In this post, John Hughes shares a summary of his MaWSIG meets BESIG webinar, Making Business English materials that reflect learner realities, and follows up on some of the questions that were raised in the Q&A section at the end. The webinar was held on 6 December 2019. You can find a recording. of the […]
In our third post from the Malta ELT conference in October 2019, Aleksandra Popovski discusses the purpose of ELT materials. In my plenary at the 8th ELT Council Malta Conference, I talked about the purpose of ELT materials, i.e. the three Es of materials writing: to engage, educate, and empower learners through materials. […]
In this blog post, Ilá Coimbra and James Taylor follow up on some of the questions that were raised in the Q&A section at the end of the MaWSIG meets TDSIG webinar: Making materials on topics that are excluded from mainstream coursebooks, which was held on 11 October 2019. You can find a recording of […]
In the second of our mini-series of blog posts following the 8th Malta ELT conference, Tyson Seburn explores the representation (or lack of representation) of LGBTQIA2 themes in published ELT materials. This post was first published on Tyson’s blog, 4C in ELT, on 31 July, 2019. The Malta ELT conference was held over the weekend […]
In the first of our mini-series of blog posts from the 8th Malta ELT conference, Rachael Roberts explores where materials writers find inspiration. The Malta ELT conference was held over the weekend of 18–20 October 2019.
Over the weekend of the 18–20 October, two members of the MaWSIG committee, Aleksandra Popovski and Jen Dobson, took part in the 8th ELT Malta conference, where both the Materials Writing SIG (MaWSIG) and the Inclusive Practices and Special Educational Needs SIG (IP&SEN SIG) held strands. It was a fabulous event, very efficiently and effectively […]
We are delighted to announce our line-up of expert authors, syllabus-creators, designers and editors for the 2020 pre-conference event at IATEFL in Manchester. We’ve organised a day packed with practical advice from experts in all areas of ELT materials writing. There really is something for everyone. Most materials writers, whether new or experienced, writing […]
In this blog post, Karen Spiller follows up on some of the questions that were left unanswered in the Q&A section at the end of the recent joint TESOL Association MWIS and MaWSIG webinar: So many Englishes! What does this mean for writers and publishers? The webinar was co-presented by Karen Spiller and Sherrise Roehr […]
Following our customary August break, David Valente kicks off the new blogging season with a thought-provoking reflection on hidden identities and silenced voices in published English materials for primary learners.
In the third and final blog in our mini-series of posts from ELT writers based in non-Anglophone countries, Marcos Benevides shares his perspective as an EFL teacher, writer and innovator based in Tokyo.
In the second of our mini-series of posts from ELT writers based in non-Anglophone countries, Vanessa Reis Esteves shares her perspective as an EFL coursebook writer based in Portugal.
In the first of a series of posts from ELT writers based in non-Anglophone countries, Gary Pathare lifts the lid on writing for the most elusive of markets.
The last of our summaries from the MaWSIG Showcase at IATEFL in Liverpool 2019 comes from Jill Hadfield. In this post, Jill outlines the principles behind creating effective and motivating online tasks and proposes a six-step procedure for teachers to follow when creating their own online activities. The changing landscape of ELT means that many […]
This week will see the end of our run of summaries from the Forum on Research informing materials writing at the MaWSIG Showcase at IATEFL in Liverpool 2019. In this penultimate post, MaWSIG’s own Jen Dobson explains why soft skills are essential in materials for pre-primary pupils. ‘Openness’: illustration by Julia Mena Dobson @DobsonMena What […]
Our posts this week all come from the Forum on Research informing materials writing at the MaWSIG Showcase at IATEFL in Liverpool 2019. In today’s post, Dr Jane Ward and Associate Professor Colin Campbell discuss a new approach to teaching and materials design for L2 listening. Experts in the field of L2 listening pedagogy (e.g. […]
Our posts this week all come from the Forum on Research informing materials writing at the MaWSIG Showcase at IATEFL in Liverpool 2019. In today’s post, Andréa Geroldo dos Santos shares her research findings about the extent to which corpora should be used in the design of CLIL materials.
