Abstract

This book brings together renowned scholars and new voices to challenge current practices in ELT materials design in order to work towards optimal learning conditions. It proposes ideas and principles to improve second language task design through novel resources such as drama, poetry, literature and online resources; and it maps out a number of unusual connections between theory and practice in the field of ELT materials development. The first section of the book discusses how innovative task-writing ideas can stretch materials beyond the current quality to make them more original and inspiring; the second part examines how different arts and technologies can drive innovation in coursebooks; the third section describes how teachers and learners can participate in materials writing and negotiate ways to personalize learning.

This volume presents an impressive repertoire of ideas, theory-driven and proven in practice, and convincingly argues for the need to prioritise innovation and creativity in task design. Through concrete examples in a range of contexts, coursebook developers and teachers are shown inspiring ways of facilitating the learning process.

This accessible edited book should be essential reading for ELT methods and materials courses and for programmes in teacher development to inspire flexibility, creativity and innovative learner involvement in a comprehensive range of classroom practices.

Dat Bao is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia. He is the author of Understanding Silence and Reticence: Ways of Participating in Second Language Acquisition (Bloomsbury, 2014). 

This book brings new and exciting ingredients into the materials design mix, such as learner-centred visuals and process drama. Its contributors, representing the many faces of the ELT profession, include both loved ELT 'greats' and the fresh perspectives of new practitioners. Together they invite us to revisit what we know, or think we know, about ELT materials, and to re-assess the design tension between constraint and creative possibility.

This volume provides a fresh and original look at ELT materials development that goes beyond the general view of the field. The various chapters provide a wealth of information and ways of developing ELT materials that will be useful for materials writers and teachers. The book is user-friendly and well-organized, and the 13 chapters are clearly written. I highly recommend it to ELT professionals.