TEACHING ENGLISH THROUGH AUTHENTIC MATERIALS

The article discusses the problems of using authentic materials on teaching foreign languages. Using authentic materials in the class can be a useful tool to motivate pupils and make them feel comfortable using the foreign language. Authentic materials, if used properly in authentic learning environments, can have lots of uses in foreign language teaching though they are not specifically designed to teach a foreign language. For this reason, foreign language teachers should act as a guide for the students to interact with the authentic materials in constructivist learning environments. In addition, learning environments in which authentic materials are used should be organized when training prospective foreign language teachers to set an example for the teachers of the future to use authentic materials in their own classrooms. In that way, prospective teachers will have a chance to see and experience, themselves, the advantages of these materials and points to consider when using them. The aim of the present study is to focus on the importance and the uses of authentic materials in foreign language teacher training program and to come up with some suggestions concerning the matter. The new technology abetted the extant educational system and it gifted the contemporary educational system with a newfangled drift. As a result, there have been several innovations in the field of education and English has no exception. The concept of teaching English has drastically changed and the present generation of teachers as well as the learners depend more on the latest technology that brings a greater change in teaching and learning. In the modern world, the teachers of English have been using a variety of teaching materials in order to satisfy the needs and interests of the learners. In this process, they also go for the authentic materials in addition to the prescribed textbooks with an aim to improve the standards of the learners and to develop their learners’ language skills enormously in the regular English classrooms.