlinson & Masuhara. It is that
McDonough & Shaw provides specific techniques used in the material
adaption. The techniques are adding (expanding and extending), deleting
(subtracting and abridging), modifying (re-writing and re-structuring),
simplifying (as in simplify the sentence structure) and re-ordering (putting
parts of a coursebook into different order). These techniques will be applied
into content areas such as language practice, tests, skills and classroom
management. In other words, the material will undergo addition, deletion,
modification, simplification and re-order to ‘fit’ the tests, language
practice, skills and also in creating more effective classroom management.
As for Tomlinson & Masuhara, the listing of objectives
comes after the evaluation. The objectives are important as it affects how the
adaption to the material is to be done in the next step. However, there is no
specific ‘techniques’ stated on how the adaptation should be done. In fact, the
next step proceeds straight to teaching and lastly revising.
(c) List and discuss the levels of materials adaptation.
Textbook
adaptation can be done at three levels. The first level is macro adaptation, which is ideally done
before the language programme begins. After comparing what is covered in a
textbook and what is required by the syllabus or examination, the teacher may
find that certain areas or even whole units of the book can be omitted, and
certain contents need to be supplemented. Macro adaptation is very important
because it helps to avoid waste of time and energy of the teacher and the
students as well. It also helps the teacher to see in advance what he or she
needs to supplement so that he or she can keep an eye on materials that could
be used. Based on Malaysia education context, finishing every syllabus of the
English textbook is a prerequisite and the teachers are not allowed to choose
another textbook. Having options to selecting textbook for teaching is not
encouraging in Malaysia. Thus, it is impossible for English teachers in
Malaysia to pick another textbook based on their thought in order to teach
their students. On the other hand, teachers should evaluate the whole unit in
the textbook and make selections on what chapters they should emphasize or less
emphasize on based on the probability of the questions which will be asked in
exams. For example, the topic’ pollution’,
‘health’ and ‘technology’ are very common and popular that it have
higher probability of coming out in exams. So, teachers should emphasize on
those chapters.
The
second level is of adaptation is adapting a unit. This could be reordering the activities, combining activities, omitting
activities, rewriting or supplementing exercise material, etc. Unit adaptation helps to
make the classroom teaching more smooth and cohesive. It also helps the teacher
to better fulfil the aims of a unit. Before entering the class, the teacher
must go through the textbook units and make decision about which activity or
task is applicable in the textbook. The activity or task which are not very
useful and does not give students much comprehensible input and new
information, then activity can be omitted and teacher needs to replace or
modify the omitted activity with a better one.
The
third level is adaptation of
specific activities in a unit. Occasionally an activity is regarded as valuable,
but it is not well-designed or it is not feasible in a particular class.
If the teacher does not want to give up the activity, he or she needs to
adapt it. For instance, the activity is hard to be integrated in the classroom
but it is crucial for students’ understanding in the certain objective of that
particular task. Hence, the teacher should put more effort to modify or conduct
and give students a clearer picture about that particular activity so that
students can carry out this activity in a more efficient way.
(d) Without going in-depth into your 2nd part of your
assignment (adapt and create), discuss in general what level of materials
adaptation you will be using (it can be all three levels but used at different
areas in the materials) and techniques you will employ to enrich the chapter
you have evaluated. Briefly state the types of tasks which will accompany the
current material. Please mention if there are media accompaniment with that
task.
In chapter 9, there are two roles play activities where
students have to work in pair. The situation of the roles play given is a
conversation between a mother and a son and the other one is conversation of a
doctor and his patient.
Activity:
Firstly students have to choose either one of the situation
given. They have to type out their conversation in not less than 120 words and
the content of their conversation should include vocabulary and points related
to their situation. This means that they have to do this task just like how
they usually do in their exam for the writing/ essay section.
They then have to act
out the situation in a very authentic way and record the whole process. Their
conversation has to be based on their dialogue that they have typed.
After doing both the writing and roles play part, they have
to post their outcome into their tumblr account.
Each pair also has to “check out” what the other pairs have
posted on their tumblr wall by giving likes and comments, and each pair has to
give likes and comments to at least 5 of the other pairs.
One of the techniques that have been implied in this
activity was Maley’s adaptation techniques of branching. Maley suggested that “teachers may decide to add options
to the existing activity or to suggest alternative pathways through the
activities. (For example, an experiential route or an analytical route.) “. So,
for the roles play activity, students can either choose the conversation
between the mother and son or, the conversation between a doctor and his
patient. By choosing different situation, the content, vocabulary and points
that need to be included by students will be different.
Other techniques that have been included in this activity
are the addition and expansion
techniques proposed by Tomlinson and Masuhara. For the addition technique,
Tomlinson and Masuhara stated that “teachers may add different text or
activities”. Hence, there is a writing task added into the roles play activity
to let students practice in their writing skill. As for the expansion
technique, Tomlinson and Masuhara stated that “teachers may expand texts and
activities by increasing the length, difficulty, depth, etc.” The difficulty
was increased when students are required to prepare a conversation that must
include certain types of language features based on the situation that have
been chosen., which include points that are related to their topic. On the
other hand, students are also required to memorise their dialogues and act it
out in front of a recording video and show authenticity in during the roles
play. This means that students have to practice few times so they can perform
this task more efficiently, and this can help them in their speaking skills.
Ivy's reflection:
I have learn a
lot about adapting activities provided in textbook. Although
we alerady learn and exposed the fact that we could modify
activities that are not suitable in our teaching, but
the powerpoint really helped lot in giving more understanding
to how to specifically adapt and modify the activities according to our
preferences.
Sorry Ms, my blogger account has some problem,can't save and post anything. :O
