REALIA: BRINGING THE REAL WORLD INTO THE CLASSROOM

WHAT IS REALIA?

1. For the purpose of this workshop, realia will be defined as anything which:
   • has a purpose outside of the ESL classroom and
   • can be brought into the classroom
2. Realia is not necessarily tangible

WHY USE REALIA?

1. Builds the learners' confidence in their language abilities
2. Builds basic life skills
3. Makes language learning more relevant
4. Puts things the learners have learned into a meaningful context
5. Connects the learners to the world outside the classroom
6. Prepares the learners for post-classroom experience
7. Provides motivation for the learners to investigate & use L2 outside the classroom
8. Makes the teacher feel that there's some relevance to what they are doing

TYPES OF REALIA

1. Written Text / Print
2. Audio-Visual
   • Audio text only
   • Audio text & visuals
3. Non-Linguistic

PROBLEMS IN USING REALIA

1. Complexity of text (oral or written)
   • grammar
   • vocabulary
   • idioms & jargon
   • text structure
2. Listening to native speakers' pronunciation (oral text)
   • dialects
   • rapid speech
   • hesitations (e.g. pauses, fillers, repetition, etc.)
   • syllable-note correspondence in songs
3. Cultural references
   • geography
   • history
   • the arts (literature, etc.)
   • humour
   • philosophy
   • customs
   • social issues
   • people in the news
4. Logistics
   • access to equipment/media
   • use of A-V equipment
   • legalities of copying
5. Personal taste
   • art
   • literature
   • music

PRINCIPLES IN USING REALIA

1. General
   • Tell the learners that it's "real"
   • Choose realia that's relevant and interesting
   • Supply relevant cultural background beforehand
   • Make connections to realia in the learners' own culture
2. Linguistic Realia (Print and Audio-Visual)
   • Be aware that the text (print or A-V) may be too difficult for L2 speakers to understand most or all of it
   • If there are vocab. problems, try one or more of the following:
     • Introduce it in advance
     • Focus on other things besides the vocab.
     • Focus on the key words
   • For lower level classes:
     • Choose the text very carefully
     • Focus on specific aspects of the text
   • For upper level classes, consider taking away their dictionaries!
   • Use dramatic techniques to help clarify written text or A-V material
   • For print material, make sure you have enough copies
   • For A-V material, make sure:
     • the recording is clear
     • you have the proper equipment and know how to use it
     • you preview the material and cue it if necessary
3. Non-Linguistic Realia
   • Have a clear idea of your linguistic purpose
   • Preteach vocab. and grammatical points

©1995 Mark Dickens, Ian Robertson and Erica Hofmann
Fields College International, Victoria, BC