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The advantages of using authentic materials in the EFL classroom

In my first two years of EFL teaching, I wasn’t aware of the advantages of using authentic materials in the classroom.
Like many post-CELTA teachers, I was emotionally attached to the dreaded grammatical syllabus and turning pages in coursebooks.
I mostly taught lower level learners early on in my career. However, there was such a range of authentic materials I could have brought to the table. For instance, I could have exploited songs, posters, flyers, menus and video and audio advertising.
Planning the odd class around such authentic materials would have broken up the monotony of using coursebooks and boosted my students’ motivation levels.
First of all in this post, I define what authentic materials are, and also consider a definition of authentic discourse. After that, I assess the problems with coursebooks and contrived discourse in EFL classrooms. I then go on to analyse the issues with using textbooks and relying on contrived discourse and materials. Then, I briefly explain why a teacher’s self-written texts create intrigue among learners. After that, I offer three tasks connected with various discourse types which are ideal for use in the classroom. Finally, I highlight the advantages of using authentic materials in the EFL classroom.
Authentic materials are audio, print and video materials that have not been designed for deliberate use in the English language classroom.
Authentic materials may fall into two main categories - print and auditory.
Let’s check out some examples of authentic materials from each category:

In his 2011 paper, “I prefer Not Text”: Developing Japanese Learners’ Communicative Competence with Authentic Materials, Alex Gilmore picks out a definition of authentic discourse that Keith Morrow made back in 1977:

Hence, stretches of “real language”, for instance, from political speeches and audio advertising, are wholly detached from the contrived discourse often found in coursebooks. 
The purpose of an authentic text is to communicate information. In contrast, “imaginary” texts and dialogues found in textbooks tend to illustrate and expose specific language points.
The problems with coursebooks and contrived discourse in EFL classrooms
During the first few years of my teaching career, I was oblivious to the wide-ranging advantages of using authentic materials with students.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t tear myself away from the coursebooks and contrived discourse.
That's right. I was afraid to step out of my comfort zone.
I now know that writers come up with this contrived discourse to illustrate specific points in linearly designed structural syllabuses. Hence, authors’ intuitions produce misleading models of the target language.
Take a look at these two contrived auditory samples from the fourth edition of New Headway Upper Intermediate (2014). I’ll make some comments underneath them.
I don’t even have to listen to the recordings to know that the intonation used by A and B is shamefully artificial. There’s too much politeness and formality
An abundance of exclamation marks smacks of artificiality and contrivance
A and B have known each other for a few seconds yet they speak to each other as if they’re lifelong friends. Look at the use of the personal pronoun you and the part joke, part direct command, “You can complain if you want.” 
The follow up exercise (see below) suggests that the exercise has an agenda - for students to practise word stress. The authors don’t intend to convey a real message
Simplification in coursebooks
Browse a range of ELT coursebooks and you will notice the traditional strategy they use - simplification. 
Writers simplify input by making syntactic and morphological adjustments in speaking and writing. 
These changes include fewer clauses, adherence to canonical word order (SVO - subject-verb-object) and shortened sentences/utterances. 
Regarding phonology, native speakers tend to address non-native speakers unnaturally in coursebook dialogues. For instance, they tend to use more careful articulation, slower speech rate, less contractions and artificial stress and pauses to emphasise key words.
Mishan makes the point that, by ‘simplifying’ and shortening texts, coursebook writers may banish elements vital to comprehension. 
Tasks connected with various discourse types which EFL teachers may incorporate into their teaching plans
There’s no better way to illustrate the advantages of using authentic materials than by presenting a selection of tasks which exploit authentic discourse types.
The three tasks below appear in Mishan’s 2005 book: Designing Authenticity into Language Learning Materials. 
Task 1