Language Teaching Methodologies

• Mariano Marcos State University offers insights into effective language teaching methodologies and approaches.
• Learning a language is a product of transmission, where teachers transmit knowledge and learners receive it.
• Struggles to improve higher-order thinking skills, passive treatment of students, and detachment from others are common problems encountered in language learning
• These issues are attractive because they mirror traditional teaching techniques.
• The method by which teachers were taught becomes the method of teaching and the teacher is the focus.
• It demands minimal preparation, and little student or student activity.
• Major drawbacks exist in traditional methods, which involve only a minority of students and don't encourage practical use.
• In the newer model, language learning is a process of discovery in which students develop the ability to use language for specific communication needs.
• Teachers model language usage and helps students improve their language abilities
• Both teachers and students are responsible for the learnings

Why Newer Models can be Daunting

• It require more planning, including students' language learning goals, exercises for the classroom, and real-world materials.
• They can seem chaotic.
• An effective learner-centered instructor should plan content, set time limits, and contextualize language use.

History of Language Teaching

• There have been many changes in language teaching
• Establishing the difference in teaching between history and present day
• Foreign language learning has always been an important part of the world

ELT

• Changes in language teaching historically represent changes in learner proficiency needs and language theory.
• Traditionally bilingualism/multilingualism was seen as a standard
• Foreign language teaching is a practical concern
• Latin was the most studied language, dominant in education, commerce, religion and government in the Western world.
• Starting in the 16th century, English French and Italian grew in importance because of political changes happening in Europe
• English has become the lingua franca

17th Century

• Classical works such as Virgil, Ovid, and Cicero were analyzed only for grammar during the 17th to 19th centuries.
• In England children learn Latin grammar through repetition
• Advances study of grammar and rhetoric was established; lapses in knowledge were meet with hard punishment

18th Century

• Modern languages began appearing in European schools
• Speaking a language was not the goal, but instead, speech was limited to translation.

19th Century

• Textbooks were based around grammar points.

• Book compilers aimed to codify languages to memorize.

• Oral work was reduced, handful of written exercises.

• Grammar-Translation Method (GTM) is an offspring of German scholarship.

• GTM aims to improve reading in order to read target literature ad mental discipline.

• classes taught in native tongue with little use of target language.

• Grammar includes rules for putting words together

• Classical texts were begun early.

• Little if any attention is given to pronunciations

• Grammar rules are learned deductively

• Students learn grammar through rote

• Translation, reading comprehension, and antonym/synonym exercises teach techniques in GTM.

Innovations of language training in 19th century

• C. Marcel emphasized meaning in learning and focusing on reading
• T. Prendergast suggested a structural syllabus be followed.
• F. Gouin believed learning can be achieved using language to accomplish events.

Gouin and the Series method

• Gouin developed the series-system, which structures conversations and lessons around a unified theme.
• He empahsizes the need to show new teaching items in context with gestures and actions to make it clearer
• Language is better taught in a psychological and pedagogically correct series.
• The elements of Gouin series have the goal to introduce the scene, use action verbs, context, tense, personnel, syllables, statements and include logical sequence

Action steps to teach a Gouin Series

• Present orally with pantomime/props.
• Orally with class pantomimes with the teacher is second
• Teacher repeats, class pants
• Teacher repeats, individuals pant
• Individuals lead series
• Reading, writing are possible

The Reform Movement

• Marcel, Prendergast, and Gouin received little support
• Henry Sweet in England, Wilhem Viëtor in Germany and Paul Passy in France gave intellectual leadership
• Linguistics was revitalized
• Phonetics, or sound analysis, was founded.
• Written words were swapped for primary language
• IPA was designed in 1886 to translate languages
• Association advocates language and phonetic training for conversation, dialogues, and an inductive method of grammar
• Teaching meanings should be focused on the language, not the associations

The Direct Method

• A development during the 19th century
• The use of native languages was not allowed
• Speaking target language was promoted
• A lot of drills and exercises in reading speaking and listening
• The teacher is the sole authority

Basic Rules to direct method

• Focuses on direct connection between target language and native languages. A direct bond between experience and expression
• Direct relation between thoughts and words
• High use of speaking
• No focus on theoretical grammar, instead focus on functional
• Complete focus is learning the foreign language
• High use of vocabulary

Oral Approach and Situational Language Teaching

• Language teaching grew from 1920s and 1960s
• Palmer and Hornby began this British style of linguistics
• The aim to teach grammar though approach
• Speech was basis and structure of language
• This allowed practice of speaking.

Objectives of language teaching

• Students gain all four skills
• Skills are accomplished through structure.
• Grammar accuracy and pronunciation
• Speech is introduce first, writing and reading second

Learner's Role

• Listen and repeat teacher through questions
• Learners must relate meaning
• Classes are teacher led and pupil do tasks such a chorus and drills Teachers should set the stage, present, and drill.
• Mastery is a requirement, classroom control is required
• Manipulate questions correctly

Activities in Situation Language Training (SLT)

• Pitman showed oral pattern drills
• “There is a noun + of + (noun) in the box."
• Teachers get items for the drill

Audio Lingual method

• Also called Army Method
• From the US military campaign
• Program is to teach aural (listen) and oral skills
• Exercises focus on pronunciation and structure patterns.

Basic Principles of Audio Lingual

• Language learning by habit and teachers avoid mistakes or habits
• Students learn patterns and positive reinforcement
• Sentence pattens
• Dialogue is first, memorization, mimicry, and overlearn
• Structures are sequenced and taught with at a time
• The method has to contain structural pattens

Audio lingual rules

• Little to no grammar
• Limited vocabulary
• Tapes, visual aids
• Great importance is placed on pronunciation
• No mother-tongue is allowed
• Effort is placed on no mistakes and there is a lot of manipulation to language