Alan Maley

Freda Mishan

Hitomi Masuhara

This volume represents a unique addition to the growing body of empirical literature on materials development, adopting a reverse approach to the topic. Rather than applying ‘theory to practice’, practitioners and researchers from 11 countries reappraise applied linguistics theories through practice. The book also provides evidence for the diversity of materials development around the globe at different levels for different specialities and for different purposes. Each chapter surveys the relevant literature (such as task-based learning and language and culture), describes a specific research project, reports the results of the project, and discusses the implications of these results for the development of materials both in the local context and in general. After each section there are editorial comments highlighting the issues emerging from the research, and there is a conclusion which connects the findings of the various chapters and makes suggestions both for future research and for the principled development of materials for L2 learners. The book will be suitable for teachers, materials developers, academics and students in post-graduate courses in applied linguistics, in TEFL/TESOL and in the teaching of other languages as an L2.

Practice and Theory for Materials Development in L2 Learning

This book puts forward an authenticity-centred approach to the design of materials for language learning. The premise of the approach is that language learning should be based on authentic materials drawn from a variety of genres found in the target language culture, and that the learning tasks involving these materials should be correspondingly authentic, by entailing interactions that are consistent with the original communicative purpose of the authentic text. It provides both a theoretical grounding to the authenticity-centred approach, and demonstrates its practical application in a teaching task reference section. In outline, the book: • Refines a definition of authenticity in the context of language pedagogy. • Traces the historical background to authenticity in language learning back over one millennium. • Grounds the use of authentic materials in language learning in L2 acquisition research. • Gives a critical analysis of the authenticity of contemporary language study course-books. • Discusses the use of seven authentic genres for language learning; broadcasting, newspapers, advertisements, music and song, film, literature and ICT (information and communications technology). • Offers a set of practical principles for the design of authentic learning tasks. • Includes a reference section providing step-by-step instruction for the design and classroom procedure of learning tasks for materials taken from each of the seven genres.

Freda Mishan

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