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4. Authentic Materials
Nunan 1998 states that everything that students work with should be authentic. Moreover, many teachers of English as a Foreign Language adapt or create
authentic materials and media Gebhard, 2000. In this section includes the explanation of the definition of authentic materials, sources of authentic materials,
also advantages and disadvantages of using authentic materials.
a. Definition of Authentic Materials
There are many references to authentic material in the ELT literature. Books and journals contain thorough explanations of why it should or should not be
included in lessons, and how it is to be used or best exploited. But those authors who support the use of authentic material have in common one idea, that is exposure.
In other words, the benefit students get from being exposed to the language in authentic materials. Furthermore, authentic materials are materials that have been
produced to fulfill some social purpose in the language community Peacock: 1997. Moreover, Widdowson 1990 states that authentic materials would be
materials designed for native speakers of English used in the classroom in a way similar to the one it was designed for, for example, a radio news report brought into
the class so students discuss the report on pollution in the city where learners live.
b. Sources of Authentic Materials
In todays globalized world, examples of authentic materials are abound, but the most commonly used perhaps are: newspapers, TV programs, menus, magazines,
the internet, movies, songs, brochures, comics, literature novels, poems and short PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
21 stories, and so forth. Here are samples of authentic materials that can be used in
listening class:
1 Songs
Songs are an excellent form of listening input for a wide range of comprehension tasks because they are normally short and in general, use simple
natural language, and contains repetitions Goh, 2003. Some songs may be longer, but they usually contain stories that will attract learners’ attention. Songs are good
example of narrative texts. Some pop songs also deal with social issue, such as, people’s dream or conversation. Moreover, songs can allow learners to apply their
background knowledge and make personal responses.
2 Radio
Radio programs provide an endless source of current and updated materials Goh 2003. Radio stations such as BBC World Service BBC and Voice of
America VOA are constantly on-air. Although radios are easy to access, they are perhaps the most difficult of aural text for language learners to listen to. The reason
for this is that all non-verbal information is missing, information which can aid in helping understand the message, and the learner has to focus on the skill which is
most difficult for him or her—listening Miller, 1991. In order to use radio programs with learners, teachers need to select a
program at a suitable time for their class and decide on some global listening tasks for the learners. Teachers can use recordings from the radio to keep things new and
relevant to the learners. In using the radio in the way suggested here that learners are PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
22 allowed to access to native speaker models, something which might be missing from
their normal classroom experiences. Moreover, the focus is placed on extensive listening for pleasure and the emphasis is taken off testing what the learners hear.
3 CDs
CDs provide a multi-media experience by combining video, images, sound, animation and text. In addition, researchers have long reported that authentic CDs are
beneficial in providing natural, content-rich samples of the target language Bacon Finnemann, 1990; Liontas, 1992 and that it reflects current linguistic changes more
effectively than printed sources Richardson Scinicariello, 1989. Using CDs in the classroom allows the learners to access to more information
when listening. That is, the learners can now see what is happening as well as listen to the text. Non-verbal behavior or paralinguistic features of the spoken text are now
available to the learners compared with radio, that is, so learners can develop their listening skills in a richer language context.
Many language learners watch movies in their spare time, but few of them consider this as an opportunity to develop their listening skills perhaps because they
become used to reading the sub-titles of English movies. Going to a movie is considered as entertainment and often doesn’t count in terms of learning. However,
in the language classroom, it can be used to help students develop their foreign language listening skills.
4 The Internet
With the World Wide Web, teachers have at their disposal large amounts of PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
23 texts, visual stimuli, newspapers, magazines, live radio and television, video clips
and much more Lund, 1992. There are endless lists of useful materials for the language classroom. The focus is mainly on newspapers and radio stations. As with
other media, there is no point in asking students to just go to the web and read some texts or others. There needs to be a task, preferably one in which meaning is central
and has some connection to the real world. Treasure hunts and other information searching activities are probably the most useful. More and more sites have
interactive sections which contains message boards and where students can chat with native speakers.
c. Advantages and Disadvantages of Authentic Materials
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