Authenticity and autonomy in EFL classrooms in Macao and Indonesia

Abstract

Mark Feng Teng incorporates authentic materials into his academic writing classes in Macao to expose students to real-life language use and designs tasks to develop communicative skills. He structures lessons into three phases: teacher’s time, when he models academic skills that students will use later; learners’ time, when they work individually or in small groups planning essays; and together time, where he and students engage in dialogue, peer review, and joint problem-solving. He notices students gradually shifting from reactive to proactive autonomy. Ummi Kultsum & Atik Yuliyani are aware that systemic and cultural limitations constrain Teng’s initiatives, as is also the case elsewhere in Asia. Despite considerable demographic and cultural differences between Macao and Indonesia, they believe that his tripartite lesson structure – combining scaffolding, choice, and collaboration – could be applied in their context. James McLellan’s commentary considers the authenticity of materials and autonomy of learners from the perspective of academic literacies. He then compares and contrasts academic writing in Macao and Indonesia with his own context, Brunei Darussalam.