ELT Methods

Brief History of ELT Methods

• Down through the years, there has been a wide range of approaches used to teach EFL/ESOL. We will summarize some of these ‘traditional' approaches.

The Grammar-Translation Approach

• Developed in the 19th century to teach Latin and Greek.
• The main aim of studying a foreign language is to be able to read its literature.
• The emphasis in class is on reading/writing, not on listening/speaking.
• The foreign language is explained and discussed in the students’ native language.
• Most lesson time is spent translating written sentences/texts, which have little resemblance to spoken communication, from/into the foreign language.
• Despite having little to no theoretical basis underpinning it, this method is still used in some institutions today.

The Direct Approach

• Emerged in the late 19th century.
• It is based on the principle that a learner can learn a second language much like she learns a first language.
• Language is acquired ‘directly', and exclusively, in the target language, e.g., English, via active demonstration by the teacher.
• The students' native language and all translations are excluded from the classroom.

Audiolingual Approach

• Language learning is all to do with habit formation.
• Language classes should, therefore, concentrate on the formation of speech habits by using a series of mechanical and repetitive oral drills.
• The learning consists mainly of the accurate imitation and memorization by students of sentences or dialogues modeled by the teacher.
• Language is a matter of speech, and so classroom work concentrates almost exclusively on speaking.

Newer methods

• From the 1970s onwards, other approaches arose, to counter the mimic-heavy, pattern-based teaching approaches of the previous decades. These include:
• Total Physical Response,
• The Silent Way,
• Suggestopedia,
• The Natural Approach.
• ​​​​​​​All these approaches have had different degrees of success. It would be silly not to recognize that all of these approaches have included some teaching elements that have been useful at some time or another for teaching. When reflecting on teaching approaches, one thing that should spark our interest is when a sea change or paradigm shift (a shift from one way of thinking to another) takes place. One such sea change in the approach to teaching took place in the 1970s & 1980s, and is gathering strength at this moment. This period saw the introduction of what is commonly known as Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) or the Communicative Approach.

Approaches / Methods / Techniques

• Approach:
• A way of looking at teaching and learning. Underlying any language teaching approach is a theoretical view of what language is, and of how it can be learned. It contains a set of theoretical principles about teaching with practical applications.
• Methods:
• The way of teaching language items, e.g., via classroom activities or techniques. A method is how a language is taught. A method is made up of a set of techniques.
• Techniques:
• Usually reflect a particular view of language teaching, used in methods.

The Communicative Approach

• The most popular and most current approach to language teaching.
• Task-based teaching is a methodology associated with teaching the Communicative Approach.
• Other methods are also associated with teaching the Communicative Approach. However, to confuse matters, some methods have also been labeled ‘approaches’.

Most Recent Methods/Techniques

• Presentation, Practice and Production (PPP)
• Audiolingual Method
• Lexical method (often termed ‘lexical approach’)
• Task-based method
• Principled Eclecticism Method
• Communicative Method (often termed the ‘Communicative Approach’)

Presentation, Practice & Production (PPP)

• In this method, the teacher presents the new language item for learning, using a situation (presentation stage).
• Then the teacher gets the learners to practice the new language via exercises or other controlled practice activities (practice stage).
• And then he asks learners to use or produce the same language in a communicative and less controlled way (production stage).

AudioLingual Method

• In this method, language learning is all about habit formation, mainly by repetitive drilling.
• Error correction is considered essential to prevent bad habits.
• The Audiolingual Method is largely discredited in academic circles, though in some places it is still practiced.

Lexical Method

• The word lexis is used to signify both the teaching of vocabulary and areas of grammar together.
• Vocabulary is typically seen as individual words, whereas lexis is a somewhat broader concept and consists of words, phrases, collocations, chunks, and formulaic grammatical expressions.
• These words, chunks, and patterns are now often called lexical items. Instruction focuses on fixed expressions that frequently occur in dialogues.

Task-Based Method

• Learning is designed around a series of authentic tasks that give learners practice speaking the language in the 'real world' outside the classroom.
• In this method, there is no pre-determined language syllabus, and the aim is for learners to learn from the tasks the language they need to participate successfully in them.
• A task could be working out the itinerary of a journey from a timetable or requesting information from a travel agent.

