?????????Lecture # 9

Textbook:

Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. (2th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Which method is this?

The Silent Way

• Review of the last lecture

Try again…

Sound Chart

• The universal opinion of learning languages People learn languages by means of the Audio-Lingual Method.

Learning a language means forming a set of habits.

This idea “habit formation” was challenged in 1960

Cognitive Psychologists and transformational-generative linguists argued thatLanguage learning does not take place through mimicry; people cannot create utterances they have never heard before.

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

• The different opinion of linguist Noam Chomsky

Speakers have a knowledge of underlying abstract rules, which allow them to understand and create novel utterances.

Language is a product of rule formation. Language acquisition is a procedure whereby

people use their own thinking processes, or cognition, to discover the language they are acquiring.

How to point a sound chart?

Challenging the Audio-Lingual Method

Students’ inability to transfer the mastered habits to the real world communication

Noam Chomsky – Universal GrammarLanguage learning should not be a product

of habit formation but rule formationBecause people can create and understand

novel utterances by applying their knowledge of underlying abstract rule of a language

Language acquisition should be a procedure where people use their own thinking processes, or cognition, to discover the rules of the language

• The Cognitive Approach Language learners were seen to be much more actively

responsible for their own learning, and engaged in formulating hypotheses to discover the rules of the target language.

• Caleb Gattegno’s Silent Way Teaching should be subordinated to learning.

Learner’s natural learning pace need not be ignored Advantage of learner oriented classes/ democratic

classes Learning outcome can be better

INTRODUCTION

How learning takes place?

Learning is a process which we initiate by ourselves by mobilizing our inner resources (perception, awareness, cognition, imagination, intuition, creativity) to meet challenge at hand.

Use of Rods

Use of gestures

Teaching Methods & Principles -1

• The teacher starts with something the students already know and build from that to the unknown. Languages share number of features, sound being the basic.

What is going on here?

Teaching Methods & Principles -2

The teacher helps students; students work on language.

All learning is self learning.

Teaching does not ensure learning.

Learning is a natural self motivated process.

Teaching Methods & Principles -3

1. The teacher remains silent and points to five blocks of color, which represent the sounds of five English vowels (/a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/) close to the five simple vowels of Portuguese.

• Principle1: Students are intelligent and learn the new language with their experience. The teacher should give help when necessary.

Teaching Methods & Principles -4

2. The teacher does not model the new sounds, but uses gestures to show the students how to modify the sounds. e.g. /e//ey/

Principle 2: Language is not learned by repeating a model. Students have to develop their inner criteria for correctness.

Teaching Methods & Principles -5

3.When some students cannot tap out and pronounce sounds correctly, the teacher just remains silent. The students have to help one another by themselves.

Concept of self correction/ peer correction

Principle 3: Students can learn from one another. The teacher’s silence encourages group cooperation.

Teaching Methods & Principles -6

4. In the English class, the students have to learn actively. The teachers only remains silent and listens attentively.

• learning is an active process, not passive reception of what teacher offers.

• learners are not recipients of knowledge, they are explorers of knowledge.

Principle 4: Teachers’ silence free them to closely observe the students’ behavior. And silence also helps foster autonomy.

Teaching Methods & Principles -7

• Silence is a tool. It helps to foster autonomy, or the exercise of initiative. It also removes the teacher from the center of attention so he can listen to and work with students.– Teacher Silence ensures more student

participation time.

How silent foster autonomy?

Teaching Methods & Principles -8

5.When the students have trouble pronouncing new sounds and phrases, the teacher only uses gestures to point out students’ errors.

Teacher correction acts as psychological barrier in learning.

Principle 5: If teachers praise or criticize students, they will be less self-reliant. Using gestures, teachers help point out the error for students.

Teaching Methods & Principles -9

6. After learning new sounds and phrases, some students choose to tap out simple commands; others tap out more complex ones.

Every learner has a unique route to learning because every learner has a different cognitive level.

Principle 6: Language is for self-expression.

Teaching Methods & Principles -10

7. In the end of the class, the teacher asks the students for their reactions and comments to the lesson.

Principle 7: The teacher can gain valuable information from the students’ feedback.

Teaching Methods & Principles -11

• 8. There is no homework assigned.

Principle 8: Some learning takes place naturally as we sleep. Students will naturally work on the day’s lesson.

Ten Very Important Questions:TIQ

• What are the goals of teachers who use the method?

• What is the role of the teacher? What is the role of the students?

• What are some of the characteristics of the teaching/learning process?

TIQ

• What is the nature of student-teacher interaction? What is the nature of student-student interactions?

• How are the feelings of the students dealt with?

• How is language viewed? How is culture viewed?

TIQ

• What areas of language are emphasized? What language skills are emphasized?

• What is the role of students’ native language?

• How is evaluation accomplished?

• How does the teacher respond to student errors?

Mnemonics for TIQ

• GRCIFLCASNEE

Summary