The Audiolingual Method

The Audiolingual Method

1. It is also called the Army Method

   • It was established the ASTP in 1942
     • Army Specialized Trainning Program

2. The government commisioned American universities to develop foreing language programs for military personnel

   • The objective of these programs was to attain conversational proficiency

3. The methodology was derived from the intensity of contact with the target language

   • Students studied ten hours a day, six day a week
     • The classes were with few students but they were highly motivated

4. The term was coined by professor Nelson Brooks

5. primarily what is spoken and only secondarily what is wrriten (Brooks 1964)

   • Speech has a priority in language teaching

6. The audiolingualists demanded a complete reorientation of the foreign language curriculum.

   • The reformers advocated for a speech-based instruction with the primary objective of oral proficiency
   • Short term-objectives: listening comprehension, accurate pronunciation, recognition of speech symbols
     • This mean that the focus in the early stages is on oral skills
     • The teaching of listening comprehension, pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary are all realated to development of oral fluency
   • Long-term objective: speaking as the native users use the language
   • Language skills are taught in order of: listening, speaking, reading, writing
     • Dialogues and drills are the basis of audiolingual classroom practices
       • Dialogues are used for repetition and memorization
         • correct pronunciation, stress, intonation, rhytm are emphasized
         • The use of drills and pattern practice is a distinctive feature of the Audiolingual Method

7. Is a method for English Language teaching wich emphasize the teaching of listening and speaking before writing and reading

   • Language in primarily speech in audiolingual theory

8. Learner roles

   • learners are viewed as organisms that can vbe directed by skilled training techniques to produce correct responses
     • Learners play a reactive role by responding to stimuli
     • They are not encouraged to iniate interaction

9. Teacher roles

   • The teacher role is central and active
     • The teacher models the target language
       • he or she controls the pace of learning
         • Monitor and corrects the learner's performance
   • Teacher must keep the learners attentive
     • vary the tasks and drills

10. Criticisms

    • Teorethical foundations of Audiolingualism were attacked as being unsound both in terms of language theory and learning theory
      • students were unable to transfer skills acquired through Audiolingualism to real communication outside the classroom
        • Several people found Audiolingualism classes bored and unsatisfying
    • Practitioners found that the practical results fell short of expectations

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