Readings About Authentic Materials

Authentic Materials and Realia  Download this page as a PDF file   

 Note: You can download all of the required readings for this course from the Course 1 Ebook: ?https://d396qusza40orc.cloudfront.net/shaping1landscape/c1-ebook.zip?    View the book and other PDF files in Acrobat Reader, or download it to a tablet or smartphone and place it in “eReader” software, such as Google Play on Android, or iBooks on iPad, or the Adobe Reader app for either system. 

During reading:  As you read the following article, you will want to outline the main ideas. Make a list of the ten steps the authors suggest should be used to structure projects. Note where authentic materials can be used in creating a project, as in the example of a tourist brochure from our video. The Weekly Quiz (graded) will include questions about the article. You may refer to your notes when you take the Weekly Quiz. Required Reading - For Teachers of Teens and Adult Learners

Alan, B. & Stoller, F.L. (2005). Maximizing the benefits of project work in foreign language classrooms. English Teaching Forum, 43 (4), 10-21. Retrieved from http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/05-43-4-c.pdf 

 There are many benefits to using project work in the classroom, such as student autonomy, increased content knowledge, and motivation. This article gives ten steps for structuring project activities to maximize these benefits, using a case study on project-based learning in an English preparatory program in Turkey. Also included are recommendations for writers on how to include project-based learning in their materials.  http://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/maximizing-benefits-project-work-foreign-language-classrooms 

Download the article directly in PDF format: https://d396qusza40orc.cloudfront.net/shaping1landscape/week1/w1-alan-benefits-project-work.pdf   

Forum Questions - For Teachers of Teens/Adults

Prepare for the discussion:  Alan and Stoller, the authors of this article, indicate that the teacher must be aware of grammatical and general language improvement as well as the visual attractiveness of a student project.  Questions for discussion:    If you don’t already use project-based learning, which of the projects described near the end of this article might be appealing to your students and help develop their language proficiency? Why? (If you teach at more than one level, choose just one to talk about.)     If you have already used project-based learning, describe in brief a project your students have done, and how it turned out. How did it help your students’ language proficiency?   

Return to the To-Do List to join the Discussion Forum: 

For further study on this week's topic, see: Optional Readings & Resources for Week 1

Created Sat 4 Jan 2014 6:15 AM AZT

Last Modified Mon 5 Jan 2015 11:44 PM AZT