In these days teachers have no problems in exposing students to real world texts. Computer facilities heavily supported with the internet can do the job fantastically well. Authentic language can be brought inside the classrooms via social midia like facebook which enables students get in direct contact with the native speakers using spoken or written texts,

As Abdelrahim Mugaddam mentiioned, there are many options available for the teachers to use real world materials in the classrooms. I use youtube videos, reality shows, songs, music videos, and short movies in my classrooms. Not only it is intresting, it makes students motivated and makes them aware of cultural values of the target language.

This is exactly what I mean Gholam! I think teachers are in a far better situation thank before!

I am quickly becoming addicted to these forums due to the depth and breadth of these questions. Gholam has provided one method (youtube videos) that can be quite informative with second language acquisition. I still remember the Korean milk song taught in my Korean class 10 years ago (found here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qciEITovQ1U).

In teaching French to adult students, I have found declining acceptance with immersion for it give these older students with only two options: sink or swim.

A better alternative is Total Physical Response (TPR). The bottom line is that what do we want from our students? Would it not to be imperfect fluent speakers of the target language? Native speakers are not perfect in their grammar, so why should we expect new learners of that target language to be any better? This is the belief that TPR espouses. One video explaining it can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mk6RRf4kKs. There are other references on TPR (Asher, 1996; 2011)

Asher, J. (1996). Learning Another Language Through Actions (5th ed.). Los Gatos, CA: Sky Oaks Productions.

Asher, J. (2011). The total physical response approach to second language learning. The Modern Language Journal, (53), 1, 3-17.

I also think that we have many opportunities to expose students to authentic language and culture. What is important to me in this context is that my students interact with the language and culture in meaningful ways. That is sometimes a little more challenging as it requires more coordination and preparation.

I think the problem with authentic materials is often one of level. Intermediate students may struggle, for example even short authentic listening texts can present problems due to native speaker accent and speed. I think what a teacher needs to do is direct students to pre-chosen websites where the teacher feels the language level is acceptable to their learner. Some good sources which I have used are the BBC learning English website and the TED lectures. However, from my experience, students need to be trained to maximise the learning opportunities presented in authentic texts, it is not enough just to be exposed to them especially if the student is not located within the L2 context.

The features that make a language foreign are tone, melody and rhythm. Foreign language teachers have to work on this to remove the 'foreignness' from the language in question. If you can read French the Google Bernard Dufeu's (2001). Psychodramaturgy for Language Acquisition

Short animation films are great. Go to nfb.ca for a large selection of quality short films.

In some classroom situations where access to technology is limited, authentic reading texts particularly literature may be a good option to introduce students to the foreignness of target language ideas and beliefs. It offers descriptions of people, places and activities that differ from students' contexts. A range of texts may be selected to suit FL students' levels from picture books to short story. Learners are generally familiar with some forms of narrative in their cultures so learning FL form reading story should be accessible to most of them.

A. The teacher should include in his course outline useful websites that the learners could visit to listen and repeat phonetic sounds as articulated by the native speakers. Some of these sites include:

1. http://www.grammaire.reverso.net

2. http://www.pomme.ualberta.ca/devoir

3. www.bonjourdefrance.com

4. www.forum.exiounnaire.com

5. www.lezcours.com

6. Google: french.about.com/od/lessons

B. Visits to French clubs in other schools is also important. In such occasions all activities should take place in French. The learners who participate would be exposed to the' linguistic batch'. The will appreciate the language in action. This will motivate them to learn the foreign language. Some institutions in some countries like Ghana still have language laboratories for the study of foreign languages. Where an institution does not have one, that institution could organize an educational visit to the other that has it. Students will appreciate the phonetic and phonological exercises that they will learn in the language laboratories.

I think what Sahail Asassfeh's experience is similar to what I experience in my home country, Indonesia, where English is as a foreign language. There are some factors to be considered here. One significant factor is the EFL teachers' competence, where most of them are non-native English speakers and their classroom instructions are the most important input for their students. Another important factor is whether the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is easily available and accessible in the area. Yes, it may not be a problem for countries mentioned above, but it may be a different situation in some developing countries especially in Asia where ICT infra-structure is not well established.

