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Teaching methods

COMPETENCY BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING

Communicative language teaching

METHOD APPROACH

NEUROLINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING

Whole language

Silent way

Total Physical response

Audiolingual

Aproach:

The Audio-Lingual method focuses on oral skills. It aims to improve students’ speaking achievement. Language items are presented to students in spoken form without reference to the mother tongue so that they can learn language skills effectively. The goal of the Audiolingual method is, via teaching vocabulary and grammatical patterns through dialogues, to enable students to respond quickly and accurately in spoken language.

The dialogues are learnt through repetition and such drills as repetition, backward build-up, chain, substitution, transformation, and question-and-answer are conducted based upon the patterns in the dialogue

The Audio-lingual Method benefits from an analytic, structure-based and linguistic syllabus to language teaching. The syllabus contains key items of phonology, morphology and syntax arranged according to their order of presentation, which may have been derived from a contrastive analysis L1 and L2.

The process of instruction follows an implicit strategy of learning rather than an explicit one. As mentioned earlier, this method acts according to a sequence of recognition, discrimination, imitation, repetition and memorization procedure.

Asher states that "most of the gram­matical structure of the target language and hundreds of vocabulary items can be learned from the skillful use of the imperative by the instructor" (1977: 4). He views the verb, and particularly the verb in the imperative, as the central linguistic motif around which language use and learning are organized.

This analysis reveals the use of a sentence-based syllabus, with grammatical and lexical criteria being primary in selecting teaching items. Unlike methods that operate from a grammar-based or structural view of the core elements of language, Total Physical Response requires initial attention to meaning rather than to the form of items. Grammar is thus taught inductively.

Materials and realia play an increasing role, however, in later learning stages. For absolute beginners, lessons may not require the use of materials, since the teacher's voice, actions, and gestures may be a sufficient basis for classroom activities. Later the teacher may use common class­room objects, such as books, pens, cups, furniture.

The name of the method often makes people curious; they wonder how people can learn a foreign language in a "silence". The name of the method seems to be a response to other traditional methods with which language teachers are very active in dominating classroom activities. In this method the role of language teachers is relatively less silent so that language learners are encouraged to be more active in producing as much language as possible.

At the beginning of the stage, the teacher will model the appropriate sound after pointing to a symbol on the chart. Later, the teacher will silently point to individual symbols and combinations of symbols, and monitor student utterances. The teacher may say a word and have a student to guess what sequence of symbols comprised the word. The pointer is used to indicate stress, phrasing, and intonation.

The Silent Way procedures begin by introducing the sounds of the target language before attaching them to meanings to prepare learners to learn the target language. This is important for language learners to be familiar with the sounds since the sounds of a foreign language sound strange and funny for beginners.

The whole language strategies are introduced in this manual to help you connect the process of learning to read and write with local needs, interests and resources. Whole language is not a specific method. It is a philosophy of education that describes how we view language, literacy, teaching and learning.

Whole language is based on the learners' knowledge of the language they already speak.

In the first lessons, the facilitator invites the learners to say something that can be written down.

The learners create the meaning and the structure of their first sentences orally. The facilitator then helps them understand how the written language is made by helping them see and read their own words in writing.

The skill for reading and writing does not begin with the letters of the alphabet. It begins with the desire to get information, send messages, record knowledge and develop ideas. The preparation for literacy begins when people begin to participate in activities that rely on written materials. They recognize the importance of saving a document. They ask someone to write a message for them.

NLP has come to be identified as a mode of psychotherapy in Its own right, originally it was offered as a method capable of identifying the effective aspects of existing models of communication (Gestalt, TA etc.) for pragmatic purposes. Initially (see Bandler and Grinder 1975a, Grinder and Bandler 1976) Bandler and Grinder were interested in figures such as Carl Rogers, Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir because of their reputation for excellence.

All communication potentially influences learning. Teachers’ language and behavior crucially influence learners on at least two levels: Their understanding of the topic in question and their beliefs about the world, including about learning.

Teachers’ awareness of their behavior and choice of words, and how sensitive they are to the influence of such words and behavior on learners, are vital to making the teaching and learning processes effective.

In language teaching, the ways students learn and better process information (visual, auditory, or kinesthetic) are affected by elements that find practical uses in learning in general:

1. Deletion.

As learners deal with a barrage of information, they omit some information to manage input better.

2. Distortion.

Language learners distort new information into easily understandable forms. Albeit prone to errors and misunderstandings, this process enables students to devise their own unique way to absorb the lessons.

3. Generalization.

Drawing broad conclusions from the information at hand is also one way to learn, as long as over-generalizations that result in the misapplication of certain rules are dealt with accordingly.

In CBLT, students learn to use the language in authentic situations likely to be encountered outside the classroom. For instance, a student might have to fill out an application form, provide a personal medical history, or give directions on how to complete a specific task.

Class materials must be oriented to doing rather than knowing. There should be few exercises that require students to fill in the blank, circle the right answer, or specifically test only grammar. Rather, each task should be developed around a real-world situation requiring the use of some or all of the components of the specified competency.

The activities in the CBLT classroom must be oriented toward the ability to successfully complete a real-world task. The most effective materials will be authentic sample texts related to a specific competency (e.g., completed job applications; recordings of a complaint about a service). The materials help provide students with the essential skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors required to meet the competency standards.

is not a method. It is a guided idea. The purpose is to help students produce authentic language and communicate with others. To produce authentic language does not mean developing speaking skills only. CLT integrates multiple skills, such as listening and writing.

