The "Authentic Materials" Trend in adult ed

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The "Authentic Materials" Trend in adult ed

by Teacher+

Jul 1, 2010

The newest trend in adult ed is to stress the use of authentic materials in classroom instruction instead of relying solely on books, worksheets and drills. The authentic materials should be texts and math problems that students experience in everyday life: newspaper articles, product labels, signs, job applications, medical forms, leases, contracts,letters and lyrics, and numeracy as used in baking, retail purchases, personal banking, etc. This approach has value in these ways:

These materials are relevant to adult students' lives.

It encourages best practices because teachers are less likely to just teach out of a book instead of writing customized lesson plans that suit their students' wants and needs.

But, like any other trend, use of authentic materials is being abused is the most ridiculous ways, mostly by non-teaching administrators who have no grasp of education research and learning strategies. So they throw the baby out with the bathwater when th...See More

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j.e. I think you've explained this very well. It IS important to bring in authentic materials, but it's also important to remember that a textbook is also a good resource. I like to find news articles that tie in with the novel or short story that I'm teaching.

On 7/01/10, Teacher+ wrote: > The newest trend in adult ed is to stress the use ...See MoreI think you've explained this very well. It IS important to bring in authentic materials, but it's also important to remember that a textbook is also a good resource. I like to find news articles that tie in with the novel or short story that I'm teaching.

On 7/01/10, Teacher+ wrote: > The newest trend in adult ed is to stress the use of > authentic materials in classroom instruction instead of > relying solely on books, worksheets and drills. The > authentic materials should be texts and math problems that > students experience in everyday life: newspaper articles, > product labels, signs, job applications, medical forms, > leases, contracts,letters and lyrics, and numeracy as used > in baking, retail purchases, personal banking, etc. This > approach has value in these ways: > > These materials are relevant to adult students' lives. > > It encourages best practices because teachers are less > likely to just teach out of a book instead of writing > customized lesson plans that suit their students' wants and > needs. > > But, like any other trend, use of authentic materials is > being abused is the most ridiculous ways, mostly by > non-teaching administrators who have no grasp of education > research and learning strategies. So they throw the baby > out with the bathwater when they forbid teachers to use > text and work books ever! It's just goofy! Good adult ed > books are based on the use of research-based strategies and > teaching methods that work for adults. They also offer > repetitive practice in content and test-taking skills that > help to imbed such learning in long-term memory. And good > ed books are wonderful for jump-starting your own ideas for > lessons that fit your student population to a T! > > No teacher at any level should be teaching straight out of > a book. The steps for lesson planning are always clear: you > begin with a goal: what do you want your students to learn > today? You devise a mini-lesson, practice, application and > assessment using many variied types of materials. In fact, > the lesson plan is best begun with a "hook" usuing > authentic materials that either activate prior knowledgew > or build background knowledge of the content, strategies > and skills you will be taching in that lesson. > > j.

Jun 4, 2011

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