46 th IATEFL Conference, Glasgow Out of the media and into the classroom March 2012 Heather Buchanan
Dec 24, 2015
Definition
• “Authentic” materials are usually defined as those which have been produced for purposes other than to teach language” (Nunan, 1988, p.99)
Using TV and radio broadcasts -‐ benefits
• Gives exposure to real language in use
• Natural pronunciation and exposure to different accents
• Should help to equip students to cope with language in use outside the classroom.
• Gives students a sense of satisfaction
• Topical and up to date
• Can be culturally rich
• Visual clues may help students to understand the audio
However….
• Unknown/ infrequent/ inappropriate lexis & grammar
• Lower level students
• Natural pronunciation & speed – difficult to decode
• Cultural references can be obscure
• Content not necessarily interesting or appropriate
• Visual can distract from audio
What can we use broadcasts for?
Develop students’
listening skills – top down and bottom up
Develop students’ listening strategies
Language awareness (systems)
Classroom or independent
study
Current affairs
• News
• Programmes about the news
• Features on radio programmes
• Documentaries
• Interviews/ chat shows
How to select your broadcast
• Relevance (to syllabus, to learners’ needs)
• Intrinsic interest of topic/ theme
• Cultural appropriateness
• Linguistic demands
• Cognitive demands
• Logistical considerations (e.g. length, legibility/audibility)
• Quality (as a model or as a representative token of a text type)
• Exploitability
(McGrath, 2002, p. 106)
Using standard exercises for listening/ audiovisual texts
Saves time for T Provides structure Suggests activities
Classroom use Learners choose texts Personalised Differentiated
Independent learning
Using standard exercises for listening/ audiovisual texts
Saves time for T Provides structure Suggests activities
Classroom use Learners choose texts Personalised Differentiated
Independent learning
How standardised can you make your tasks?
Authenticity of tasks
• Authentic task: one “which replicate[s] or rehearse[s] the communicative behaviours which will be required of them in the real world” (Nunan ,cited in McGrath, 2002, p.114)
• or
• Pedagogic task: “one which focuses on the development of accuracy rather than language using” (McGrath, 2002, p.114)
Basic framework for receptive skills lessons • Introduce topic/ generate interest/ predict content
• Task 1: focus on gist
• (Task 2: focus on detail)
• (Task 3: focus on language)
• Follow-‐up/ development task/ personal response
• (Self-‐evaluation of difficulties)
Framework 1: the news
• TV or radio news
• Possible to use that day’s news
• Adapt for news with or without headlines at the beginning
Framework 2: Documentary
• Documentaries where people experience something different.
• Human interest
• Informative (topical issues, history, etc.)
Framework 3: Question time/ debate programmes
• Panel discussions or audience discussions based on questions
• Questions usually relevant to week’s news items or general human interest stories
Framework 4: Dragons’ Den
• Repetitive format
• Entertaining, interesting, inspiring
• Encourages critical thinking and creativity
Further task possibilities
• Media transfer
• Comparison/ contrast
• Reformulation
• Creating text
• Analysis
• Project work
Selected from Maley’s (1998) typology for generalised procedures (in McGrath, 2004, p. 113).
References and Further
Reading • Breen, M.P. (1985) Authenticity in the language classroom Applied Linguistics 6: 60–70.
• Gilmore, A. (2007). Authentic materials and authenticity in foreign language learning. Language Teaching 40: 97-‐118
• Guariento, W., and Morley J. (2001) Text and task authenticity. ELT Journal 55/4: 339–347.
• McGrath, I (2004) Materials Evaluation and Design for Language Teaching, Edinburgh University Press
• Mishan, F. (2005) Designing authenticity into language teaching materials. Bristol: Intellect
• Nunan, D. (1988) The Learner Centred Curriculum, Cambridge, CUP
• Sherman, J (2003) Using Authentic Video in the Language Classroom, Cambridge, CUP
• Tomlinson, B (2012) State-‐of-‐the-‐art article:Materials development for langauge learning and teaching, Language teaching, 45/2, pp. 143-‐179
• Widdowson, H. (1996) Authenticity and autonomy in ELT. ELT Journal 50/1: 67–68.
• Yuk-‐Chun Lee, W. (1995) Authenticity revisited. ELT Journal 49/4: 323–328.