Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Generative Questions:
What are authentic materials?
How can the language teacher
use authentic materials with all language learners?
Differentiating
between what ESL and EFL means was a topic of discussion last Monday. For
this reason, I decide to comprehend this more thoroughly.
ESL students
learn English as a Second Language in a foreign country, where English is the
predominant language.
Great! Now that we are clear about the difference, let's analyze the theme of the week.
What is authentic materials?
First of all, let us try to
understand that the meaning of 'authentic materials'. It is no secret that learners
need to have useful skills in the classroom, what for? Well, in order encourage
them in the language learning process. In fact, House (2008) mentions that “So
using authentic materials with young learners helps the children to develop not
just the language they need, but is also helps them form concepts about the
world.” (p.60). For this reason, it is important to take into account the using
of authentic materials; in other words, it means using instances of language
produced by native speakers for some real determination of their own rather
than using language created and planned solely for the classroom. It sounds
very interesting, is not it?
What
are some kind or examples of authentic materials?
To be honest, I had some
problems trying of identify which materials are authentic and which ones were
not. Nevertheless, after a few researches I found the right
answer. Let me give you some examples; these could be newspaper article, an
advertisement, a pop song, a strip cartoon, or even a bus ticket, among
others. It seems that it was not so difficult, right?
How
about non-authentic materials?
Non-authentic materials are
materials used by teacher or learners to facilitate the learning of a language;
that is to say, those materials used for teaching purposes. For instance, these
could be: cassettes, videos, dictionaries, grammar, books, workbooks, photocopies,
among others
What
some advantage and disadvantages of using authentic materials?
Reasons
for using authentic materials in the classroom:
They enable the learner to
hear, read, and produce language as it is used in the target language.
They reflect real use of
language in culturally appropriate contexts.
They are interesting and
motivating
Disadvantage
of using authentic materials:
Contain difficult language,
unneeded vocabulary items and complex language structures.
Authentic materials may be
too culturally. Gardner & Miller (1999).
What
are some creative ways of using authentic materials effectively in the
classroom?
There are grounds for the believe that I could use authentic materials
in a successfully way; some examples could be:
Listening: TV shows, radio, commercials, news
broadcasts, documentaries, movies, phone messages, etc.
Visual: photographs, art works, signs with
symbols, postcards, picture books, etc.
Printed: restaurant menus, newspaper articles,
bulletin board advertisements, company websites, coupons, sales catalogues,
travel brochures, maps, telephone books, signs, blogs, movie posters, food
labels, etc.
What
kind of activities can EFL teachers carry out using authentic materials to
enhance receptive purposes (Reading, listening) and productive purposes (speaking,
writing?
It is important to recognize
that there are many kinds of activities related to authentic materials which
could be carried out in the class; however, I prefer to choose restaurant menus
activities; where students could order your favorite dish or songs activities
where learners could recognize English lyric. Let's analyze these activities a
little more thoroughly. For example;
It is a well-known fact that
food is important to me or to you, so teacher could familiarize their language
learners to several dishes in English-speaking countries. You know what I mean;
the main idea is students will be able to order meals in a good way. Added to
that, many restaurants have their menus online. First, teachers could see the
menu and ask learners to guess what the meals are; secondly, students could
write down what they would order. Another
important point is that professor could create different menus for specific activity.
Both, student and teacher could play the role of waiter or waitress. On the
other hand, instructor could indicate learners to add up the cost of their bill;
on the other hand, instructor could ask them to add on a 10% tip to reflect the
experience of being in a real restaurant.
Another
example is Songs activities: recognizing English lyric
It is often asserted listening
to songs with English lyrics is a great way of increasing skills in listening
and pronunciation as well as self-confidence in using the target language. Undoubtedly,
learners will re-act positively to a lesson that includes their favorite vocalist
or music groups. Professor could reproduce at specific song on YouTube
and ask his students to listen to a few times with the purpose of writing down
a few lines of the song.
Teachers could use new
vocabulary, phrases and expressions present on songs which includes colloquial
speech. It is highly probable that the
language used in lyrics can be complex, in many occasions its letters are used
by tell a modest story or transmit strong feelings. In this activity, learners
could create a connection with the language. Apart of this, students could search
for substitute words, as a way of further increasing and using their
vocabulary. Freda Mishan (2005).
What
are some important aspects to consider when selecting or choosing authentic
material?
The materials are appropriate
for the learner age group in terms or interest and level of language
proficiency.
The materials contain
examples of the point of the lesson, illustrating authentic use of the language
points.
The materials are in a style
of English learners are most likely to hear and use.
Materials are available
locally, on the internet
The materials are good
quality
The materials can be used in
the classroom for authentic such as tasks or activities.
Can authentic material be
adapted? It is important or not? Why?
It is within the bounds of
possibility that in order to use a series of authentic materials in an English
language learning classroom is simply a matter of adapting those materials to
suit the needs of your language learners. Some keys to successful adaptation of
authentic materials include:
adjusting the length of the
materials
simplifying or explaining key
language elements
converting authentic
materials into a variety of exercise types
It is important because
adapting authentic materials such as language videos, CDs, newscasts and radio
programs could offer helpful data into current events and cultural aspects of
English-speaking countries. Some course books which are written and marketed, could
be used in order to acquire an advanced level of cultural knowledge and impact. Freda
Mishan (2005).
What
are some basic principle to create your own materials?
One of the most striking
features related to the creation of own materials is how to do this? It is important
to take into account several aspects such as educational programs, the purpose
of the course, and student’s needs. My own view of this is that teacher should implement
new instructional techniques which help learners acquisition knowledge.
An experienced language
teacher explains the use of authentic materials in the second language
classroom.
References
David Gardner, Lindsay
Miller. (1999). Establishing Self-Access:
From Theory to Practice. United Kingdom, England: Cambridge University
Press.
Freda Mishan. (2005). Designing Authenticity into Language
Learning Materials. United Kingdom, England: Intellect Books.
Susan
House. (2008). Didactic Approaches for
Teachers of English in an International Context. Spain: Ediciones
Universidad de Salamanca.
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