Authentic Materials in the

Classroom: Their use to

advance communicative
competence
Bryan Meadows
Ph.D. Student, University of Arizona
22nd Annual Second Language Teachers Symposium
September 17, 2005
What is an authentic text?
Largely texts designed for an L1 audience
(Little et al., 1988)
Communicative function is prevalent (Swaffer
& Stephens, 1981)
Unedited, unabridged texts (Oxford, 1992)
Trend of authenticity stretches back to
Communicative Language Teaching
movement of 1970s (Day, 2003)
I will employ a wide definition of text

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
Why use authentic texts in the K-12
classroom?
Authentic texts-by definition-are culturally
relevant and informative.
Authentic texts are embedded in target
cultureproducers and intended consumers
share relatively close worldview
Foreign language texts, by contrast, are
unfaithful and deficient in potential
information (Fonseca-Greber & Waugh, 2003;
Vellenga, 2004).

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
Why use authentic texts in the K-12
classroom? <part two>
Satisfy natural curiosity of your students.
They did not take your class to complete
worksheets and take exams. Appreciate cool
stuff.
Real-world use is the eventual goal of any
language program. Authentic texts offer the
first baby steps for the students along this
journey.
Foster problem-solving inquiry (fill in the
blanks).

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
Few words of warning
Must know your students and their potential
level of understanding. Unmodified texts or
texts without sufficient scaffolding can be
extremely frustrating to students who are not
ready for the text (Yano, Long & Ross, 1994)
Choose your battlescant expect students
to pick up every single bit of information from
the text. Be selective and keep instruction
focused.

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
What is communicative competence?
Its one thing to know how to say something
slightly more important to know when to say
what.
Consider proverbial man
Japanese example of responding to
compliments
Dell Hymes introduced the notion in 1966.
Linguistic knowledge is not the whole picture.
(Dell Hymes, 1966 in Saville-Troike, 1996)

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
Communicative Competence,
Examples?
Saville-Troike provides specific examples:
knowledge or expectation of who may or may not speak in
certain settings,
how one may talk to persons of different statuses and roles,
what nonverbal behaviors are appropriate in various
contexts,
how to ask for and give information,
how to request,
how to offer or decline assistance or cooperation,
how to give commands,
etc. (Saville-Troike, 1996: p. 363)

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
 Communicative Competence:
Four Areas of Focus
Grammatical Competence

Sociolinguistic Competence

Discourse Competence

Strategic Competence

from Alptekin (2002)

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
Communicative Competence and FL
Teacher
Role of FL teacher is to help students to
mesh themselves with the mainstream, target
community and their linguistic behavior.
Authentic texts start to bridge that gap for the
studentsexpose them to a new way of
seeing the world

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
Practical Ideas for incorporating
authentic texts
Chibimaruko-chan
Goo! Website
Neruton / Drama Movie
Giving Directions
Train timetables (train culture)
Shopping knowledge
Ordering food
New Years Cards
CrayonShin-Chan

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
Practical Ideas for incorporating
authentic texts <part two>
School-Related Language
Sugata student diary
Vacation Directives

Entering the job marketm

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
Additional Resources for Authenticity
History of Japan Course
Mangajin compilations
Etiquette books from Japan
Japanese Cultural Encounters / Japans
Cultural Codewords

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
In summary
Authentic texts = designed for L1 community
Goal of FL program is to elevate
communicative competence
Authentic texts help bridge this gap
Have fun! Make language real for students!

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
References
Alptekin, C. (2002). Towards Intercultural Communicative Competence. ELT Journal, 56, 1, pp. 57-64.
Day, R. (2003). Authenticity in the Design and Development of Materials. In W.A. Renandya (Ed.),
Methodology and Materials Design in Language Teaching: Current Perceptions and Practices and their
Implications, pp. 1-11.
Fonseca-Greber, B. & Waugh, L. (2003). On the Radical Difference between the Subject Personal
Pronouns in Written and Spoken European French. In P. Leistyna & C.F. Meyer (Eds.). Corpus Analysis:
Language Structure and Language Use (pp. 225-240). Amsterdam: Rodopi.
Guariento, W. & Morley, J. (2001). Text and Task Authenticity in the EFL Classroom. ELT Journal, 55, pp.
347-353.
Gunn, C. (2003). Exploring Second Language Communicative Competence. Language Teaching
Research, 7, 2, pp. 240-258.
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2003). Teaching Language: From Grammar to Grammaring. Heinle: Boston.
Little, D., S. Devitt, D. Singleton. (1988). Authentic Texts in Foreign Language Teaching: Theory and
Practice. Dublin: Authentik.
Saville-Troike, M. (1996). The Ethnography of Communication. In S. McKay & N. Hornberger (Eds.).
Sociolinguistics and Language Teaching (pp. 351-382). New York: Cambridge University Press. Malden,
MA: Blackwell Publishers.
Oxford, R. (1992). Research on Second Language Learning Strategies. Annual Review of Applied
Linguistics, 13, pp. 175-187.
Swaffer, J. & Stephens, D. (1981). What Comprehension-Based Classes Look and Feel Like in Theory and
Practice. In H. Winitz (Ed.). The Comprehension Approach to Foreign Language Instruction (pp. 254-274).
Rowley: Newbury House.
Vellenga, H. (2004). Learning Pragmatics from ESL & EFL Textbooks: How likely? TESL-EJ, 8, 2.
Yano, Y., Long, M. & Ross, S. (1994) The Effects of Simplified and Elaborated Texts on Foreign Language
Reading Comprehension. Language Learning, 44:2, pp. 189-219.

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
Practical Exercise in Class
Consider own language you teach
Consider specific tasks related to
communicative competence (greetings,
refusals, asking favors, etc.)
Consider real items (print, video, objects)
Default example is a series of email
exchanges in English.

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona
 Incorporating authentic texts for the purpose
of communicative competence development
Components to consider in lesson-planning:
Function of the expression/phrase
Actual samples of use
When is it appropriate?
When is it not appropriate?
Consider reactions given to the expression

Bryan Meadows
University of Arizona