In this guide
Cambridge Veritas · Original TESOL self-study resources
Understand the idea
Adaptation may keep an effective stage, add support, remove an irrelevant section or replace an unsuitable activity. Explain the reason in terms of learner needs and the objective. More material does not necessarily mean a better lesson.
What you will practise
- Explain the key idea in “Keep, supplement, remove and replace” using a concrete example.
- Choose a teaching response that fits the learner and the purpose.
- Identify evidence you could collect to evaluate that response.
A closer look at the teaching
State exactly what an adaptation changes and why. Removing a stage can improve focus, while adding one can provide needed support or a meaningful response. Keep the learning objective visible when replacing an activity. After teaching, review whether the change solved the anticipated problem or introduced another one.
A teaching resource is useful when it helps these learners achieve this objective in these conditions. Evaluate content, layout, procedure and preparation demands together. Then decide what to keep, supplement, remove or replace. The decision should have a reason that can be checked after teaching. This turns materials use into a cycle of evaluation and adaptation rather than a choice between following a resource unchanged and discarding it altogether.
In the classroom
A useful reading text is followed by a writing task unrelated to the class goal.
Before choosing an activity, identify what the learner needs to understand or communicate. Separate the language demand from other demands such as reading instructions, managing equipment or speaking to a large group.
A teaching sequence you can adapt
Use these stages as a starting point for this topic. Keep the language goal visible, and change the support when learner responses show a different need.
- 01
Define the learner need and select a small set of relevant evaluation criteria.
- 02
Try the resource from the learner’s perspective and identify barriers or unnecessary demands.
- 03
Adapt the smallest useful part while preserving or improving the communication goal.
- 04
Review learner responses after use and record a practical change for the next lesson.
Compare learner performance on the revised demand with the reason recorded for the change.
A common mistake to avoid
Do not add activities simply to make a resource longer or a lesson look more elaborate.
When reviewing the activity, distinguish what you observed from what you inferred. Use the task outcome and a fresh example to decide whether another explanation, a different scaffold or more independent practice is needed.
Adapt it for your learners
Make the task accessible.
Provide readable layout, concise instructions and one worked example before adding more content.
Extend the thinking.
Compare two resources for the same aim and justify the choice using learner and contextual evidence.
Keep the intended outcome consistent when comparing responses. Record which support was available so you do not confuse a supported performance with the same task completed independently.
Try it, then compare.
Take a moment to make your own decision. Compare your reasoning with the example, then adapt it for a teaching context you know.
Try it in a teaching context
Choose an adaptation and justify it.
Your questions, answered.
What is a common mistake with Keep, supplement, remove and replace?
Do not add activities simply to make a resource longer or a lesson look more elaborate.
How can I check whether the teaching worked?
Compare learner performance on the revised demand with the reason recorded for the change.
How can I support learners who find the task difficult?
Provide readable layout, concise instructions and one worked example before adding more content.
How can I add a useful extra challenge?
Compare two resources for the same aim and justify the choice using learner and contextual evidence.
Quick revision
- The key idea: Adaptation may keep an effective stage, add support, remove an irrelevant section or replace an unsuitable activity.
- The context to remember: A useful reading text is followed by a writing task unrelated to the class goal.
- A useful next step: Choose an adaptation and justify it.
For your teaching portfolio: keep a brief plan, a note of what learners actually did and one change you would make next time. Use anonymous examples.
Take the module self-checkSources and authorship
This module maps to the supplied syllabus PDF, Choosing and using teaching resources (4 pages). The study notes, examples, application tasks and self-checks on these pages are original Cambridge Veritas resources.
View the supplied PDF ↗ · Publication reference: source chapter
Written by Cambridge Veritas. Updated .
Use these resources for preparation and reflection. Browser self-check results are for personal study and do not award a qualification or replace observed teaching practice.