Reading and Writing Materials Critique and Design Dr Sue Wharton

Issues to look at Processes of (L2) reading and (L2) writing Target texts and genres for reading and writing – in the context of the syllabus Materials design

Three models of reading Bottom-up model Top-down model Interactive model

Bottom-up modelsTop-down modelsInteractive models Reading follows a mechanical pattern, in a linear fashion Reader directs reading: through goals of reading and through expectations about text information Word recognition needs to be fast and efficient, The reader creates a piece-by- piece mental translation of the information in the text, with little interference from the reader’s own background knowledge. Reader samples information from the text to confirm or reject these expectations. The reader processes: each word letter-by-letter, each sentence word-by-word each text sentence-by- sentence Reader directs the eyes to the most likely places in the text to find useful information. Background knowledge is a major contributor to text understanding inferencing predicting what will come next in the text. Inferencing & background knowledge. Three models of reading

Bottom-up approach to reading task designTop-down approach to reading task design Reading aloud Transcribing ‘reading’ passages Annotating ‘reading’ passages ‘Narrow’ comprehension questions Use of a bilingual dictionary to work out meanings of words Cloze exercises 1.Text previewing 2.‘Semantic map’ through word association 3.‘Global’ comprehension questions 4.Incorporating visuals - pictures, slides, films 5.Demonstrations 6.Visits, real-life experiences 7.Role-play activities 8.Groupwork 9.Discussions 10.Developing a ‘critical mass’ of knowledge Implications for materials design

Issues to consider when selecting reading texts Genre Reading is not ‘genre-neutral’ Choose mix of genres of text advisedly in keeping with specification for knowledge within the syllabus Intensive vs. extensive The longer the text which the reader is given, the more the reader will engage in top-down processing as well as bottom-up processing. A relentless menu of short reading passages will forever restrict readers to bottom-up processing strategies Text ‘authenticity’ The more ‘authentic’ the text, the more the reader needs to exercise her contextual knowledge to make sense of the text.

Three classic approaches to writing Product writing Primarily about linguistic knowledge, with attention focused on the appropriate use of vocabulary, syntax, and cohesive devices. Genre approaches Focuses on – the audience – the purpose of the text – the organization of the text – salient language patterns of the text Process writing Teacher primarily facilitates the learners‘ writing, responds to content at least as much as to language

Writing approach drives sequencing of elements of the materials Product writingGenre approachesProcess writing FamiliarizationA model of a particular genre is introduced and analysed (in order to relate genre to context) Prewriting Controlled writingManipulate relevant language forms Composing/drafting Guided writingRevising Free writingProduce a short text.Editing

Hybrid approaches Process-genre approach (Badger and White, 2000) Writing development happens: – by drawing out the learners' potential (as in process approaches) – by providing input to which the learners respond (as in product and genre approaches). Macro-strategies (Kumaravadivelu, 2003) Stresses the need to holistically integrate language skills traditionally separated and sequenced as listening, speaking, reading and writing. The separation of skills viewed as inadequate for developing integrated functional skills because “language skills are essentially interrelated and mutually reinforcing” (p. 228).

Towards an integrated approach? In ‘real life’ learners have to read about things before they write about them Is there any chance (minimally) of ‘hooking’ writing skills materials onto reading skills materials? Learners have a variety of approaches to learning; and various approaches to the skills hold different potentials for learners

Issues to consider when designing a writing task Communicative purpose In relation to the overall aims and objectives of the curriculum Processes Again in relation to curriculum aims and objectives Also in relation to learning styles Genre or text type In relation to the content of the syllabus Inspiration/ Stimulus In relation to the personalities and lifestyles of your learners In relation to the contexts of production/ reception of the genre

Reading materials critique task For discussion What can you say about the source of the reading materials? Do they connect with any particular angle on language description? How do the tasks proposed fit with their original communicative purpose? Do they suggest top down/ bottom up/ interactive models of reading? What do the materials and tasks suggest about how people learn? What social values do they – both texts and tasks - seem to convey?

Writing materials critique task For discussion What is the stimulus for the writing task? Do the materials suggest an affiliation with product/process/ genre/ integrated approaches? In what senses can the task be considered ‘authentic’? What do the materials and tasks suggest about how people learn? What social values do they – both texts and tasks - seem to convey?

A reading/ writing task design process Consideration of texts – for input and output Consideration of tasks – what do you want learners to do and to what extent do you want to control this?

Texts: for reading, to stimulate writing, and to be written by learners Where can I find source text(s)? – libraries – other textbooks – internet What media will the texts (reception or production) be? – electronic – paper-based – print and /or visual Is the text interesting (and motivating) for my learners? Is the content relevant to the curriculum? Is the text at the right level for my learners To what extent does it contribute to authenticity?

Tasks: global and micro tasks Are the task(s) engaging and challenging for the learners? Will the task(s) enable meaningful communication to take place? To what extent do they contribute to authenticity? How will the task(s) enable the learners to develop the skills required by the curriculum specifications? Can the task(s) be completed within the desired timeframe? How do small-scale tasks fit in with larger tasks or projects?