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Adapt, Don't Adopt.

Teachingspot.ma
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Adapt, Don't Adopt.
A "perfect" lesson plan on paper often survives only until it meets a real classroom. Discover why "Adopting" a resource is a trap, and how the art of "Adapting" turns generic materials into high-impact learning tools tailored specifically for your students.

We’ve all been there. You find a beautifully designed worksheet or a trendy video lesson online. You bring it to class, hit play, and... silence. The vocabulary is too high, the cultural references are confusing, or the "engaging" topic feels completely irrelevant to your students’ daily lives.

The problem isn't the material; it's the application. The hard truth of ELT is that there is no such thing as a "perfect" universal resource. The difference between a lesson that sticks and one that sinks lies in moving from Adopting to Adapting.

"Adopting is taking a material off the shelf and using it exactly as-is. Adapting is treating that material as raw clay—molding it to fit the proficiency, culture, and interests of the humans in front of you."

The "Adopt vs. Adapt" Framework

When you simply adopt, you are acting as a delivery driver for a publishing house. When you adapt, you become the architect of a learning experience.

Adopting (The Trap)

Scenario: A reading about the NYC Subway.

"Read page 45 and answer the questions about the L-train."

Result: Students struggle with cultural context (the "where") rather than the language (the "how").

Adapting (The Strategy)

Scenario: A reading about the NYC Subway.

  • • Localize: Swap the Subway for the ONCF train or local "Grand Taxis."
  • • Simplify: Rewrite dense paragraphs into bullet points.
  • • Personalize: Ask: "How do YOU get to school?"

Three Rules for Effective Adaptation

  • Lower the Cognitive Load: If the cultural context is too foreign, the brain works too hard on the "story" and forgets the "language." Make the context familiar so the grammar can shine.
  • Leveling is Mandatory: If a text is too hard, don't scrap it. Turn it into a "jigsaw" reading where students only tackle one small section each.
  • Follow the Interest: If the book uses "John likes football" but your class is obsessed with a specific local artist or a video game, swap the nouns. Connection precedes collection.

Your students don't need a teacher who can read a manual; they need a teacher who can see them. Next time you open your coursebook, ask: "How can I make this belong to my students?"