An Adopted Framework to Evaluate ELT Supplementary Materials: The Applicability of “Top Notch” Software

It is vital in every language classroom that the best possible materials be chosen as they are considered to play the next most important role in learning a foreign language after the teacher. All teachers are responsible to evaluate what they intend to take to the language classroom. These days, language teachers have the preference to equip their classes with technology as a supplement to books, tapes, and videos. In fact, CDs are replacing any other tool for language learning both in the classroom and at home. Therefore, a comprehensive set of criteria consistent with the objectives of the course as well as the principles of current language teaching methodologies is required to see if the available software is good enough to be used. The aim of the present study is, in the first place, going through some of the available ELT materials evaluation schemes to come up with a synthesized, comprehensive framework specifically designed for evaluating language software, and secondly, scrutinizing one of the recent language teaching series, Top Notch, which has won to be taken in most of the language classrooms in Iran as supplementary materials, to see if it meets the criteria to have enough credibility for its present position in language classrooms.