The Importance of Using Authentic Materials in TEFL

In teaching and learning process in the classroom, there is something that is called as material and one of type of material that is used in teaching and learning process namely authentic material, it is the materials that are in the language community that have been made to complete some social purpose there (Peacock, 1997). And using authentic materials in Teaching English as Foreign Language gives good effect toward language learners namely increasing learner’s  motivation, providing authentic cultural information, providing exposure to real language, relating more closely to learners’s needs, and supporting a more creative approach to teaching (Philips and Shettlesworth 1978; Clarke 1989; Peacock 1997, cited in Richards, 2001).

By using authentic materials, many people that claims that it can increase learner’s motivation in language learning. Because it can give more stimulation to students than artificial or non-authentic materials and of course, the materials that are given of authentic materials more interesting than non-authentic material. That’s why, it can influence learner’s wish to learn language better in the classroom. For example, when the students know new vocabulary that they get from authentic materials, they will try to say it to be used in the class, so continuously they will be more interesting to learn language and automatically it can increase learner’s motivation to learn target language in the learning process.

Then, the Importance of Using Authentic Materials in TEFL; it provides authentic cultural information to learners so that the students will get cultural information about the target culture directly. The Learners will know and learn what is happening in the world. They will study cultures of target language that they are studying and they also will be able to compare traditions and customs that they are learning with that they have. so that it will make them more interesting to search information of another culture and it can add learner’s knowledge them about cultural information of the target language.

In addition, it will Provide exposure to real language, the learners will learn about target language directly. By using authentic material when they are not in real situation or an authentic situation and they will feel that they are studying real language. And it can also become a practice toward students when they are in real situation by using real language that they have learned. After that, it can also support their motivation in learn foreign language because they are taught or given real language as if they are in real situation and it can also prepare them for real communication.

When the teacher uses authentic materials in TEFL, it can relate more closely to learners‘s needs. In using of authentic materials in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Many things that learner will face in teaching and learning process and some of them are the problems that they will find when learners use authentic materials in teaching and learning process, so that from the problems that they have faced, the teacher will diagnose learner’s strengthens and weakness, so it will relate more closely with what is learners’ needs.

Finally, it can also support a more creative approach to teaching. When the teacher establish to using authentic materials in the classroom, the teacher will get a approach that is more creative to teaching, such as the teacher use internet, videos, etc in teaching and learning process so that it make a approach that is more creative and different in teaching process, of course it is hoped in order to be able increasing learner’s competence or skill in foreign language learning.

Indeed, authentic materials that are used in Teaching English as a Foreign Language have positive effect toward teaching and learning process in the classroom especially for foreign language learners. By using authentic materials can increase learner’s motivation in learning process, provide authentic cultural information to learners, provide exposure to real language, relate more closely to learners’ needs, and support a more creative approach to teaching process. That’s why, as a teacher that teaches English as a Foreign Language, it can be an alternative to be used in Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

References List:

B, M. Kyumoba. (2011). Advantages and disadvantages of authentic materials use in EFL classrooms. Retrieved from http://www.moluch.ru/archive/26/2844/

Kilickaya, Ferit . (n. d). Authentic materials and cultural content in EFL classrooms. Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Kilickaya-AutenticMaterial.html