Every year, the Special Interest Groups within IATEFL are invited to curate a day of talks related to their area of special interest. At MaWSIG’s Showcase on 4 April in Liverpool this year, our choices included four talks that formed part of a Forum on Research informing materials writing. This week’s posts on our website […]
In our third post written by speakers at the MaWSIG Showcase at the annual IATEFL Conference on 4 April in Liverpool, Sylvia Karastathi discusses how we can use museum resources to open new doors in materials development.
In our second post written by speakers at the MaWSIG Showcase at the annual IATEFL Conference on 4 April in Liverpool, Rob Howard encourages us to put dreams into practice by becoming successful independent authors. Using the old philosophical question of ‘If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear […]
Every year, the Special Interest Groups within IATEFL are invited to curate a day of talks related to their area of special interest. At MaWSIG’s Showcase on 4 April in Liverpool this year, we shone our spotlight on eight fascinating talks. The first four were part of a Forum on Research informing materials writing, and […]
To end our series of posts covering the MaWSIG-LitSIG joint Pre-Conference Event in Liverpool on 1 April 2019, and following on from yesterday’s blog about how to write graded readers, Andrew Dilger and the OUP ELT design team designed a poster showing how Oxford University Press goes about commissioning its graded readers.
For the penultimate post in our series covering the sessions at the MaWSIG-LitSIG joint Pre-Conference Event in Liverpool on 1 April 2019, Christien van Gool has summarised the last talk of the day: Helen Holwill and Nicola Prentis spilling the beans on writing graded readers.
In the seventh of our posts covering the MaWSIG-LitSIG joint Pre-Conference Event Creative Arts and Materials Writing in Liverpool on 1 April 2019, Christina Klein Wolf and Edward Wolf describe how they design materials for teaching Shakespeare in the classroom.
In the seventh of our posts covering the MaWSIG-LitSIG joint Pre-Conference Event Creative Arts and Materials Writing at IATEFL in Liverpool on 1 April 2019, Cheryl Palin shares five highlights from her fascinating talk about taking inspiration from past masters. If you weren’t able to get to the PCE, there is another chance to see […]
In the fifth of our posts covering the MaWSIG-LitSIG joint Pre-Conference Event Creative Arts and Materials Writing in Liverpool on 1 April 2019, Hania Krystyna Bociek discusses the importance of bringing art into the classroom and how she creates materials to make art come alive.
To start our second week of blogs covering the MaWSIG-LitSIG joint Pre-Conference Event in Liverpool on 1 April 2019, we’re publishing a poster designed by Michelle Worgan. Michelle was the winner of a competition organised by MaWSIG and GISIG (the Global Issues SIG). The brief was to create classroom materials in a poster format to […]
In the third of our posts covering the MaWSIG-LitSIG joint Pre-Conference Event in Liverpool on 1 April 2019, Alan Pulverness describes a project that enabled teachers to use literature in classrooms at all levels.
In the second of our posts covering the MaWSIG-LitSIG joint Pre-Conference Event in Liverpool on 1 April 2019, David Crystal explains why for him, language and literature are not opposites but in fact two sides of the same coin. For me, the enjoyment and study of language and the enjoyment and study of literature are […]
For those unable to attend the MaWSIG-LitSIG joint Pre-Conference Event in Liverpool on 1 April 2019, and to refresh the memories of the 95 people who did, MaWSIG is publishing several posts over the next fortnight recapping each session. To outline what’s in store for you, Christien van Gool, the Social Media Co-ordinator for LitSIG, […]
Awareness of the need to provide materials that cater for students with dyslexia is growing – but how do we do that properly? One size does not fit all, as Jon Hird explains. A longer version of this is going to appear in the ETAS Journal, Summer 2019 special supplement on SEN and Inclusive Practices. […]
In the last webinar Q&A post in the ‘What about …’ series, Leo Selivan follows up on some of the questions that participants asked during his recent webinar, What about writing vocabulary activities? You can watch a recording of his webinar here. If you attended Leo Selivan’s webinar, or any of the other webinars by Brian Tomlinson, Vicky Saumell, Prof. […]
Cheryl Palin gives a few clues as to what she’ll be talking about in her Pre-Conference Event talk at IATEFL, 1 April 2019, Liverpool (UK). See who else is talking at the joint MaWSIG-LitSIG Joint PCE here. Tickets are available here. Whose advice will be featured in Cheryl’s talk Taking a leaf out of the books of great […]
Helen Holwill and Nicola Prentis preview their talk How to Write Graded Readers (a.k.a. Get Paid to Write Fiction), which they’ll be giving at the Pre-Conference Event at IATEFL, 1 April 2019, Liverpool (UK). See who else is talking at the MaWSIG–LitSIG Joint PCE here. Tickets are available here.
