The Importance of Using Realia in the Classroom
What is realia you may ask? Realia are real-life objects that enable children to make connections to their own lives, as they try to make sense of new concepts and ideas. In other words, realia are everyday objects, such as toothbrushes and magazines, money and plants, items used in the classroom to enhance students’ understanding of the target language and what their learning means in practice.
So, why is it so important to use realia in the classroom?
Many adults (including myself) have had bad experiences of learning at school, and often remember certain lessons (mine were English and science) as being dull and repetitive. I remember being lectured on different boring subjects by uninterested teachers. We sat and took notes. At times I’m not even sure why the teacher was there, the lesson could have been completed with a sheet of paper and a dictionary. After the lessons, we were sent home to memorise a long list of odd vocabulary, which again felt like the teacher was outsourcing their work to me and my parents.
Therefore, when becoming a teacher myself, I started to understand that the outcome of the lesson (to a large extent) depends on the teacher and their approach. That is why I began to discover more and more ways of engaging students in the learning process actively. Not only for the students to enjoy the class more, but also for the selfish reason of making the day in the classroom forever engaging and exciting. What myself and my students find particularly interesting is using realia in the classroom.
Realia breathe life into new vocabulary and the chances of students remembering the new words or concepts you have taught them increase. Take the word pancake: the probability of remembering it becomes much higher after experiencing the taste, touch and smell of the object! What comes next? Writing up that experience. It’s not a chore, it’s invigorating - there’s an understanding that they can use these instructions in order to create them again. And Realia doesn't have to be limited to food or drink. Books, tickets, newspapers, clothes... in fact any object you can think of can be used as a teaching aid. Moreover, realia saves time, as recognition of an object is immediate and cuts out the need for lengthy explanations or drawing funny pictures on the board.
If you are going to teach, realia is a must. It doesn’t matter someone’s age, the experience of interacting and allowing your five senses to understand what is being talked about is hugely beneficial. Almost every person is, in someways, a kinaesthetic learner, which means they will benefit from the palpable materials you will provide for them. This can be as simple as engaging them by using their names in maths questions. Young children, in particular, are at the perfect age to learn and as a teacher you can make this process both memorable and fun. Be creative and bring in stuffed toys, Lego, or flashcards - surround young learners with tangible examples and facilitate them to create familiar contexts that they can recall later and remember the new vocabulary more quickly.
Will the same go with adults? Won't it look silly bringing tea bags and towels into the classroom full of adults? Absolutely not. Adults are just as receptive to realia and find this approach unusual and refreshing. Bringing realia into lessons can serve as a great icebreaker which can be used as a useful tool to prompt a conversation.
From my personal experience, using realia in class is one of my favourite parts of the teaching process. Without it, making a lesson really interactive can be difficult to do. So take your chances and stage a fashion show, bring in biscuits and plastic cups to practise ordering drinks, or use maps, timetables and tickets for learning about directions. You might even go all the way and create your own La Tomatina in the bistro area when learning about Celebrations Across the Globe. Your endeavours will yield fruitful results.
Miss Diana, Co-Teacher Year 2/3
