THE REALIA METHOD

  

   

   In schools and learning institutions of today, the teacher has to face many new challenges in disseminating knowledge and information to their students. The challenges in question is not the lack of materials or resources but rather the opposite, with the unlimited proliferation of it. The teaching community needs to realise that the exclusivity of their position has been diluted with the advent of The Internet of Things. The role of a teacher or tutor has morphed from being very specialized into something which is more fluid and interchangeable in definition. They have to play and display many facets to engage their target audience, the students as otherwise the students will just lose interest and move on. Now, teachers do not have the comfort of knowing that they are the only mainstream source of knowledge propagation.

   With this reality engrained, we will look into a neo learning method called “Realia”. This concept could have been in practice unknowingly for ages in many cultures but attempts to classify and document its application has become proactive in recent years. The word realia is derived from Latin, meaning ‘real things’. This concept is basically the usage of objects or materials in teaching related to everyday life, cultures, languages, etc. Though having started by leaning to more arts and sociology related platforms, there are no proven restrictions to discount its usefulness in science and IT subjects as well. We would have noted on the trend of moving away from a textbook emphasizing culture into more hands on or engaging methods and realia has been at the forefront.

   To further dissect realia related activities in teaching, it is pertinent to look at certain examples of this method. In teaching vocabulary or grammar for English or any language for that matter, a few simple exercises can be carried out. For example, a pair can be chosen to play a small game of throwing a ball to one another. The catch here (pun intended) is to get the two students to engage in conversation whereby each of them will need to make a sentence or utter a dialogue before throwing the ball to the other person. One can imagine how this activity will be interesting whereby conversation practice is done in an enjoyable manner at the same time. It might seem fun while doing it but after completion, the student will take away valuable tips on verbal communication. Or in the field of science, many of us will definitely agree that we were eager and also absorbed more from our annual science exhibitions than those gleaned from in the classrooms. This is due to the audio-visual experiment and hands on approach of the tests which stimulates the cognitive system most efficiently compared to the alternatives.

   Expanding on the obvious advantage of realia is the physical appeal of sight, sound, smell and touch which automatically excites and stimulates the learner and makes it ultimately memorable. Those moments that stay with us are the memorable ones. Memorable in this context can also be linked to memory as we would want the lesson to be recalled fully even after considerable time has lapsed. So, both enjoyment and retention span are guaranteed with this realia method. This in turn will always ensure interest in that particular subject does not diminish and promotes the student’s creativity. The student will be taught that learning is not something confined to just books or classes but can be gained from the surrounding, people and objects. With this mindset cultivated, they will venture out and live life by also learning from it on their own.

   With all the goodness of realia championed, it does make us wonder if there are any weaknesses to this realia method. The answer to that is there is no perfect system when it comes to teaching. All systems need to be modified accordingly to cater to its target group and the negatives need to be minimized so that it does not have a significant impact on the final result. One major drawback of realia is that it depends on the teacher who employs it without any commonly accepted measuring yardstick or reference. It is unlike a textbook whereby the module and guides are spelt out and chances of deviating from subject matter is rare and promptly detected even if it does. When variables of this nature exist, eventually the learner will also contribute to further confusion on the method’s success. Students comprise various mentalities, understanding, skill sets and capacities. Some might grasp the realia objectives faster whereas some might need more coaxing and support to do the same. There is also a minor concern that students might get too engrossed in the materials used rather than the lesson itself and the preparatory work and expenses involved to prepare materials for a class of students.

   All in all, the teaching culture is growing at a tremendous pace now with new methods and materials being discovered or innovated on to produce desired results most efficiently. The realia concept is one of the more popular examples which has seen a rebirth due to the refreshing take which it brings to both the teacher and student alike. It should be welcomed and incorporated accordingly in daily life and studies as the positives definitely outweigh the minor deficiencies its implementation might have.

Written by: Paramjothy Paramaselvam for Tuitionprovider.com