Material Evaluation through Class Observation: A Way of Small-scale Adaptation

Abstract

Abstract: Teaching materials have significant impact on learners’ learning. To facilitate English teaching and learning materials are abundant but teachers should evaluate the efficiency of those materials by taking serious principles into consideration during adaptation. The evaluation conducted here is on a small scale. The class that has been observed focuses on writing skills- basically on identifying common errors in the writings of EAP learners. It was a course on Basic English (ENG 101) intended for the students of first semester in BA (Honours). Therefore, the learners' age range is 18-22 and their language proficiency is supposedly of intermediate level. Interview of the course instructor revealed that the learners like communicative approaches more than learning bare grammar rules and structures. The materials used in that class was adapted from The Advancing Writer- Book / by Karen L. Greenberg, Peter Rodinone and Harvey Wienore. The aim of this evaluation is to scrutinize the suitability and effectiveness of the above materials for the target learners. At the end, some changes, modifications, and improvisations for the materials have been recommended.