Authentic materials in the classroom-prescott presentation
- 1. USING AUTHENTIC MATERIALS TO INCREASE STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN THE CLASSROOM Laura Champi Graduate Teaching Assistant- NAU
- 2. The Problem When it comes time for listening or reading comprehension activities in the language classroom...
- 3. Research & Investigation Authentic Materials & Motivation Berardo (2006) Use of authentic texts to increase motivation Natural changes in language Hwang (2005) Materials that cater to interests and linguistic needs of students Hynes (2002) Motivation depends on the student but authentic materials can help
- 4. Research & Investigation Authentic Materials & “Real” use of language Berardo (2006) The use of authentic texts gives students access to “real” language use in a real-world context Gilmore (2004) Changes to language in simplified material do not help in the language acquisition process Según Cubillo, Keith & Salas (2011) Authentic materials help students make connections between classroom practice and the outside world Wallermire (2008) Without authentic input, students will develop an artificial production of the language
- 5. Topic of Investigation What are students’ perceptions in regards to the use of authentic materials vs. simplified materials in the classroom?
- 6. Participants in the Study Students of two Spanish 102 classes at Northern Arizona University
- 7. Instruments & Procedure To investigate the students’ perceptions of authentic materials versus simplified materials, two reading comprehension and two listening comprehension activities were completed in class over the course of two days. Students shared their perceptions in a survey at the end of the second day
- 8. Day 1: Reading Comprehension Activity 1: Textbook Reading (Simplified) Reading about Peru with comprehension questions and follow-up discussion question (Panorama Perú – Vistas) Activity 2: Tourism Website (Authentic) Touristic reading about Peru with comprehension questions and follow-up discussion question
- 9. Day 2: Listening Comprehension Activity 1: Textbook Video (Simplified) Video about Easter Island with comprehension questions and follow-up discussion question Activity 2: CNN Chile Video (Authentic) News clip about tourism on Easter Island with comprehension questions and follow-up discussion question
- 10. Why the same country & activities? The same country was chosen for both the simplified and authentic materials in each activity to avoid cultural bias Both reading and listening activities followed up with comprehension questions to avoid interference of perceptions (activity vs.
- 11. Conclusions The majority of students stated that: the authentic materials stimulated their interest more than the book materials they understood more from the authentic materials than they thought they would they learned new vocabulary from the authentic materials they found the language in the authentic materials more “real”
- 12. Conclusions The majority of students stated that: even though they found the authentic materials more interesting, they did not find the book materials “boring” they did not necessarily find the authentic materials to be more motivating, even though they were more interesting
- 13. Recommendations & Future Directions The use of authentic materials More interesting material does not mean more motivating Motivation depends on the accompanying activities as well as the material Experts’ studies have shown the potential for authentic material motivation Use of authentic materials to teach new vocabulary in a real-world context
- 15. Activity Students listen to the song and fill in the missing words. Teacher goes over the answers after. Is the song interesting? Yes Is the song motivating? Not yet
- 16. More Meaningful Activity Step 1: Students listen to the song and fill in the missing words. Students compare answers in partners and then go over as a class Step 2: Teacher brings students’ attention to key new vocabulary words and/or phrases, discussing their meaning. Step 3: Students answer comprehension questions based on the key words and/or phrases. Step 4: Extension-Students look up historical/cultural relevance in groups and present to class
- 17. Comprehension Questions Are helpful to make sure that students understood basic information, BUT Extension activities promote deeper, more meaningful learning Example: Students investigate theories on Moái on Easter Island & create their own
- 18. Meaningful Reading Comprehension Pre-reading to make connections Basic reading comprehension questions Theatrical interpretation and presentations of the story Una carta a Dios -Gregorio Lopez-
- 19. References Berardo, S. A. (2006). The use of authentic materials in the teaching of reading. The reading matrix, 6(2). Cubillo, P. C., Keith, R. C., & Salas, M. R. (2011). La comprensión auditiva: definición, importancia, características, procesos, materiales y actividades. Actualidades Investigativas en Educación. Gilmore, A. (2004). A comparison of textbook and authentic interactions. ELT journal, 58(4), 363-374. Hwang, C. C. (2005). Effective EFL education through popular authentic materials. Asian EFL Journal, 7(1), 90-101. Hynes, M. K. (2002). Motivation in the Japanese L2 classroom. Academic Reports, Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo Institute Polytech, 25(2), 41-48. Wallermire, M. (2008). Using Authentic Audio in Dictogloss Activities. Dialogue on Language Instruction, 19(1), 1-10.
- 20. QUESTIONS? Thank you for your attention
Editor's Notes
- #4: Beginning course details and/or books/materials needed for a class/project.
- #5: A schedule design for optional periods of time/objectives.
- #6: Introductory notes.
- #8: Objectives for instruction and expected results and/or skills developed from learning.
- #10: Relative vocabulary list.
- #11: A list of procedures and steps, or a lecture slide with media.
- #12: Conclusion to course, lecture, et al.
- #14: An opportunity for questions and discussions.