Alice Savage and Walton Burns give us a taste of what to expect from their Pre-Conference Event talk at IATEFL, 1st April 2019, Liverpool (UK). See who else is talking at the joint MaWSIG-LitSIG PCE here. Tickets are available here.
In the penultimate webinar Q&A post in the ‘What about …’ series, Dr Elaine Hodgson follows up on some of the questions that participants asked during her recent webinar, What about writing Teachers’ Guides? You can watch a recording of her webinar here. Look out for the last webinar in the series: on Sunday 10 February at 14.00 GMT Leo […]
In our first blog of 2019, Sheila Thorn addresses the challenges of writing ELT classroom materials to accompany authentic recordings. I have been writing classroom materials to accompany authentic recordings for most of my ELT career and I am delighted to share some of my hard-won knowledge with MaWSIG members.
In the last ‘What about …’ webinars Q&A post of the year, Dr Catherine Walter follows up on some of the questions that participants asked during her recent webinar, What about writing grammar activities? You can watch a recording of her webinar here and you can download Dr Walter’s handout for participants here. This handout is licensed […]
In this post, Henning Rossa and Karoline Wirbatz follow up on some of the questions that participants asked during their recent webinar, What about creating CLIL materials? You can watch a recording of their webinar here. In their answers, Henning and Karoline discuss the focus of CLIL assessment in Germany, adapting authentic materials using the ‘4S’ approach, and the teaching […]
In this post, Vicky Saumell follows up on some of the questions that participants asked during her recent webinar, What about creating technology-enhanced materials? You can watch a recording at http://iatefl.adobeconnect.com/pilne01kpmil/. In her answers, Vicky links to a wealth of resources for those keen to learn more about the areas touched on in her webinar.
Following Brian Tomlinson’s recent blog post about principles in materials development, Fiona Aish and Jo Tomlinson (no relation), set out the principles that they follow in designing and creating a task. Of all the myriad things that we teachers do, one is that we are constantly creating tasks – and perhaps now more than ever. […]
In this post, Brian Tomlinson follows up on some of the questions that participants asked during his recent webinar, What about principles in materials development? You can watch a recording of the webinar here. The questions and answers are thought-provoking and relevant, even if you missed the webinar itself. The full list of upcoming MaWSIG webinars […]
In the third of a series of summer blogposts on the MaWSIG website, we have a post by writer and editor Tania Pattison about staying motivated. It’s almost 4 p.m., and I haven’t done any work yet today. I’m sitting at my computer trying to motivate myself to work on a project that I’m not the […]
In the second of a series of summer blogposts on the MaWSIG website, and following up on last month’s blogpost ‘Adventures in self-publishing’, teacher and writer Clare Maas outlines some ideas for getting started in writing. At our recent annual conference at Oxford Brookes University, we held break-away discussions on materials writing challenges and opportunities. […]
In the first of a series of summer blogposts on the MaWSIG website, teachers Lucy Holmes and Sharlene Matharu describe how they identified and filled a gap in the market.
At IATEFL in Brighton this year, MaWSIG invited five speakers to talk at our Pre-Conference Event: Writing for the World. Read on for summaries of their talks by Damian Williams, Lizzie Pinard and Julie Moore.
