Criteria for adapting and for creating materials

These are some of the criteria we can use when we have to adapt materials.  One of the main reasons for adapting materials is that they might not meet our students needs, either cognitively or linguistically.  These same criteria can be used when we are creating our own materials. 

This list can also be changed into a check list by making the criteria into a question.  For example, the criteria

The materials cater to different learning styles 

becomes

Do the materials cater to different learning styles?

General criteria:

These criteria will apply to all materials and are not student or learning environment dependent.

Materials and theories:

Materials should take into consideration:

• theories of language
• theories of learning
• individual learning styles

 Materials and the language learner: 

 To what extent do the Materials encourage students to:

•  use their prior knowledge on the topic
•  become affectively involved with the learning process
•  express themselves creatively
•  make use of their cognitive skills
• make use of their metacognitive skills
• become autonomous learners
• extend what is learnt in the class to the world outside
   

 To what extent are the materials likely to:

• be at the cognitive level of a group of 9 year old students
• hold the interest of teenage boys

Materials and Instructions

To what extent are the instructions:

• clear
• precise
• semantically correct

Specific criteria: 

These criteria will depend on the individual needs of our students and of the learning environment.

Content

To what extent do the materials cover a range of topics related to English for Hotel Management (in the case of ESP)

Language

To what extent do the materials give examples of language in use