Summary #2

A summary of A Framework for Materials Writing

by 

David Jolly and Rod  Bolitho

What is the process of materials writing?

In this chapter, the author presents un-dynamic process, which lacks of the evaluation stage. This process, however, is used widely either with the same steps or with most of its steps. The process consists of the following steps.

-Identification of a need: in this step, the teachers or their learners highlight a need to fulfill or a problem to solve by using of new made materials.

-Exploration: the materials writer, in this case the teacher, is going to discover the area of this need in terms of what language to use, what skills to focus on, what functions to serve… etc.

-Contextual realization: in this step, the materials writer puts the new materials in the suitable contexts, ideas or texts to get full advantage of it.

-Pedagogical realization: this step in concerning with how to teach the new materials, what activities are suitable and what instructions to write.

-Physical production: this step the writer focuses on the final form of the materials i.e. the layout, font size, visuals… etc.

-Implementation: using the new made materials in the class.

As mentioned early, the process is stop after using materials in class due to the missing of evaluation stage. This missing deactivates the development of materials as evaluation forces teachers to revisit steps to meet the objectives. Failing to achieve the objectives might be related to any step therefore, evaluation should touch upon each step not just at the end of the whole process.  Besides, when we design the materials we may back to the previous step(s) before reaching the final production. i.e. in the designing we don’t follow the same sequencing exactly as we revisit some steps back and forth due to the feedback.

Beliefs and working principles of the framework.

1-You can get full advantage of new made materials by designing them according to a need. Under this title the author asked the question How materials writers respond to this need depends on all sorts of variables? some of these variables are:
- available time.
- teacher's background and training.
- availability of physical materials; papers, computer…
- materials evaluation.
that shows that materials writing follows learning-centered approach as it depends on needs of learners.

2-As teacher become more sensitive to their learners' need, they become the best to write materials.

3-When teachers write the materials by themselves, it leads to satisfaction and self-confidence. That because they teach themselves as well.

4-Teachers need to have a background about materials writing even before start working in writing them.

5-Getting feedback from peers and learners on the new made materials is an important criterion to determine their success.