There is now a greater awareness of the need to write for specific groups of learners; this is the theme of the upcoming MaWSIG PCE in Brighton. However, Paul Davies explores here the ethical dilemma writers face when asked to compromise their principles by writing for certain markets. Towards the end of 2017, Anna Muzychuk, […]
The MaWSIG PCE in Brighton features five talks on Writing for the World. Here, Romulo Neves introduces his talk on materials writing for learners with special educational needs. Writing for the ELT world is such a demanding task, especially if we take into account the diversity of pupils in any classroom and the numbers of […]
The MaWSIG PCE, to be held on 9 April in Brighton, features five writers speaking on different aspects of Writing for the World. Here, Julie Day previews her talk on materials writing for ESOL classes. More information about the PCE is available here. The ideal of learner-centred teaching, where all resources and activities are relevant […]
In this post, Luiz Otávio Barros shares his experiences of writing ELT coursebooks as a NNES based in Brazil. This blog concludes Part I of our mini-series on writing ELT materials for different markets around the world. We will return with Part II in six months’ time, so if you would like to share your […]
Our series on writing ELT materials for different markets around the world now takes us to Spain, where Amanda McLoughlin shares her experiences. I came to Spain almost 20 years ago as a recently qualified and very naïve EFL teacher and settled in the cold and rainy north. Eventually, through knowing the right people (which […]
This blog post is the latest in our series of posts on ELT materials writing around the world. Here, ESP writer Moundir Al Amrani looks at the state of ELT materials writing in Morocco. After reading some of the other blog posts about writing ELT materials in different parts of the world, I started thinking […]
This post is the second in our series on working in ELT materials development around the world. Here, Clare Maas describes the situation in Germany. In Germany, there are just a couple of key local publishers (e.g. Cornelsen, Klett) who dominate the market alongside the international ones. There seems to be a fairly clear division of […]
This is the first of a series of blog posts in which ELT materials writers around the world share their thoughts on writing in specific countries. Here, Tania Pattison describes her experiences writing for a major publisher in Canada. The MaWSIG blog has recently featured two posts that expressed concern about the state of ELT publishing […]
Our last post of the year is by Nick Beare, who discusses the use of distractor activities to help with problem-solving in writing. Most of us feel that getting distracted when we work is not a good thing. A quick search on Google throws up dozens of articles on the problem of distraction. According to […]
In this blog post, Jonathan Marks explores the writing of materials designed to teach pronunciation. Coursebooks are a powerful influence on teachers’ professional awareness and practice – even, perhaps, for a lot of teachers, the most powerful agent of teacher training. Faced with the day-to-day demands of their work, teachers understandably tend to rely on […]
Our latest blog post is by Penny Ur, who discusses the need for materials writers to pay attention to research on language learning. I’ve just read Katherine Bilsborough’s blog entry ‘ELT materials writing: More on emerging principles’. I really enjoyed it and learned from it. If you haven’t read it yet, do so! I’d like […]
In this blog post, Jill Florent details her extensive experience of the evolution of ELT publishing – from process to product and working relationships.
When I was seven years old, I came across the most amazing thing. On the cover, it said, ‘A fighting fantasy gamebook in which YOU become the hero!’
Our latest blog post is by Ken Wilson, who shares his thoughts on how the ELT materials writing world has changed over the last few decades. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us.
This is the latest of several previews of talks to be given at the upcoming ELTAM−MaWSIG conference in Skopje, Macedonia, on 30 September, 2017. Here, Mira Bekar introduces her talk.
