To what extent do the materials include engaging texts for evaluation and reading?

To what extent do the materials include engaging texts for evaluation and reading?

Evaluation of Target Score: 5/5

In Kuwait, reading one should be prompted to understand the inclusion of engaging reading texts in a secondary coursebook material. According to indications from Williams, very little could be achieved in the absence of exciting reading books. Notably, L2 readings texts offer diversified reading articles that are selected to provide specific themes or teaching points as much as they could neither be as relevant, engaging, nor entertaining. A boring text kills the joy of a reader more effectively, according to Lima. Furthermore, the student’s enjoyment, yearn to learn information, and encouraging the teacher to consider including broad scopes of engaging text-types in their classroom reading material is argued as a necessary focus in most of the BC secondary English language arts curriculum. A wide variety of engaging studying materials for students are offered within the Kuwait EAL coursebook that focuses on individuals aged between 19-20 years.

The inclusions within the book entail charts, maps, stories, poems, tutorials, letters, photos, drawings, comics, and articles. A title, “Twenty-five ways to get moving” (Tomlinson, 2013), was discussed and read by the students and a starting point for the whole discussion, individual goal-setting, and brainstorming on one’s fitness and health was formulated. Small groups of individuals, each being granted distinguished pairs of graphs and maps regarding topics related to global warming was entailed in Module, Topic 2A. An analysis and comparison in illustrating the relationship between the two stimulators were shown. Consequently, the indented audience for a cigarette package warning was looked into, and the appropriate adjective methods that were used to describe them was illustrated in Module 4, Topic 5B. These three illustrated examples offer a minute visualization of the text varieties in the Kuwait EAL coursebook, which also demonstrates the patterns of interacting in engaging texts.

To what extent do the reading materials remove support to the procedure of writing?

Evaluation of Target Score: 5/5

The gradual change or removal of support or scaffolding is significant for ESL pursuant since one learns the process of writing. These reading materials assist students in understanding the writing procedure, which helps them to produce successfully written content, especially from the formulated templates. Significant importance of constructing up prior knowledge of the genres that students can research back later is necessary for scaffolding, especially when introducing a new writing genre. Learners are required to do a lot of practice with expressive skills due to content creation and communication in the BC curriculum for secondary English Language Arts (Richards, 2017). Scaffolding the procedure of writing is crucial for students to produce strong expressive skillsets since the book is one of the methods of creating and communicating among students.

The significance of scaffolding in a writing procedure when stating a procedure-oriented application to teaching the writing process is more productive and successful that a product-oriented application, as asserted within the Kuwait coursebook material. Students are led through sectional stages within the writing and gradually perpetuate using the procedure independently when writing according to the texts in the coursebook (Tomlinson, and Masuhara, 2018). Additionally, as much as teachers have recognized the significance of scaffolding in writing there are numerous other assertions within the context that are important for students as they march through the writing procedures which are inclusive of other topics that include creating a summary, creating visual paragraphs, and writing reports or essays. Students are offered graphic organizers for persuasive essays within the context as much as the coursebook pivots most of the scaffolding roles to the instructor or teacher. For instance, a short report should be written after one concludes an interview, and the teacher is expected to offer the format that the students want to use in their story beforehand. However, certain materials like report-writing examples and templates that support scaffolding are not provided.

To what extent do the materials offer opportunities for verbal discussions amongst peers?

Evaluation of Target Score: 5/5

Listening practice or speaking practice has illustrated the importance of verbal discussion among peers. Materials should be organized and presented in language perspectives to create a useful oral review or engage various factors of interpersonal communication among peers. Most L2 speakers tend to source most of their input into face-to-face contact with other non-native speaking individuals in real-life situations as much as it is difficult for coursebooks to include listening roles or activities pointing out that the input was sourced from other learners (Tomlinson, and Masuhara, 2018). Practice intertwined with expressive and receptive skills, which can also be developed with verbal discussion is needed in the BC curriculum for secondary English Language Arts. Opportunities are offered throughout each Module that includes an oral debate among peers. For instance, in Module 5, Topic 1 verbal discussions are included within the modules and nine peer and group discussion prompts are also used. An article entitled “How many people in the world speak English?” (Tomlinson, 2013) should be discussed in groups of four when creating graphic organizers to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of using English as a universal language among the activities required within the Module. Concurrently, students should also pair with members from other groups and are offered these preceding instructions that require a member of the pair to explain his or her collected data to others without illustrational notes. On the other hand, the listeners are expected to take notes, although they are supposed only to jot down notes after the speaker has completed his or her session. Both students are expected to listen and learn through verbal discussion between peers (Graves, 2000).

To what extent do the Materials engage high-level cognitive engagement and thinking?

Evaluation of Target Score: 5/5

Learners get to acquire a skill if they are engaged in challenges that offer achievable tasks that need high-level thinking rather than being forced to completing essential, meaningless, or empty roles in cognitive engagement. Researchers illustrated the importance of textbooks encouraging students to interact in critical discussions and critique or question the data presented to them. Moreover, the significance of offering students with texts that require accessibility while challenging in retrospect to developing thinking and language strategies that can be applied to a new context is also illustrated within the BC curriculum (Richards, 2017). High-level cognitive engagement can be sourced in numerous regions throughout the coursebook material as much as the task byte analyses illustrate low-level mental operations. For instance, students are required to scan several abstracts from a topic on EBSCO of genetically modified foods and offer the central concept from each presented article. Students are further needed to discuss which material would be worth debate and to which audience would it have the most impact.  The above-presented procedures offer an example in knowledge-creating, which entailed the high-level cognitive engagement and the highest category of Bloom’s taxonomy.

