THE USE OF AUTHENTIC MATERIALS IN THE TEACHING OF READING

Name    : M. Ato’iful Ihsan

NIM       : 932206611

Class    : E

THE USE OF AUTHENTIC MATERIALS 

IN THE TEACHING OF READING

The texts talk about of authentic materials in the classroom has been discussed, with the student benefiting from the exposure to real language being used in a real context.  Other aspects which proved positive when using authentic materials were that they are highly motivating, giving a sense of achievement when understood and encourage further reading. They also reflect the changes in the use of language, there is a wide variety of text types, they are also very versatile (they can be used in different ways to promote different skills) and can be used more than once as well as be updated.

Anything can be used as authentic material but for developing reading one of the most useful resources is the Internet, with large amounts of varied material being easily accessible. One of the main reason for using authentic materials in the classroom is once outside the safe, controlled language learning environment, the learner will not encounter the artificial language of the classroom but the real world and language how it is really used. 

The role of the teacher is not to delude the language learner but to prepare him, giving the awareness and necessary skills so as to understand how the language is actually used.  Having made a distinction between authentic and non-authentic material and evaluated the use of them in the classroom, it is worth taking into consideration Davies who wrote: 

It is not that 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.