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Lesson 3: Methods, Approaches and Techniques
in Foreign Language Teaching.
I. INTRODUCTION. II. HISTORY OF THE DIDACTIC EVOLUTION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING: FROM THE GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD TO THE NEW TENDENCIES:
A. THE GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD. B. THE NATURAL METHOD. C. THE DIRECT METHOD. D. THE ORAL APPROACH OR SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING. E. THE AUDIOLINGUAL METHOD. F. COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING. G. NEW TENDENCIES. OTHER RECENT APPROACHES.
III. CONCLUSION IV. BIBLIOGRAPHY.
I. INTRODUCTION.
English, as the rest of languages existing in the world, has not always been learned and taught in the same way. The techniques teachers have used throughout the history to teach foreign languages have left us with an ample history of theories and methods of teaching foreign languages.
From time to time, ambitious claims have often been made for a new teaching method to become the best option ever, but none of them has yet been shown to be intrinsically superior to the others. Nowadays, the most common attitude among professionals of foreign language teaching is a flexible and eclectic one: it is widely recognised that there are different ways of reaching the goal of foreign language competence. Therefore, teachers need to be aware of a wide range of methods in order to find the most appropriate one for the learners’ needs and circumstances, and for the objectives of the course. It is frequently necessary to introduce an eclectic approach in which aspects of different methods are selected to meet the demands of particular teaching situations.
Certain methods are widely recognised because of their influential role in the history of ideas surrounding this subject. The methods we are going to study along this unit are:
1.- Grammar-translation Method 2.- Natural Method 3.- Direct Method 4.- The Oral Approach 5.- Audiolingual Method 6.- Communicative approach
- VOCABULARY selection is based on the reading texts used, and words are taught through bilingual WORD LISTS, which must be memorised.
- The SENTENCE is the basic unit of teaching and language practise.
- ACCURACY is emphasised. Students are expected to attain high standards in translation.
- Grammar is taught DEDUCTIVELY, that is, by presentation and study of grammar rules, which are then practised through translation exercises
The Grammar-translation Method dominated European countries from the 1840’s to the 1940’s and, in some sort of a modified form, it continues to be widely used in some parts of the world today. However, in the mid and late 19th^ century opposition to the Grammar-translation Method gradually developed in several European countries. For example, in Germany, England, France and other parts of Europe, new approaches to language teaching were developed by individual language teaching specialists, each one with a specific method for reforming the teaching of modern languages.
Educators recognised the need for speaking proficiency rather than reading comprehension, grammar or literary appreciation as the goal for foreign language.
François Gouin is perhaps the best known of these mid-nineteenth century reformers. He developed an approach to teaching foreign language based on his observations of children’s use of language. He emphasised the need to present new teaching items in a context and the use of gestures and actions to convey the meaning.
Therefore, by the end of the 19 th^ century, teachers and linguists began to write about the need for new approaches to language teaching and through their pamphlets, books, speeches and articles, the foundation for pedagogical reforms was laid.
The ideas put forward by the members of the Reform Movement led to what have been called the Natural Method and the Direct Method.
B. The Natural Method: This method developed as a reaction to the Grammar-translation Method, mainly in France. Its name comes from what was considered to be the natural way to learn a first language: exposure to the language used in everyday communicative interactions. As its model was first language acquisition, grammar was not taught and translation was irrelevant.
Rather than using analytical procedures that focus on explanation of grammar in classroom teaching, teachers must encourage direct and spontaneous use of the foreign language in the classroom. Learners would then be able to induce rules of grammar.
The teacher replaced the textbook in the early stages of learning and speaking started with systematic attention to pronunciation.
These natural language learning principles provided the foundation for what came to be known as the Direct Method, which refers to the most widely known of the natural methods.
C. The Direct Method: It was introduced in France and Germany and its main aim was to emphasise the learning of speech, acquiring meaning in environmental context and learning grammar through induction. The main characteristics of this Method were:
- Classroom instruction was conducted exclusively in the target language.
- Grammar is taught INDUCTIVELY.
- New teaching points were introduced orally.
- Vocabulary was taught through demonstrations objects and pictures.
- New language points are introduced and practised situationally.
- Items of grammar are graded following the principle that single forms should be taught before complex ones.
- Reading and writing are introduced once a sufficient lexical and grammatical basis is established.