To help students communicate, the teacher need to provide rich and authentic input. There can be many approaches to achieve Communicative Language Teaching. Task-based teaching is the most common teaching approach. Teachers set up a goal, give students real-life language tasks, and students respond in a meaning way. In this process, students are motivated to use the language to serve the purpose of communication.

In CLT, meaning exceeds forms, but it does not mean that grammar is not important. Teachers should teach grammar within contexts and through communicative tasks. In this way, grammar is not presented as a list of rigid rules, but natural patterns that students acquire in the learning contexts.

Dr. Abrams emphasizes "real-life language use" in her definition of communicative language teaching. In her discussion, she takes the "speech event" as the point of departure for language teaching, rather than a discrete grammar point or a set of vocabulary items

Krashen regards 'communication' as the main function of language. The focus is on teaching communicative abilities. The superiority of 'meaning' is emphasized. Krashen and Terrell believe that a language is essentially its lexicon. They stress the importance of vocabulary and view language as a vehicle for 'communicating meanings' and 'messages'.

'acquisition' can take place only when people comprehend messages in the TL. Briefly, the view of language that the Natural Approach presents consists of 'lexical items', 'structures' and 'messages'. The lexicon for both perception and production is considered critical in the organization and interpretation of messages. In Krashen's view, acquisition is the natural assimilation of language rules by using language for communication. This means that linguistic competence is achieved via 'input' containing structures at the 'interlanguage + 1' level (i +1); that is, via 'comprehensible input'.

"Language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does not require tedious drill."

"Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language – natural communication - in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding."

The best methods are therefore those that supply 'comprehensible input' in low anxiety situations, containing messages that students really want to hear. These methods do not force early production in the second language, but allow students to produce when they are 'ready', recognizing that improvement comes from supplying communicative and comprehensible input, and not from forcing and correcting production

Cooperative language learning

(CLL) is part of a more general instructional approach also known as Collaborative Learning (CL). Cooperative Learning is an approach to teaching that makes maximum use of cooperative activities involving pairs and small groups of learners in the classroom. It has been defined as follows:

Cooperative learning is group learning activity organized so that learning is dependent on the socially structured exchange of information between learners in groups and in which each learner is held accountable for his or her own learning and is motivated to increase the learning of others.

People operating in a cooperative learning activity attain higher achievement level than those who function under competitive and individualistic learning structures. Other findings in cooperative learning research show cooperation has positive effects on relations among students, self-esteem, long-term retention, or depth of understanding of course material, etc. It has been tested as one of most effective and constructive teaching strategies.

Creating Effective Climate If the language class is meant to be a place where individuals can practice in communication in the foreign language, it is vital to establish a social and affective climate in which students are not restricted, aggressive, or feared

Increasing a Variety of Language Functions Cooperative language learning allows learners more chances to produce language in a functional manner. In traditional classroom, discourse is usually initiated by the teacher in an artificial setting, but cooperative learning can be used to create a mimic real-life social settings in which language is normally used. For a specific purpose in accomplishing the group task, cooperative groups can be helpful to students in developing their social abilities.

CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION

The focus of a CBI lesson is on the topic or subject matter. During the lesson students are focused on learning about something. This could be anything that interests them from a serious science subject to their favourite pop star or even a topical news story or film. They learn about this subject using the language they are trying to learn, rather than their native language, as a tool for developing knowledge and so they develop their linguistic ability in the target language.

Preparation

Choose a subject of interest to students.

Find three or four suitable sources that deal with different aspects of the subject. These could be websites, reference books, audio or video of lectures or even real people.

During the lesson

Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a small research task and a source of information to use to help them fulfil the task.

Then once they have done their research they form new groups with students that used other information sources and share and compare their information.

There should then be some product as the end result of this sharing of information which could take the form of a group report or presentation of some kind.

It can make learning a language more interesting and motivating. Students can use the language to fulfil a real purpose, which can make students both more independent and confident.

Students can also develop a much wider knowledge of the world through CBI which can feed back into improving and supporting their general educational needs.

Task- Based Language Teaching (TBLT) refers to an approach based on the use of tasks as the core unit of planning and instruction in language teaching” – Richards and Rogers (2001; 223)

Task-based language learning, sometimes referred to Task-Based Instruction, ‘makes the performance of meaningful tasks central to the learning process’ (Harmer, 2007; 71). It is said by some to have derived from Communicative Language Teaching since it upholds several of the principles that this 1980s movement proposed.

Activities that involve real communication are essential for language learning.

Activities in which language is used for carrying out meaningful tasks promote learning.

Language that is meaningful to the learner supports the learning process.

In task-based teaching, the tasks are central to the learning activity. TBLT is based on the belief that students may learn more effectively when their minds are focused on the task, rather than on the language they are using. The activity must reflect real life and learners focus on meaning; they are free to use any language they want. Playing a game, solving a problem or sharing information or experiences, can all be considered as relevant and authentic tasks.

CLIL

The basis of CLIL is that content subjects are taught and learnt in a language which is not the mother tongue of the learners.

Knowledge of the language becomes the means of learning content

Language is integrated into the broad curriculum

Learning is improved through increased motivation and the study of natural language seen in context. When learners are interested in a topic they are motivated to acquire language to communicate

CLIL is based on language acquisition rather than enforced learning

Language is seen in real-life situations in which students can acquire the language. This is natural language development which builds on other forms of learning

CLIL is long-term learning. Students become academically proficient in English after 5-7 years in a good bilingual programme

Fluency is more important than accuracy and errors are a natural part of language learning. Learners develop fluency in English by using English to communicate for a variety of purposes

Reading is the essential skill.