August 2005 Archives

What is it? Realia consists of actual objects or items or facsimiles thereof, which are used in the classroom to illustrate and teach vocabulary or to serve as an aid to facilitate language acquisition and production. What does it do? It concretizes vocabulary and language and places it in a frame of reference. It also allows language learners to see, hear, and in some cases touch the objects.

What is it? Well, it's a game similar to the children's game Duck Duck Goose. It's a lot of fun. Actually, it's a hoot. Your students will enjoy playing it and they'll want to play it again and again. It's a wonderful EFL activity to practice target language or review sentence patterns in a relaxed and fun way.

Cross cultural awareness training should be part of any English language instruction (more so for adult language students) since culture teaches us what is appropriate to say and do. Culture provides a frame of reference and explains why things are done the way they are. There's a strong connection between language and culture. Helping English language learners see the connection can help them understand more clearly the meaning of language and help them to communicate more effectively. Is it really necessary? I think so. Just learning vocabulary and grammar isn't enough. Language students should be given opportunities (role-plays are good for this) to develop an understanding of the culture and the society in which the English language is used.