NNES EFL teachers' strategic competence, the ability to use communication strategies, may be utilized in order to minimize the foreignness of the English language taught (by using circumlocution strategy, for example). Teachers' strategic competence is a part of the overall teachers' communicative competence. You may find some references about strategic competence from Dornyei, Celce-Murcia, Faucette, Nakatani, etc. I will attach them if requested.

I agree with all the suggestions tabled by other researchers . But i believe from experience from my undergraduate days that a year or so in a country where the language is the mother tongue is the surest way students can perfect their oral competence in a foreign language. certain elements of a language can simply not be taught or 'captured' in class. Interaction with native speakers removes the academic aspect of the learning process making it easier and fun. Of course, this is in the acquisition of oral competence. Serious grammar is better taught in class

As my friends commented, there are many aspects to the language produced by FL learners that make it somehow unnatural. When it comes to receptive skills, teaching learners some compensatory strategies to make the most of their language knowledge/ability probably suffices. However, with productive skills, especially speaking, the problem gets muddier. To my knowledge, the most important reason behind FL learners' foreignness is their lack of exposure to authentic language. Nevertheless, sheer exposure to authentic language, written or oral, does not do the job. In my opinion, teachers must provide learners with comprehensible input (Krashen), the important structures and lexical items of which are enhanced (Sharwood Smith). In order for learners to learn how to become more native-like, teachers must make them sensitive to say prefabricated patterns frequently used by native speakers while writing or speaking. Besides, learners should be taught how to make use of many facilitation and compensatory strategies native speakers usually use when they communicate.

Dear Amy, I also believe it is a good thing to raise learners' awareness of the melody of the target language. However, simply listening to target language, as Krashen puts it, is no different from listening to "white noise".

I prefer to expose my students to the target language while they are following the written form in print. Listening without following the words in print is simply testing one's listening skills and It only shows where the problems are and... .

My experience as a EFL learner/teacher tells me that most of the classroom listening is no help to learners' knowledge of phonetic features of TL unless learners have the chance to follow the written form and consicously observe the oral features of the target language. Nevertheless, I do not deny the importance of the former activities in the improvement of learners' listening strategic competence.

Dear,

i think the role of native speaker teachers varied according to the status of english language whether it is EFL OR ESL. On the other hand, may also consider a disadvantage to hire NS to teach NN students the target language. Relatively, students level could be a crucial factor to get benefit from NS teachers in order to learn the target language.

And what  criteria would define a good teacher  and  good materials? 

Exposure to authentic material is essential to partly bridge the gap.

In India, there is a thirst for learning English language. While it is just to get more jobs and projects there is a majority of people who think it is English that truly unites India and giving the sub-altern a voice. However, 'Indianizing' English language is also there. There is a popular belief that If majority of the population use a word, it becomes 'grammar' and 'vocabulary' . For example, Indian Prime Minister's "Make in India" campaign slogan. It should have been "Made in India" campaign.

In my opinion, more threatening aspect of teaching/learning English is 'regionalising' it.

How to avoid it?

1. Syllabus should contain primary sources from English speaking countries.For example, Novels from US or UK can be suitable to teach rather than Indian Writing in English.

2. Traditional Pen-pal programs with schools and colleges will do good.

3. Exposing students to various accents by having an effective film club in which you can show famous sit-coms and movies that won oscars.

4. Skype-Chatting with schools weekly once or doing projects by pairing a students with a native speaker.

Hi colleague

My answer is yes they can compensate to a great extent but they have to undergo TESOL Best Practice training. It should be whole and holistic in nature so that they achieve automation in all the aspects. You may like to see my TESOL DIY Audit. I hope it helps!

There're many ways to do so..One of the effective tools is to use AUTHENTIC MATERIALS..This would add more realism and relevance. In many sections of this study, you'll find a useful account on this:

Abdelhafez, H. A. & Abdallah, M. M. S. (2015). Making It 'Authentic': Egyptian EFL Student Teachers' Awareness and Use of Online Authentic Language Materials and Their Learning Motivation. Journal of Research in Curriculum, Instruction and Educational Technology (JRCIET), An International Quarterly Refereed Educational Journal 1(1), (January 2015), 129-168. Association of Arab Educators, Egypt.

Article Making It 'Authentic': Egyptian EFL Student Teachers' Awaren...