Methodology and Materials Design in Language Teaching: Current Perceptions and Practices and Their Implications (review)

Methodology and Materials Design in Language Teaching is a collection of the papers and presentations from the 37th Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) Regional Language Centre International Seminar. The book's diversity is its strength - and also its weakness. The rationale for choosing to publish this particular group of papers is not included in the editor's introduction or in the foreword; the stated purpose of the book is to enable 'important ideas deliberated at the seminar [to] reach a wider audience' in order that 'relevant insights can be implemented and evaluated' (p. i).

The contents are divided into three sections: (a) Materials design and evaluation in language teaching, (b) Methodology and text, and (c) Materials in use in Southeast Asia. Presented in this order, the chapters progress from the more general to the more particular, and from the more theoretical to the more concrete in terms of classroom teaching in specific locations in the region. I have deliberately chosen not to suggest that the chapters move from theory to practice, because even the most theoretical chapters are illustrated by actual classroom examples, while even the most concrete articles are substantiated by theory. This is a particular appeal of this book; all of the authors know current research and writing in the field of teaching English as a second language, as well as current contexts and practices within Southeast Asia, and locate their work within theory, research, and context, both internationally and regionally.

For my own purposes as a teacher educator, some chapters are more relevant than others. In particular, I can envision asking my pre-service and in-service ESL teachers to read Day's chapter on textual authenticity. Challenging the communicative approach's emphasis on authenticity, Day suggests that appropriateness might be a better guide in choosing materials. His analogy to music lessons is particularly helpful; one does not begin by struggling through a piano concerto - even though that is the goal - but rather by mastering music specifically designed for beginners. Tomlinson's chapter on humanizing course textbooks, replete with specific examples and instruction on how to take into account the intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and educational goals of learners, is similarly useful for my methodology classes, as are many of the points Riazi notes about evaluating textbooks for classroom use (especially how to view each textbook as supporting a methodology that may not be compatible with a teacher's own pedagogical practices). I could also imagine assigning as required reading Brown's and Paran's suggestions for understanding culturally based thinking skills, and for helping teachers to expose and discuss cultural biases in textbooks. Finally, Tschirner clearly illustrates how written and oral grammars differ from each other and suggests strategies for enabling students to develop and achieve appropriate learning goals, depending on their needs.

Other chapters are less relevant for my own interests and needs, but this does not necessarily mean they are less important. For my students who are interested in curriculum development and materials writing, the experiences and understandings shared by Murray for developing information technology--based materials, Poedjosoedarmo for developing an oral communication skills teacher resource for use in Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries, and Derewianka for designing a computer-based grammar reference for use in Hong Kong are useful. The multiple layers and interactivity permitted by computer-based references are shown to be particularly rich for non-native speaker teachers of English. Incorporating multiple varieties of English grammars and accents in resources developed for overseas markets is also shown to be possible with commitment and modification.

Similarly, the specific and local experiences of trying to develop contextually relevant materials from more universal texts described in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore are useful and thought provoking for all English as a second language (ESL) teachers intending to practise overseas. Because language-teaching materials are designed...