Principled Eclecticism Method

• This method involves the use of a variety of language learning activities, a mix of all the different activities above, and other teaching methods.
• Proponents (supporters) of this method say that there are weaknesses as well as strengths in other methods.
• Thus, it's best to use a mix of methods to ensure the learning does not become mechanical and, therefore, the learners will benefit from several methods.

Communicative Method / Approach

• In this method, the focus is on authentic, meaningful communication, not structure.
• Students accomplish tasks using language. They do not study the language, as in the past.
• The syllabus focuses on functions (e.g., asking permission, asking directions, etc.), not grammatical/structural development (tenses, conditionals, etc.).
• Fluency and communication are more important than accuracy.
• The class becomes more student-centered (or learner-centered). Students accomplish their tasks with other students, while the teacher plays more of a facilitator/observer role.

(CLT) Communicative Language Teaching

• Definition from Richards and Schmidt (2002) "CLT is an approach that emphasizes that the goal of language learning is communicative competence., which aims to make meaningful communication and language use the focus of all classroom activities."
• CLT is a broad term for learner-centered, authentic, and meaningful language acquisition principles that inform the most widely practiced language teaching approach used in second language learning classrooms today.
• In the 1970s and 1980s, there was a paradigm shift in the approach to teaching EFL/ESOL. The shift witnessed a move away from/ reaction against what are often termed ‘traditional' approaches. ‘Traditional' isn't an easy word to describe, but for our purposes, we will use it to describe the teaching approaches commonly used before the Communicative Approach appeared in the 1970s and 1980s.

Main principles of Communicative App

• Communication
• Meaning & Use
• Context
• Fluency
• Creativity
• Functions
• Form
• Teacher Role
• Individual Learning Styles
• Real English
• Occasional Structured Drills

CLT Lessons

• In summary, to obtain communicative competence, lessons need integration of the following:
• Situation/context: The situations one encounters in life, e.g., meeting a new friend; going to the doctor. A meaningful context is set.
• Functions: Functions are speech acts that students are likely to face, e.g., seeking advice, requesting information, expressing gratitude, complimenting someone, expressing requests, asking permission, complaining, etc.
• Form: Socio-linguistic-language used in a social setting, social niceties, social situations, formal v informal expressions, etc. You will integrate socio-linguistic competence (such as (un)acceptable ways to complain) as well as strategies to overcome communication breakdown when it happens.
• Meaning and use: These will be linked to the form
• Grammar: Always taught in context. It is linked to materials related to conversation, reading, listening, and writing. It is never taught in isolation unless it is necessary.
• Notions: Days of the week, dates, months, should be introduced in context.

CLT Lessons Cont...

• In lesson planning, you will determine how to adapt competencies to student needs. To do this, you could:
• Choose a situation such as a visit to a doctor.
• Present the language functions such as giving formal greetings, requesting advice, giving advice, demonstrating gratitude.
• Present the form related to the situation and its meaning and usage.
• Choose the necessary grammar and vocabulary to complete the exercise.
• Construct and choose communicative activities for the students to practice and produce.

Second Language Acquistion (SLA)

• *REMEMBER*
• SLA is the term used for learners learning a second language after their first language is already established.
• There's no doubt that L1 learners learn differently from L2 learners.
• It's vital that you reflect on the key differences.
• You can probably work out for yourself the key points relating to L1 learning as you have been an L1 learner.

L1 VS L2 Learning

• L1 learner:
• Generally immersed in language at all times from birth
• Wants & needs are motivated to communicate by signs or baby words, with meaning, e.g., I want some food!
• Adults often praise and encourage the child's use of language, spurring her on to more significant linguistic achievements
• Get a lot of attention to aid the learning
• Learn by playing and experimenting with the new language, and lots of time to do so
• Not often corrected
• L2 Learner:
• Not intensively exposed to the L2
• Most often exposed by being taught the in the classroom; limited exposure outside
• May not be motivated
• Often learns by using language in a controlled setting with practice activities
• Teachers vary in the amount they praise or encourage L2 learners.
• Limited attention from teachers.
• Many teachers regularly correct learners for accuracy; this can be demotivating for some learners.

Key Influences on L2 Learning

• Degree of intellect
• Age
• Learning style
• Motivation
• Language proficiency in the native language (L1)
• Awareness of Foreign Language (L2)
• Autonomy
• The Prior Learning
• A Pattern of classroom activity
• Your behaviour
• Gender
• Female Participation
• Culture - Appropriate topics of learning
• Classroom Participation
• Communication Styles​​​​​​​