From theory to practice: Methods of language teachingDr.Abdelrahim Hamid MugaddamInstitute of African & Asian Studeis

Grammar Translation Methods Is not new , has different names and used by

language teachers for many years. Classical method used in teaching classical

languages like Latin & Greek 20th century used to help students read and

appreciate foreign languages literature Hope that through the study of the grammar

of a target language students could be more familiar with the grammar of their own native languages

Foreign language learning will help students grow intellectually.. The mental exercise of the target language would be beneficial anyway.

Experience Each student is asked to read a few lines from the

passage. After finishing with reading students are asked to

translate the lines they read into their native language

Teacher asks students in their native language if there is any question.

Teacher helps with the new vocabulary asks the students to write the answers to the

comprehension question Students are requested to ask a few questions

Exercise! Give the … translation for each of the

following words: Ambition, career , gorgeous Find the antonym for each of the

following words from the passage: Love, ugly, noisy, proudly

A fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language is to be able to read literature written in it.

It is important for students to be able to translate each language into the other.

Communication is not the goal for FL. Reading and writing are the primary skills Teacher is the authority in the classroom Possible to find native language equivalents Attention to similarities and differences helps in learning. Important for students to learn the form of the target language. Deductive application of grammar rule is a useful pedagogical

technique. Learning provides good mental exercise.

The direct method Is not new Recently reviewed when the goal of

teaching a foreign became learning how to use a foreign language to communicate

Since grammar translation method failed to prepare students to use the target language communicatively , the direct method became popular.

One very basic rule: No translation is allowed

It takes its name from the fact that meaning is to be conveyed directly in the target language through the use of demonstration and visual aids with no recourse to the students native language.

Experience

Teacher asks the class to order as they find seat towards the back of the room.

A big map in front of the class Asks students to open their books Call one by one to read a sentence from

the passage Points to the part of the map the

sentence is describing

Principle! Objects (realia or pictures) help students understand the target

language Native language should not be used. Teacher should demonstrate , not explain or translate. Students should learn to think in the target language as soon as

possible. The purpose of language learning is communication. Pronunciation should be worked on right from the beginning of language

instruction Self-correction facilitates language learning Conversation activities should be given. Grammar should be taught inductively Writing is an important skill to be developed from the beginning Syllabus is based on situations or topic not linguistic structure Learning another language involves learning the life style of its speakers

The audio-lingual Method Is an oral-based approach Instead of emphasizing vocabulary learning

it drills students in the use of grammatical sentence patterns

Has strong base in linguistics and psychology

The way to acquire the sentence pattern was through conditioning-helping learners to respond correctly to stimuli through shaping and reinforcement.

Experience! Students listen attentively the teacher

while explaining a word in a new dialogue.

All of the instructions are in English Sometimes actions are used to convey

meaning.

Principles! Language forms occur in context. Native language and the target language have two separate linguistic

system Teachers should provide students with good model. Language learning is a process of habit formation Students are prevented from making errors. Purpose of language learning is how to use the language communicatively. Positive reinforcement helps students form correct habits Students should respond to both verbal and non-verbal stimuli. Each language has a finite number of patterns. Practising these patterns

helps student to use them. Students should learn to answer automatically without stopping to think. Teacher is in full control. Major objectives is learning structural patterns. Speech is more basic to language than writing Language is inseparable of culture.

The Silent Way Problem with audio-lingual: students are

not able to transfer the habits they learned to communicate outside the classroom.

Learning a language is forming habits has seriously been challenged by Chomsky.

Silent way shares some principles with the cognitive approach… teaching should be subordinated to learning.

Experience! Teacher explains the silent way in the students’

native language. Walks to the front of the room Takes a pointer and points to a chart hanging

above the blackboard. There are many blocks in different colours. Each represents one english sound. Without saying anything , the teacher points to

each of the blocks (2 times without saying anything).. Third he says /a/ as he touch the first block… /e/,/i/,/o/,/u/

Principles! Start with something students already know. Language learners bring the experience they already know. The teacher

should only give the help needed. Language is not learned by repeating after a model. Students should

develop their own ‘inner criteria for correctness’. Students’ actions can tell whether they learned or otherwise. Students should rely on each other and themselves. Teacher works with the students while they work with the language. Teacher make use of what the students have already known. Learning involves transferring what one has already learned to new

contexts. Reading is worked on from the beginning. Silence is a tool, it helps to foster autonomy or the exercise of initiative. Meaning is made clear by focusing on students’ perception not translation. Students give the teacher their full attention Language is for self expression.

Desuggestopedia!The application of the study of suggestion to pedagogy, has been developed to help students eliminate the feeling that they cannot be successful or the negative association that they have towards studying.Helps students overcome the barriers of learning.

