خلاصة:
The present qualitative study narrates the challenges and identity changes experienced by an Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher taking her initial steps in developing second language reading materials through recreating the anecdotes of a Persian classic poet. Her descriptive and analytic field notes while designing the materials, feedbacks received from two advisors and six language teachers, and various drafts of the developed materials as documents formed the data for this self-study. Meticulous analysis of the data revealed the ways by which the practicing materials developer revisited a number of normative assumptions which had permeated her cognition; started to see materials development as art; and practiced self-reliance, creativity, respect, and ownership. Given the paucity of narrative enquiries focusing on materials developers’ identity (re)-construction, the present study is hoped to provide a richer understanding of the processes involved in generating classroom materials.
ملخص الجهاز:
Sculpting English Language Teaching Materials: A Narrative Self-Study of a Practicing Materials Developer Seyyedeh Fahimeh Parsaiyan*1 Sue-san Ghahremani Ghajar2 Mahsa Sohrabi 3 Received: 2020-01-09 | Revised: 2020-04-12 | Accepted: 2020-04-27 Abstract The present qualitative study narrates the challenges and identity chang- es experienced by an Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher taking her initial steps in developing second language reading materials through recreating the anecdotes of a Persian classic poet.
Taking a turn inward in this self-study, I, an Iranian female teacher in mid- twenties with over five years of teaching English at language institutes, got en- gaged in the practice of developing ELT materials for the first time in my life.
Though options abounded, my prior familiarity as well as avid enthusiasm for Persian Literature, particularly classic one, and seeing its deep connections with Islamic-Iranian identity and culture inspired me to explore how classic Persian literary anecdotes could be recreated as reading materials for EFL clas- ses; an issue which has comparatively received undue attention within the Ira- nian foreign language teaching context due to various reasons like the hegemo- ny, supposed legitimacy, and salience of Native American and British literary products (Azizi, 2014; Kachru & Smith, 2008; Talib, 1992), and occasional scar- city of decent English translations of Persian literary works.
The “provocation” was followed by an “exploration” phase (Pinnegar & Hamilton, 2009) during which I took time consulting existing literature on ma- terials development (Mishan & Timmis 2015; Tomlinson 2011, 2013), design- ing home-made materials (Jolly & Bolitho, 2011); applications of literature in language teaching (Amer, 2003; Domínguez Romero et al.