E. The Audiolingual Method: The combination of the Structuralist Linguistic theory, Aural-oral procedures and Behaviourist psychology led to development of the Audiolingual Method. This Method has its roots in World War II, when the United States was involved in a conflict that encouraged Americas to become orally proficient in other languages. The U.S. Army promoted language courses with special emphasis on oral skills. The learning principles of Audiolingualism are the following:
- Foreign language learning is basically a process of MECHANICAL HABIT FORMATION: structural patterns in dialogues about everyday situations are imitated and drilled, until the learner’s responses become automatic.
- Language skills are learned more effectively if the items to be learned in the target language are presented in SPOKEN FORM, before they are seen in written form. The language skills are taught in the order of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
- Language is acquired by analogy not by analysis. Drills can enable learners to form correct analogies. Students DEDUCE the rules from the examples. Rules are not explained to students until they have practised the sentences in a variety of contexts.
The use of drills and pattern practice is a distinctive feature of the Audiolingual Method. Various kinds of drills are used: repetition, substitution, transformation, etc. Moreover, memorising was one of its main techniques along with the use of structural drills.
It was widely used during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Nowadays it is less popular because of its reliance on drills, which is found boring by students who wish for a wide range of linguistic experience.
As a result of Chomsky’s theory of language learning, which meant a rejection of the structuralist description of languages as well as a rejection of the behaviourist theory of language learning, the whole Audiolingual paradigm was called into question: pattern practise, drilling, memorization, etc. This created a crisis in American language teaching circles.
F. Communicative Language Teaching: The origins of this method are found in the 1960’s in the British tradition as a reaction against Audiolingualism and Structuralism.
The major distinctive features of the Communicative Approach are:
- Language learning is learning to communicate. Communicative competence is the desired goal. In this method, the essential aspect is the transmission of information, and not so much the mastery of structures. Therefore, it is not necessary the pronunciation to be perfect, that’s to say, the content of the message is more relevant than the way in which it has been expressed.
- In this method, students are considered the central point of the teaching- learning process and the teacher will assume several roles: the organiser, facilitator, participant, analyst, counsellor, etc.
- Communication implies the integration of the four skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
- Learning is a process through which students construct language: trial and error are common in this process.
- Activities used in class should promote communication and authentic material is selected according to the way it engages the student in meaningful and authentic language use.
- Communication does not equal authentic language and materials. Artificial language and materials may contribute to develop the communicative competence.
G. New Tendencies. Other recent approaches:
- Total Physical Response. TPR is a language teaching method built around the coordination of speech and action, it attempts to teach language through physical activity. It was developed by James Asher in the 1960’s and it consists of obeying commands given by the teacher that involve physical response. Commands become more complex as the class progresses. The instructor is considered as “the director of a stage play in which the students are the actors”. 1
The use of TPR insures the active participation of students, helps the teacher to know when utterances are understood and also provide contexts to help students understand the language they hear.
This method advocates that second language learning process is the same as the first language learning process: comprehension precedes production.
- The Silent Way. It was developed by Caleb Gattegno in 1972 and takes its name from the fact that the teacher should be silent as much as possible in the classroom, but the learner should be encouraged to produce as much language as possible.
It is based on the extensive use of colour pronunciation charts, the teacher doesn’t say anything but points to individual letters, which, in combination, indicate to the student how a word might be pronounced. A relation between colour-
(^1) James Asher, Learning another Language through Actions: the Complete Teacher’s Guide Book. California: Sky Oaks Productions, 1977, pág. 43)
phoneme is established and then the vocabulary is set up. Thus, charts containing vocabulary and colour-coded guides to pronunciation are made available to enable the teacher to guide the student’s learning while saying as little as possible.
The program of a “silent way” course consists of basically structural lessons that are planned on the basis of certain items and related vocabulary. The items are introduced according to their grammatical complexity.
- Suggestopedia. Suggestopedia is a method developed by the Bulgarian psychiatrist educator Georgi Lozanov in the 1970’s. According to Lozanov’s opinion, the brain has great unused potential that can be properly exploited through the power of suggestion. Relaxation and independence from the teacher’s control are fundamental in this method.
The most common procedure in Suggestopedia is the presentation of new material through the form of written dialogues based on situations familiar to students. The dialogue is read by the teacher and students with eyes closed repeat the text, while classical music is playing at the same time. Language is presented first in its written form, and then in its spoken form.