This is the latest in our series of previews of talks to be given at the upcoming ELTAM conference in Skopje, Macedonia, on 30 September, 2017. Here, Elena Ončevska Ager discusses film as an inspiration for materials writing. For more details about the event, click here. In this talk I will discuss the process of […]
This is the next of several previews of talks to be given at the upcoming ELTAM−MaWSIG conference in Skopje, Macedonia, on 30 September, 2017. Here, Margarita Kosior and Despoina Sarantidou introduce their talk. For more details about the event, click here. According to the Global Slavery Index 2016 report, 45.8 million people are enslaved in […]
This is the second of several previews of talks to be given at the upcoming ELTAM−MaWSIG conference in Skopje, Macedonia, on 30 September, 2017. Here, MaWSIG Coordinator Rachael Roberts introduces her talk. For more details about the event, click here. You’ve probably all heard of Generation X, Y and Z? But what about Generation V, […]
This is the first of several previews of talks to be given at the upcoming ELTAM−MaWSIG conference in Skopje, Macedonia, on 30 September, 2017. Here, MaWSIG Publications Coordinator James Styring talks to author John Hughes talks about his presentation. For more details about the event, click here. Like many teachers, John learned to write classroom […]
Here, Katherine Bilsborough offers new insights on a theme she first discussed on the MaWSIG blog last autumn – the topic of principles for materials writers. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Since writing a blog post called ‘Emerging principles […]
Our latest blog post is by Chris Mares, who shares his experiences writing short stories for use in class. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Throughout my career I have always found there to be a dearth of short, engaging reading material that speaks […]
In the previous blog post, MaWSIG interviewed Jane Spiro about training teachers on the Oxford Brookes MA module in materials development. In this follow-up post, we hear from two teachers who took the course. They talk about their experiences of learning to write materials with extracts from their final materials. Yolanda Hartshorne was an online […]
In this post, John Hughes meets Jane Spiro, a lecturer on the MA TESOL at Oxford Brookes University and TESOL programme leader until 2016. John interviews her about the new module in ELT Materials Development. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Writing materials […]
In this post, Nik Peachey introduces his upcoming webinar with MaWSIG. I had been thinking about writing a book for years. A few times I put together proposals for books and expectantly sent them off to publishers, only to be disappointed. Even more times I started to write my book and then just lost momentum […]
This week’s blog post is the second in our series of posts based on talks given at the MaWSIG PCE in Glasgow. Here, Penny Hands shares the results of her research into the relationship between authors and editors. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like […]
The 2017 MaWSIG Pre-Conference Event was held in Glasgow on 3 April. This post, by Daniel Barber, is the first write-up of several talks given in the PCE. Here, Dan talks about the process of writing and describes his experience of working with a coach to increase his productivity. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts […]
Blog posts by the MaWSIG Pre-Conference Event speakers will be appearing on our site in May, but for those of you who weren’t able to attend the April 2017 PCE, this post by MaWSIG member Sandy Millin is a brilliant recap of the day’s talks.
Our latest blog post is by Richard MacAndrew, who urges readers not to lose hope if a project takes a while to find a publisher. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Seventeen years ago I started writing graded readers. At the very […]
Rhiannon Sarah Ball describes her approach to writing materials for NGOs. At a time when ELT is dominated by learning technologies, solutions, outcomes and meta-tables, it’s easy to forget that sometimes education can’t be measured. Working with ELT in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is harder to quantify, but it is no less impactful. However, finding suitable materials […]
Following last week’s blog post on Writing to promote gender equality, we turn our attention this week specifically to writing Business English materials. Claire Hart shares her experiences working with Business English materials and outlines the shortcomings she found. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to […]
This blog post is the first of two pieces on the topic of gender equality in materials writing. Here, Emily Hird discusses the need for awareness of gender issues in materials writing and gives some advice to writers. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write […]
Our latest blog post is a piece by Clare Maas, in which she describes the MaWSIG Meetup she hosted in Trier, Germany. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Please also contact us if you are interested in hosting a Meetup in your […]
This post is an abridged version of an article by Peter Viney. It first appeared in Modern English Teacher in July 2006 and was subsequently posted on Peter’s own website. It was a reply to an article in MET by Neil McBeath, ‘How to Write Really Rotten Materials’, in which Neil complained about the process […]
The online event on 18th February at 1600 GMT is a chance for you to ask a panel your materials development questions. You can add your questions here. Here are details of the four panelists: Vanessa Reis Esteves Vanessa Reis Esteves has been teaching EFL in Portugal for the past 20 years and has been involved […]
To find out more about the panelists and how to put your questions to them, click here.
