Fifty Tips for ELT Materials Writers

In June 2016 Katherine Bilsborough delivered a one-month online course with iTDi called Creating ELT Materials. Participants came from all corners of the globe. They were working in many different contexts, from teaching Early Years learners in private language schools to giving Academic English classes at universities. Some were already published ELT authors, others were keen to improve the materials they were making for their own classes. What they all had in common was a keen interest in materials design and a wealth of ideas, creativity and passion.

During the course Katherine posted this discussion question:

Which ONE piece of advice would you give to a teacher who wanted to create their own classroom materials?

The result was a lively thread of tips for materials writers. Sometimes the advice is appropriate for somebody who wants to write professionally. Other advice is focused on teachers who want to create materials for their own students. There are inevitable contradictions but that's the nature of advice when it comes from different quarters. We hope that you'll find some of them useful and wish you well in your ELT materials creation.