Experience! Everything is bright and colourful Several posters on the wall. Table with rhythm instruments Hats, masks, etc.,

Principles! Learning is facilitated in a cheerful environment Students can learn from what is present in the environment Students trust and respects the teacher’s authority. Teacher should recognize that the students bring some psychological

barriers with them. Assuming new identity enhances students’ feeling of security and

allows them to be more open The dialogue contains language the students can use immediately Songs are useful for freeing the speech muscles and evoking positive

emotions. Teacher should present grammar and vocabulary but not dwell in

them. Fine arts presents positive suggestions for students. A calm state helps students overcome psychological barriers. Music and movements reinforce linguistic materials.

Community language learning The CLL method was developed by Charles A. Curran, a professor

of psychology at Loyola University in Chicago. This method refers to two roles: that of the knower (teacher) and

student (learner). Also the method draws on the counselling metaphor and refers to these respective roles as a counsellor and a client.

According to Curran, a counsellor helps a client understand his or her own problems better by 'capturing the essence of the clients concern ...[and] relating [the client's] affect to cognition...;' in effect, understanding the client and responding in a detached yet considerate manner.

To restate, the counsellor blends what the client feels and what he is learning in order to make the experience a meaningful one. Often, this supportive role requires greater energy expenditure than an 'average' teacher

Principle! The foreign language learner's tasks, according to CLL are (1) to

apprehend the sound system of the language (2) assign fundamental meanings to individual lexical units and (3) construct a basic grammar.

In these three steps, the CLL resembles the Natural Approach to language teaching in which a learner is not expected to speak until he has achieved some basic level of comprehension.

There are 5 stages of development in this method. “Birth” stage: feeling of security and belonging are established. As the learners' ability improve, they achieve a measure of

independence from the parent. Learners can speak independently. The learners are secure enough to take criticism and being

corrected. The child becomes an adult and becomes the knower.

Barriers in learning! Research shows that students in multicultural environments

communicate less with those not familiar with their culture. Long-term problems include that the foreign speakers will

have their own terms of expression combined into the language native to the area, which oftentimes makes for awkward sentences to a native speaker.

Native students tend to develop an exclusive attitude toward the nonnative speaker because they feel threatened when they do not understand the foreign language.

Short-term problems include the fact that native students will usually lack in-depth knowledge of the nonnative cultures, which makes them more likely to be unwilling to communicate with the foreign speakers

Total physical response! Total Physical Response (TPR) is a method developed by Dr. James

J. Asher, a professor emeritus of psychology at San José State University, to aid learning second languages.

The method relies on the assumption that when learning a second or additional language, language is internalized through a process of codebreaking similar to first language development and that the process allows for a long period of listening and developing comprehension prior to production.

Students respond to commands that require physical movement. TPR is primarily used by ESL/EAL teachers although the method is used in teaching other languages as well.

The method became popular in the 1970s and attracted the attention or allegiance of some teachers, but it has not received generalized support from mainstream educators.

Principle! According to Asher, "TPR is based on the premise that the human brain has a

biological program for acquiring any natural language on earth - including the sign language of the deaf"[7].

The process is visible when we observe how infants internalize their first language.

It looks to the way that children learn their native language. Communication between parents and their children combines both verbal and

physical aspects. The child responds physically to the speech of their parent. The responses of the child are in turn positively reinforced by the speech of the

parent. For many months the child absorbs the language without being able to speak.

It is during this period that the internalization and code breaking occurs. After this stage the child is able to reproduce the language spontaneously. With

TPR the language teacher tries to mimic this process in class. The method also promises double efficiency in terms of rate of learning,

according to several studies in the literature and referenced in the above book.

Classroom usage! In the classroom the teacher and students take on roles similar to that of the parent

and child respectively. Students must respond physically to the words of the teacher. The activity may be a simple game such as Simon Says or may involve more complex grammar and more detailed scenarios.

TPR can be used to practice and teach various things. It is well suited to teaching classroom language and other vocabulary connected

with actions. It can be used to teach imperatives and various tenses and aspects. It is also useful for story-telling. Because of its participatory approach, TPR may also be a useful alternative teaching

strategy for students with dyslexia or related learning disabilities, who typically experience difficulty learning foreign languages with traditional classroom instruction.

According to its proponents, it has a number of advantages: Students will enjoy getting up out of their chairs and moving around. Simple TPR activities do not require a great deal of preparation on the part of the teacher.

TPR is aptitude-free, working well with a mixed ability class, and with students having various disabilities. It is good for kinesthetic learners who need to be active in the class.

Comunicative language learning! (CLT) is an approach to the teaching of second and

foreign languages that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language.

It is also referred to as “communicative approach to the teaching of foreign languages” or simply the “communicative approach.

Historically, CLT has been seen as a response to the audio-lingual method (ALM), and as an extension or development of the notional-functional syllabus. Task-based language learning, a more recent refinement of CLT, has gained considerable popularity.

Principles!CLT is usually characterized as a broad approach to teaching, rather than as a teaching method with a clearly defined set of classroom practices. As such, it is most often defined as a list of general principles or features. One of the most recognized of these lists is David Nunan’s (1991) five features of CLT: An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in

the target language. The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation. The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on

language but also on the Learning Management process. An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as

important contributing elements to classroom learning. An attempt to link classroom language learning with language

activities outside the classroom.