TOPIC 3 :
SELECTION AND
ADAPTATION
OF MATERIALS AND
ACTIVITIES
ABOHS, FIZI, SYAFIQ

PRINCIPLES OF SELECTION AND
ADAPTATION

SPEAKING
1. Take account of the student as a person – select
materials that is motivating and within the ability of
students (their age, interest, experience and knowledge)
2. Reduce anxiety by using from easy to more difficult
materials (a familiar environment, within their experience
and understanding)

3. Provide a context for ss to listen and to talk about –
when people choose to speak, it is always about
something. They have communicative needs and
purpose and as teachers, we need to attend to this.
Provide interesting topics.
4. Maintain a careful balance between fluency and
accuracy. First accuracy, then fluency
-Fluency – speak smoothly but not necessarily
grammatically
- Accuracy –control and use the rules of the language

5. Able to provide a good model for ss to imitate – use the
target stress and intonation, correct pronunciation
6. Provide appropriate stimuli for eliciting speech
7. Encourage learners to take reasonable risks in English –
get them to explore further and willing to take risks in
speaking English.
8. Create opportunities for ss to interact by using groupwork
or pairwork
– Use personalisation of exercises by using the ss’s
names, hobbies, interests, etc. Plan and respond creatively
during activities.

9. Provide opportunities for learners to notice the gap
- ‘notice the gap’ describes the ss’s experience when
they interact in a second / foreign language in the target
language differs from the way the native or proficient
speakers say it.
- to make them realise the difference between what
they want to say and what they can say.

PRINCIPLES OF SELECTION
AND ADAPTATIONThus, when you create a task and activities for your
students, you must think about:
• The purpose of the lesson
• Your objective / target language
• Your students’ level and abilities
• How to motivate them to use the language
• Provide sufficient platform for the ss to explore and learn
the language

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF
MATERIALS• Why use materials?
· As a source of language
· For support in learning
· As a stimulus for student production
· As a record of learning
• Why do we need to evaluate the materials?
- to determine the suitability of specific materials

• Some points to consider:
a. Instructions - alter/ignore/add
b. time (especially preparation time and execution
time)
c. Is it enough or do you need to add extra stages
d. interesting and able to motivate your students
e. tackle the target language
f. suitable for the students’ levels, abilities and
learning styles (Mixed level groups may need
different materials, Look for texts with a wide
range of activities targeting multiple learning
styles.)

g. able to motivate the ss to learn more
h. suit your learning styles
i. Provide rooms for ss to practise
pronunciation, stress, intonation or other
speaking and listening skills group. An oral
English class should have materials with
copious speaking activities.

j. material is flexible enough to adapt to
multiple levels, as larger classes tend to hold a
broader range of abilities.
k. available to you. If you require access to a
internet, DVD player and projector, make sure
these items are available to you.

l. Look for materials that facilitate student-
centered lessons. An effective English class is
one where the students do the majority of
the activity and the teacher serves as the
assistant.

REMEMBER :
• Motivation to learn English
• High motivation facilitates better language learning
• The activities chosen will increase or expand the
skills which are already mastered by the ss
• When teaching please be aware of how the
language is being used and exposed

THANK YOU
LISTENING & SPEAKING