To what extent are the materials promoting cultural equity?

Evaluation of Target Score: 3/5

A view on English belonging to a broader scope of cultures and individuals offers a significant method of promoting cultural equity. Mass market international coursebooks are dominated by the ELT as much as teachers have the vital role of inculcating or acting as an intercultural mediator and offering artistic coordination that misses within the coursebook material (Graves, 2000). Arguments presented infer that it is rare to globally locate coursebooks that have narrative inclusions from different cultures, thereby expanding the student’s horizons, avoiding generalizations or stereotypes, and inviting comparisons. Consequently, it is significant for a coursebook to include cultural equity as part of their study (Tomlinson, and Masuhara, 2018). The significance of developmental education, understanding, and cultural awareness was also recognized within the Kuwait curriculum. The coursebook should not present the culture emanating a superior of other cultures but rather include narratives from other regions, thereby creating a wide variety of reading materials as indicated in the Kuwait edition.

For instance, there are sections within the book that cover topics, information, texts, and discussion on Aboriginal individuals in North America and also positively presents this study. Students are later introduced to an individual and are needed to design a marketing structure and plan for the individual or a celebrity from their state or country who could be marketable to international communities. More importantly, the data presented within the Module focuses on the “Global Village,” promoting cultural equality when emphasizing the methods in which the universe is becoming smaller (Tomlinson, 2013). The assertions above attempt to prompt individuals in considering their positions within the global village and its inclination to articles based on the negative and positive aspects of English as a universal language. Throughout the coursebook, there are no explicit inclusions of narratives from a broader scope of cultures, although cultural equity is promoted through different topics.

To what extent do the materials incorporate technological components?

Evaluation of Target Score: 3/5

The significance of broadening the experience of texts and the promotion of collaborating methods and the exchange of ideas is illustrated through the incorporation of technological components in English teaching methods and materials. Modern English learners need to familiarize themselves with the scientific techniques available for English as with the traditional communication procedures according to research conducted. Certain varieties of formats that include multi and digital genres are some of the essential materials that should be included within the BC curriculum. Teachers are provided with links to specific resources such as essays or articles that can be used within the lessons, and there are several regions within the coursebook material that students are required to gain outcome by utilizing technological materials. For instance, within the Module, one observes that students are offered links to online videos that they need to assess and watch the data being presented. They are also expected to discuss and offer resolutions on the data provided (Tomlinson, and Masuhara, 2018). However, little opportunities are available that teach the use of technology within the coursebook.

There is no online environment within the classrooms since collaboration with teachers usually occurred on face-to-face platforms. Students are not required to apply their English skills when linking with other applications or websites. Moreover, students only utilize the internet when doing their researches, and yet the studies presented illustrate that some of the research should be conducted using books. For instance, they are expected to conduct an investigation on recyclable materials and write paragraphs based on the produced and processed entailed (Richards, 2017). Now, such research shall be done online as much as the coursebook requires the use of individual classified books and websites, and the teacher may also provide other websites that the coursebook material may not offer, indicating that low technological components are included within the study material.

To what extent do the study materials offer contents that are relevant and familiar to learners’ co-existence?

Evaluation of Target Score: 5/5

It is significant to include content that is familiar and relevant to student’s life since it increases the learner’s attachment to their investment in gauging the learning procedures. According to Tomlinson (2013), he was curious about the importance of achieving a connection between learners and their own lives, especially regarding provisions on relevant content. He further questions that “To what extent are the materials related to the wants of the learners?” (Tomlinson, 2014) indicating that he questions the type or variety of reading materials available to users. Students should be offered a variety of texts and activities, allowing them to make meaningful decisions in the universe, and such an inclusive method was significant for all students, as indicated in the requirements within the BC curriculum for secondary English language arts. The Kuwait EAP coursebook has five overarched study topics that are found from different subject varieties. Some of the issues entail the environment, health issues, the global village, modern technological impacts, and sports, which also include specific sub-topics and activities that involve students relating to their lives. For instance, students are invited to considering the negative and positive impacts of text messaging on their writing materials and the introduction of English version messaging languages among students and willing participants. Finally, the Module also focuses on recycling and inviting students to waste management identification issues and their immediate environmental impact and offer subsequent consequences or solutions to the issue at hand. Materials presented promptly present topics and personal connections in a method that modern students can relate to throughout the context.

References

Graves, Kathleen. (2000). Designing language courses: A guide for teachers. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.

Richards, Jack C. (2017). Curriculum development in language teaching, 2nd ed. Cambridge: CUP.

Tomlinson, B.& Masuhara, H (2018). Materials development for language learning.

Tomlinson, Brian. (Ed.). (2014). Developing materials for language teaching, 2nd ed. New York: Bloomsbury Academic