REVIEW ARTICLE 2

ELT MATERIALS: THE KEY TO FOSTERING EFFECTIVE

TEACHING AND LEARNING SETTINGS

Based on the article, Nunez and Tellez presented about the issue of the role of
teachers as textbook developers, and how they can meet materials development
demands by integrating a clear conceptualization and set of principles as well as their
essential components.
In first section of the article, Nunez and Tellez mention three aspects of
developing the materials regarding to English learners’ needs such as include some
considerations where the teacher as material developers and contribution to the
teacher development, provide the reflection about language teaching and learning as
essential demands in developing the materials, and present the concept, principles,
and components for adapting the materials. There are two issues to change material
development which are caused by teacher awareness. First, there is a huge production
in methodology and materials used for teaching. Second, there is student’s
participation in order to upgrade teaching materials which is made by the teacher. The
purpose of developing materials is to enhance the teachers’ pedagogical practice in
teaching and learning process.
Nunez and Tellez stated that the teacher should consider the diversity of the
students when he/ she teaching the target language and developing the materials. The
teacher has to create materials that promote pleasant learning settings, fostering
information, interaction, and long-term learning. The effectiveness of materials used
for language teaching are depends on how meaningful, relevant and motivating they
are to the students. Materials development requires designers to be reflective,
resourceful and receptive (RRR) agents with regard to their teaching practice, besides
becoming more willing to take risks and make decisions related to the way they
handle classes, and being less willing to single out what should not have been done.
In second section of the article, Nunez and Tellez discuss about principles and
strategic components of materials development. There are some aspects that
emphasize the materials development as follows:
 Achieve impact through novelty, variety, attractive presentation, and appealing
content.
 Help the students feel at ease (easier).
 Help the students to develop their self-confidence
 The teacher must useful and relevant to the students
 Facilitate the students with self-discovery learning
 Attain readiness
 Students attention to linguistic features
 Provide communicative purpose in the target language (the use of language)
 The students are be able to collect the information and retrieve it into short-term
memory
 The different of students learning styles (like visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and so
on)
 Regarding the students’ emotion
 Silent period during the students learn the target language
 Stimulate left and right brain in order to build the intellectual, aesthetic, and
emotional involvement.
 Offer plenty of free practice
 Provide the opportunities for feedback outcome
In the last section of the article, Nunez and Tellez explained about the essential
components in the process of creating and adapting didactic materials. There are
several material development components, such as:
1. Needs Assessment
Needs assessment helps the students and the teacher in order to achieve the
meaningful and effective in teaching and learning process and also the teacher be able
to recognize the students’ weaknesses. The teacher can make decisions regarding the
aims, strategies, and materials according on the needs of assessment.
2. Setting goals and objectives
The setting should be set up clearly, based on students’ needs, and the
implementation of material development. There are four ways to set the goals and
objectives for teachers. First, sense direction and content framework based on course
planning. Second, compose a map which is set with the goals and the objectives.
Third, help the teacher to determine the suitable content and activities in the course.
3. Designing a Syllabus
Syllabus is a part of curriculum which means that it is a guidelines or outline of
a course which is developed by the teacher in teaching and learning process and in
designing a syllabus the teacher have to decide the material and content which are
suitable for the students’ needs.
4. Selecting and Developing Materials and Activities
Selecting appropriate materials of activities will simultaneously allow teachers
to make autonomous opportune decisions that foster a harmonious and efficient
development of their classes and the attainment of students’ learning objectives.
5. Organizing Content and Activities
First, gradually moves from the simplest to the most complex activities, from
the general to the specific ones, and from the concrete to the abstract. Second, the
teacher provides the students with a learning challenge in terms of a new skill area, a
different type of activity, or new focus. Third, the teacher follows a consistent
sequence to be fulfilled within a given period.
6. Evaluation
There are two types of evaluation; formative and summative. The
implementation of evaluations may lead the students to become aware of the strategy
used by the teacher in teaching and learning process.
7. Resources and Constraints
Teachers are being able to resourceful and then adapt to the tangible or
intangible givens and lacks of their teaching situation in developing materials.
Teachers can become in the absence of physical or technological resources, such as a
classroom, books, technology, time, and even furniture. In other words, the lack of
physical resources may encourage teachers to use available resources like brief
periods of time or poor facilities in creative ways.

To sum up, Teacher-developed materials concern not only effective learning

settings and outcomes, but also teachers’ pedagogical practice/performance. Effective
materials make learners feel comfortable and confident because both the content and
type of activities are perceived by them as significant and practical to their lives.
Therefore, in the materials designed language, teachers need to lead their students to
have materials interact appropriately with their needs and interests in order to
facilitate learning.