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TESOL Matters Vol. 9 No. 2     (April/May 1999)

From the column of the TESOL Materials Writers Interest Section
by Ludmila V. Karpova

Many textbooks create a climate for socially isolated learning. They contain information centered on exercises such as repetition, pattern practice drills, gap-filling, and grammatical transformation. Teachers need more materials that help students become thoughtful participants in a socially rich environment for learning and that feature everyday uses of English.

A teacher should consider the following when selecting and using authentic materials.

Content. Is it appropriate to the age, interests, needs, and goals of learners? Is it real-life based and up-to-date? Do the materials extend the learners' knowledge of the world? Do the materials require further inquiry?

Tasks. Are classroom activities task based (a task that is a means to an end as opposed to a task that is an end in itself)? What possible reasons lie behind a particular set of tasks? Is there an idea web? What is the ratio of display questions to referential questions? Is there sufficient balance between open-ended and closed tasks? Is there balance between a real context and an EFL artificial context? Are the tasks differentiated and sequenced, and do they present a range of varied cognitive and communicative procedures that can be applied to existing and new knowledge in the collective (learners' and teachers') exploration?

Authenticity. What makes tasks authentic? What authenticity criteria should we select (learners' linguistic needs? process needs? sociocultural context? other?) What makes classroom activities authentic?

J. Millet's observations of teachers in the classroom (TESOL Matters, October/November 1997) tell him that their "awareness of students is somewhat in the periphery rather than at the center of their teaching." He claims that teachers use wonderful creative activities but are not looking at how they can help students do the activity better and what the students can or cannot do. Teachers are simply moving them through activities, assuming they are learning. According to Millet, it is important that teachers should ask themselves important questions such as "What are the students actually doing? Are the students using language more effectively end of the activity than they were at the beginning?"

Teacher-Learner Roles. What picture of the teacher is implicit? What are the teacher's goals and expectations? What role does the learner have in all this? What are the learners expected to do, and what do they contribute? How to balance the activity of the learners and the role of the teacher?

Teacher-Learner Relationship. How do the materials structure it? What is the teacher's mode of teaching--transmission or reciprocal interaction? Is teaching a dynamic combination of coaching and facilitating? Is the classroom learner or teacher centered?

Learning Strategies. Is attention given to learning strategies and opportunities to develop cognitive abilities? Do the learning strategies help students project their own learning and take responsibility for assessing their own progress? Is the learners' intellect engaged in the learning process? Are the materials developing learners' autonomy? Do they facilitate the teacher's autonomy?

Learning Environment. Is it beneficial and encouraging for the process of risk taking and idea sharing?

Social Values and Attitudes. What social attitudes are implicit in the materials? What message do the students receive--to be passive learners or to take risks?

Cultural Issues. What cultural associations about ways of living in other countries do learners get? Do the materials promote cultural, sociolinguistic and paralinguistic awareness?

Miscellaneous. Is grammar integrated with listening, reading, speaking, writing? Do students learn functions along with grammar points? Are the instructions clear?

Suppose that the teacher and students selected tea boxes and tea wrappers as the authentic material. The material selected meets the above criteria: it is appropriate content because it is student-selected; it is certainly authentic and can be manipulated to develop learner awareness; both teacher and learners will have active roles, and the relationship will be coaching rather than lecturing; the possibilites for developing social values, attitudes, and cultural issues as well as miscellaneous issues such as grammar are great. The learning environment, some learning strategies, and the possible tasks are described below.

The activity is organized hierarchically. Students start at a descriptive level. They observe the materials and collect data--pick up vocabulary items and language structures. As we look at the language of the tea boxes, we note several lexical sets that represent certain networks.

Set 1. Rich, fine, full flavored, superior, fragrant, fresh, exclusive, refined, aromatic, pleasant, natural, subtle, tempting, delicious, week, strong.

Set 2. Iced, hot, garden, (un)blended, breakfast, caffeine free, leaf, granulated, black, green, herb.

Set 3. Refreshing, revitalising, soothing, nourishing, restoring, satisfying.

Set 4. Produced, selected, packed, grown, packaged, supplied, boxed.

Set 5. Cup, mug, teaspoon, water, milk, lemon, sugar, sweetener, etc.

Set 6. Use, pour, warm, steep, stir, brew, serve, squeeze (lemon), put, remove, drink, taste, savor, enjoy, relax.

Set 7. Pleasure, satisfaction, health, antidote.

Set 8. Aroma, color, flavor, quality, difference.

The key features and characteristics of different kinds of teas are presented in Set 1 (quality, flavor, tone) and Set 2 (type). Set 3 gives us an idea of the effect this or that tea may have (refreshing, soothing, nourishing). Set 4 lists actions (to select, to grow, to pick, to pack) that describe the kind of activity that is needed before we can have a box of tea on our kitchen table. Set 5 describes the things one may need to make /drink tea ( a cup, a mug, a teapot, water, sugar). Verbs in Set 6 represent a sequence of actions one must take to make tea (to boil, to warm, to stir, etc.) and serve it ( to add [sugar], to squeeze [lemon], to remove [tea bag], etc.). Set 7 deals with feelings (pleasure, satisfaction ) and a reason for drinking tea (gives strength, good for the health, an antidote to weakness, bad mood). Set 8 has nouns that combine with adjectives from Sets 1 and 2 and represent different aspects (aroma, color, taste, quality) of the object of observation.

This is an example of open-ended exploration of a text (each tea label is a text in itself) based on sorting out and classifying ideas (how to make tea? what is needed? what quality and taste do teas have? and so on). Searching across the text for clues, students move from one level to another smoothly (establish connections between sets, ask and answer questions, connect together ideas) until they finally reach the level of evaluation where they generalize, make judgements on issues that are current and relevant, make choices, refine ideas, produce new questions, and further explanations (Why do you prefer this kind of tea? Where do you buy it? Is it for sale now? How do you make tea? How to make tea best? and so on). This allows students to bring into play their own feelings and opinions in an attempt to negotiate solutions. The applied technique provides the basis for students to develop higher-order thinking skills with a focus on how to look for information, assimilate, organize and apply it.

Authentic materials (which can be items that normally go into a trash can) enliven the classroom and are a powerful motivating factor (provide motivation through enjoyment); introduce life into the classroom (arm students with facts); provide close contact with the language; increase cultural background; build up paralinguistic features; and can be used to teach at all levels.

Gratitude is expressed to Judy Richardson, professor of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University, for consultation about these columns.

Ludmila V. Karpova is an associate professor at Linguistic University in Novgorod, Russia.