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422. Brun M. The essentials of a communicative curriculum in language teaching. Applied Linguistics 1 (2), 1998. Pp. 89-112.
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THE IMPORTANCE AND SPECIAL PECULIARITY OF THE USE OF AUTHENTIC MATERIALS IN EFL Alimova D.K.
Alimova Dildora Komiljon kizi - Teacher, DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED SCIENCES, UZBEKISTAN STATE WORLD LANGUAGES UNIVERSITY, TASHKENT, REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Abstract: this article informs about the importance and special peculiarities of authentic materials in teaching listening skills. Three categories of authentic materials, advantages and disadvantages of it are revealed widely. Identifying students' needs and goals is the first step in using authentic materials of teachers.
Keywords: notion, communication, authentic, skills, integrated approach.
Nowadays, the use of authentic materials plays an important role in the development of listening comprehension. The notion of authenticity has been much discussed. Marrow's definition will serve us well. He relates it to "a stretch of real language produced by a real speaker or writer for a real audience and designed to carry a real message of some sort." (1977:13).
Harmer (1983:146) says that authentic texts (either written or spoken) are those which are designed for native speakers: They are real text designed not for language students, but for the speakers of the language in question.1 Nunan (1989:54) thinks that a rule of thumb for authenticity here is any material which has not been specifically produced for the purposes of language teaching. Furthermore, Gilman and Moody (1984) recommend that the teacher should use authentic materials in implementing listening comprehension training not only at advanced level but with students at the beginning and intermediate levels.
According to Gebhard (1996), authentic materials can be classified into three categories:
1.Authentic Listening-Viewing Materials: TV commercials, quiz shows, cartoons, news clips, comedy shows, movies, soap operas, professionally audio-taped short stories and novels, radio ads, songs, documentaries, and sales pitches.
2.Authentic Visual Materials: slides, photographs, paintings, children' artwork, stick-figure drawings, wordless street signs, silhouettes, pictures from magazine, ink blots, postcard pictures, wordless picture books, stamps, and X-rays.
3.Authentic Printed Materials: newspaper articles, movie advertisements, astrology columns, sports reports, obituary columns, advice columns, lyrics to songs, restaurant menus, street signs, cereal boxes, candy wrappers, tourist information brochures, university catalogs, telephone books, maps, TV guides, comic books, greeting cards, grocery coupons, pins with messages, and bus schedules. Here, we mainly focus on the authentic listening materials. This can be seen clearly by looking at the different features of the two kinds of materials.
S. Haines (1995) considers the following to be the advantages of authentic materials:
• Authentic texts have a communicative purpose unrelated to the language teaching itself;
• Most texts are aimed at particular target listeners, who may be expected to react to the text in some
way2;
• Authentic texts help students to develop listening strategies.
The first step in using authentic materials is identifying students' needs and goals. Teachers can do this in a variety of ways: scheduling, intake interviews with students, conducting weekly learner focus groups and discussions, administering written needs assessment surveys, etc. Invite students to participate in the process of identifying authentic materials. They may consider these materials inappropriate for school, based on their earlier academic experiences or their cultural perspectives. Teachers can engage them in conversations about the rationale for using authentic materials and ask them to collect and bring authentic materials to class to support their learning goals.
1 Harmer (1983:146). A history of English language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2 S. Haines The practice of English language teaching. Pearson education Ltd, Essex, 4th Ed., 1995, 448 p.
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Moreover, it is important to use materials in authentic ways, not in traditional school-based ways. The purpose or function of authentic materials often will determine how teachers use them. For example, it is far more beneficial to use a current newspaper to search for relevant information, such as what the weather will be tomorrow or the best place to buy new tires, than it is to use an outdated newspaper to locate proper nouns. Keeping authenticity at the forefront, teachers can help students: Create and update personal calendars and address books, Write postcards they will mail after class, Make shopping lists they will use that evening, and Respond to e-mail from their children's teachers.
References
1. Richards J. & Rodgers T., 2001. Approaches and methods in language Teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
2. Haines S. The practice of English language teaching. Pearson education Ltd. Essex. 4th Ed., 1995. 448 p.
3. Gebhard. Teaching Materials and the Roles of EFL/ESL Teachers: Practice and Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
4. Harmer (1983:146). A history of English language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
