USING AUTHENTIC MATERIALS IN ELT

BY MS THANALETCHUMY A/P DURAISAMY

Authentic Materials
Any material which has not been specifically produced for the purpose of language teaching (Nunan, 1999) Language samples- both oral and written that reflect a naturalness of form, and an appropriateness of cultural and situational content that would be found in the language as used by native speakers ( Villegas Rogers & Medley, 1988, p468) Examples of authentic materials are: a. Authentic listening materials b. Authentic visual materials c. Authentic printed materials d. Realia (real world objects)

Why use authentic materials?

interesting, motivating and relevant. enable the learner to hear, read and produce
language as it is used in the target culture. - exposes learners to how the language IS bring creativity into classroom practice encourage and motivate students to 'conquer' a real text

Important Factors in Choosing Authentic Reading Materials

1. Suitability of Content Does the text interest the student? Is it relevant to the students needs? Does it represent the type of material that the student will use outside of the classroom? 2. Exploitability Can the text be exploited for teaching purposes? For what purpose should the text be exploited? What skills/strategies can be developed by exploiting the text? 3. Readability Is the text too easy/difficult for the student? Is it structurally too demanding/complex? How much new vocabulary does it contain? Is it relevant? 4. Presentation Does it look authentic? Is it attractive? Does it grab the students attention? Does it make him want to read more?

Basic parameters to consider when simplifying a text are: -Linguistic simplicity : grammatical structures,
lexical items and readability;

-Cognitive simplicity : age, interest of the learners;

-Psychological simplicity : does it follow
traditional social norms?

How to adapt materials

Adapting materials involves three major considerations:

i. adjusting the language level of the materials ii. providing context iii. making the students task clear

Rationale
Authentic language videos, CDs, newscasts and radio programs can provide invaluable insight into current events and cultural aspects of English-speaking countries for language teachers and learners in other parts of the world. A benefit of recorded material is the ability to be able to rewind and repeat it as many times as necessary in order to effect increased levels of listening comprehension. The impact of the imagery provided in these clips is enormous.

Dealing with unknown language

a key skill is to ignore the difficult vocabulary and complete the task Focus on developing students confidence at coping with the unknown independent learners.

Advantages of using authentic materials in the classroom

Students are exposed to real discourse reflects real life language Give learners the confidence to grapple with a variety of text types Help students to keep abreast of current changes in the language use - intrinsic educational value

WANT ADS
a. Beginners: ask students to say which of the jobs
they could qualify for

b. Intermediate students: write an application letter or C.V. c. Advanced students: discuss who in the class could qualify for the
job and why, re-write the ads or role-play job interviews.

TREASURE HUNT
a. Students get a news or magazine article and a sheet of paper with a series of questions b. they look for certain items: dates, events, people involved, etc.

MENUS
get students to involve in a role-play where one is a waiter/tress and 2-3 students are the customers provide them with the necessary functions and structures to carry out the task i.e. sentences such as: "What would you like?", "I'll have...", "Anything else?", and so on

ADS IN MAGAZINES
Teacher cuts out advertisements from magazines, and shows them to learners one by one to see if they can guess what product is being advertised. Students work in groups of 3-4 and get about 4 adverts. They are to imagine they are working for an advertising agency and compare the ads taking into account the texts and the photographs. Students are to decide which is the best and which is the worst they re-design the worst ad, including the text. Ads with short texts are used with basic students, whereas those containing more complex texts are used for intermediate or advanced students.

THE AGONY COLUMN

cut out four or five letters to the agony column and paste on the cards Students work in pairs or groups of three and match the beginnings with the corresponding endings of the letters, and They match the corresponding answer to each letter.

TRAVEL BROCHURES
a. Students work in groups of 4-5. b. They are given travel brochures of interesting places. They are to design a "phoney" brochure of an imaginary place.

c. In it, they include a mixture of

characteristics of that place. e.g.you can visit a theme park

Ideas on how to use the newspaper

1. Scanning for the main idea. The teacher asks a question and the students scan the newspaper to be the first to get the answer. 2. Headline matching. Cut out headlines and articles. Glue on one page and photocopy. Students have to read and match correctly. 3. The weather map. Put the prompt whats the weather like in . on the board. Students ask/answer using the map with their group/pair. You can do the same with the stock exchange, foreign exchange, sports scores and other parts of the paper. 4. The advice column. Students read the question/letter and give their own advice. Later, read what Ann Landers or the advice columnist suggested. 5. Comics. Read the comics. Cut out and whiteout. Students then write their own content into the bubbles. 6. Debate. Read an editorial together on a hot issue. Divide the class into two and they form arguments and then debate their side. 7. 5ws. Students read an article and have to answer the 5Ws and present for the class. A great way to introduce journalism and short article writing. 8. Horoscopes. Students read each others horoscopes. Did they come true? 9. The Classifieds. List the items you want to buy. Students search for them and report back to you. Another way is to give them a budget and have them find an apartment that is appropriate.

Ideas on how to use the newspaper

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Scanning for main ideas Matching Headlines Weather map Advice Column Comics Debate 5ws Classifieds

It is not a text is understood because it is authentic but that it is authentic because it is understood. Everything the learner understands is authentic for him.

(Davies 1984: 192)