We’re pleased to announce the speakers and sessions for our pre-conference event in Glasgow in April. You can register for the PCE and conference here: http://conference.iatefl.org/my_conference.html Nuts and bolts: practical considerations for the ELT materials professional 10.00 Introduction and Opening Daniel Barber: How to become a lean, mean writing machine I wasn’t always such a staggeringly prolific […]
Members will be receiving a copy of our annual eBook compendium in the next few weeks. It brings together 2016’s guest blogs from this website in one smart volume. So you know what to expect, here’s an extract from the foreword to the book by James Styring, our Publications Coordinator. In 2016, the blog featured […]
In this final post of 2016, Tania Pattison reflects on her year as a freelance ELT writer and editor and looks ahead to 2017. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. For those of us who are freelance ELT writers and […]
Whether you missed the MaWSIG strand at BESIG Munich conference, or you want to relive every moment once again, MaWSIG’s events co-ordinator Rachel Daw has compiled every tweet here for you to enjoy: https://storify.com/racheldaw18/mawsig-at-besig-4th-6th-november-2016
In preparation for the MaWSIG strand of talks at the next BESIG conference (click here for full details and registration), we’ve invited each of the speakers to give us a preview of their session. These previews will be appearing here until the Conference. John Hughes is speaking at the BESIG Munich conference on Saturday 5 November at 10.45. The […]
In preparation for the MaWSIG strand of talks at the next BESIG conference (click here for full details and registration), we’ve invited each of the speakers to give us a preview of their session. These previews will be appearing here until the Conference. Christina Rebuffet-Broadus is speaking at the BESIG Munich conference on Sunday 6th at 9.30. YouTube is […]
In preparation for the MaWSIG strand of talks at the next BESIG conference (click here for full details and registration), we’ve invited each of the speakers to give us a preview of their session. These previews will be appearing here over the next three weeks. Mandy Welfare and Dale Coulter are speaking on Sunday, 6th November at 10.45am. […]
In preparation for the MaWSIG strand of talks at the next BESIG conference (click here for full details and registration), we’ve invited each of the speakers to give us a preview of their session. These previews will be appearing here over the next three weeks. Jeremy Day is speaking on Saturday November 5th at 3.15pm. My talk at this […]
In this post, Katherine Bilsborough discusses the need for principles in materials writing and outlines some of her own principles and those of others. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Put your hand up if you write ELT materials, either […]
This post is by Genevieve White, who describes her experience writing a Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC, for the British Council. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Since setting out as an ELT materials writer, I’ve worked on a […]
In this post, Canada-based writer Tania Pattison describes her experiences writing an EAP coursebook for a specific regional market. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Three years ago I received the welcome news that a coursebook I had proposed to […]
This month Kathryn Aldridge-Morris outlines the specific language-learning needs of refugees and asylum seekers. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Around June, online ESOL forums start buzzing with requests for advice about teaching materials for September, and the same frustrations […]
MaWSIG is planning to publish an annual peer-reviewed academic journal entitled ELT Materials Review. The journal will seek to publish fair, well-researched, pedagogically informed reviews of English Language Teaching materials and empirical or theoretical articles on the development and implementation of educational materials. We are looking for volunteers to join an Advisory Board of teachers […]
In this post, Moundir Al Amrani, a writer from Morocco and OUP/MaWSIG scholarship winner, shares his thoughts about getting started in materials writing. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. As a novice ELT materials writer who has experienced confusion about […]
This month’s post is by Phil Bird, who imagines the perfect authoring tool for digital content. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. An authoring tool wishlist It takes a skilful writer to produce great digital content (to find out more […]
This month Fiona Mauchline looks at writing for teenagers and the topics they prefer. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us.
This month we’re pleased to publish a second guest post from John Hughes, who looks at ways to help teachers to use your materials. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us.
This year’s BESIG Conference in Munich, Germany, will include a MaWSIG thread. Thank you for all the proposals we have received.
