Sooner or later, most EFL/ESL teachers will teach a class using what is known as an “authentic text”, an original, unsimplified message intended for native English speakers. One of the more popular sources of authentic material is a daily newspaper like the Bangkok Post. The daily newspaper provides an abundance of timely information of general interest and since the writing is highly consistent, it is possible to talk with considerable precision about rhetorical patterns. The newspaper is especially suited for skimming and scanning exercises, understanding vocabulary from context, separating fact from opinion and critical reading. And best of all, in doing such activities, students are simultaneously building knowledge of the world that they can almost immediately put to use. Unlike most language textbooks, this information builds from day to day—what is learned in reading a story today can be applied to an updated version of the same story tomorrow. In our department we produce learning materials based on the Bangkok Post every day. These go to both general readers and teachers—and through teachers they reach thousands of students throughout the country of Thailand. In addition, we conduct an average of three seminars a month for teachers in Bangkok and in the provinces, so we are in regular contact with the educational community and have a good understanding of their needs. The ideas in this section come from our experience as materials developers and as teacher trainers. Most, if not all, of the material in the news section of Tips on reading the Bangkok Post can be used directly by your students. You can focus instead on applying the concepts to a daily newspaper — the Bangkok Post if you have it, or your own local English-language newspaper. The topics to the left will give you numerous suggestions for doing this.
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Teachers participating in Bangkok Post seminars are keen to learn communicative techniques making use of authentic materials from the newspaper.