Lesson 3 - Understanding the history of Language Teaching Methods and Approaches

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Special Didactics II Understanding the history of Language teaching Methods Ms. Rioja

Agenda Method: Approach, Design and Procedure Schools of Psychology and Schools of Linguistics Understanding the history of language teaching methods and approaches

Method: Approach, Design and Procedure

Method

Approach

Design

Procedure

Method: Approach, Design and Procedure • Relationship between approach, design and procedure • Approach: assumptions related to the nature of language teaching- language theories / language learning theories

• Design: instructional system- Objectives/ contents (syllabus)/ Types of learning tasks/learner and teacher’s roles/ instructional materials • Procedure: Classroom techniques/presentation / practice and production of new language/ giving feedback/ error treatment

Method: Approach, Design and Procedure

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Approach: Language and Language Learning Theories Views of language Structural view

Functional view

Interactional view

Views of language • Structural view: • Language is viewed as a system of structurally related elements for the coding of meaning. • The target of language learning is seen to be the mastery of elements of this system: phonological units, grammatical units grammatical operations (e.g., adding, shifting, joining, or transforming elements), and lexical items • Methods: Audiolingual/ TPR / The Silent Way • Syllabus: Structural syllabus

Views of language • Functional view: • Language is a vehicle for the expression of functional meaning. • This theory emphasizes the semantic and communicative dimension • Methods: Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) / ESP • Syllabus: Notional Functional syllabus ( topics / notions/ functions)

Views of language • Interactional view: • It sees language as a vehicle for the realization of interpersonal relations and for the performance of social transactions between individuals. • Language is seen as a tool for the creation and maintenance of social relations. • Language teaching content, according to this view, may be specified and organized by patterns of exchange and interaction or may be left unspecified, to be shaped by the inclinations of learners as interactors. • Method: Community Language Learning (CLL) “Language as a social process”

Views of Language Learning

Views of language learning

Process oriented theories

Conditionoriented theories

Views of Language Learning • (a) What are the psycholinguistic and , cognitive processes involved in language learning? • (b) What are the conditions that need to be met in order for these learning processes to be activated? • Learning theories associated with a method at the level of approach may emphasize either one or both of these dimensions.

Views of Language Learning • Process-oriented theories build on learning processes, such as habit formation, induction, inferencing, hypothesis testing, and generalization. (Audiolingual / The Natural Approach) • Condition-oriented theories emphasize the nature of the human and physical context in which language learning takes place. (Silent Way/ Desuggestopedia/ CLL / Natural Approach)

Approach and Design • Theory does not dictate a particular set of teaching techniques and activities. • What links theory with practice (or approach with procedure) is what we have called design).

Schools of Psychology

Understanding the history of language teaching methods and approaches Approaches and methods

Grammar - Translation Method (1840’s to 1940’s) Direct Method (Gouin & Berlitz Method) Late 1800’s

Audiolingual Method (1950’s 60’s) Situational /Oral Approach ( 1920’s/30’s)

Theory of language

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American Structuralism (Bloomfield / Fries) British Structuralism

Theory of learning

Teaching of Classical languages: Latin and Greek Foreign language could be taught without translation or the use of the learner's native tongue if meaning was conveyed directly through demonstration and action.(Gouin & Berlitz)

Behaviorism (Skinner)

Approaches and methods Designer methods (1970’s): The Silent Way (Gattegno) TPR (Asher) Desuggestopedia (Lozanov) Community L. L. (Curran) Natural approach (Krashen & Terrell) Communicative Language Teaching (1980’s) Content – Based Approach Task – Based Approach ESP

Theory of Language

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Theory of Learning

Cognitivism ( Ausubel) Rogers’ Humanistic Psychology

Krashen’s input Hypothesis (SLA) Communicative Approach – Communicative Competence (Widdowson, Hymes)

Constructivism (Piaget) Social constructivism (Vigotsky)

TASK: THE SECRET LIFE OF METHODS 

Richards, J. C. (1984). The secret life of methods. TESOL quarterly, 18(1), 7-23.

References • Richards, J. and Rodgers, T. (1986). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press (Chapter 2)

Questions?