AN INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE

TEACHING METHODS

Group 14: Bùi Thị Tuyết

Bùi Thị ThủyLê Thị ThuTạ Thu Hà

Give the explanation and illustrations of learner-centered, whole language, culture and content-based teaching in C.L.T

Then comment on your teacher’s teaching methods and techniques.

1. LEARNER-CENTERED TEACHING IN C.L.T

Definition: Learner-centered teaching in C.L.T is

concerned with allowing learners a greater role in the management of their own learning. This can be done firstly by providing opportunities for learner choice in terms of what to learn, how to learn, and how to be evaluated. Secondly, this can be achieved by maximizing the class time in which learners, rather than the teacher, do the work.

( David Nunan, 2003)

Example: Five Vietnamese businessmen are having a

lesson with an experienced English teacher in an evening class. The teacher begins by giving each member of the class a sheet of paper with the topic “Pollution in Vietnam”. At the top of the page, there are following instructions: “Choose the most serious type of pollution in Vietnam to talk about. Discuss these problems with others in your group.” The teacher also gives the class some suggestion related to the topic and some indication what to do when handing this topic to students. She also lists some types of pollution such as air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, etc. After doing so, she sits silently and listens to students’ discussion.

2. WHOLE LANGUAGE IN C.L.T

Definition:

Whole language is taught and learned to develop knowledge of language including the syntactic, semantic and pragmatic aspects.

Whole language is an approach to, or attitude toward learning that sees language as a whole entity; writing, speaking, reading, and listening should be integrated when learned.

"If language isn't kept whole, it isn't language any more” said Rigg. The suggested focus is on using a combination of the four modes of language (speaking, listening, writing and reading) as often as possible. Its intent is to be functional and topical.

Lessons should:

proceed from the whole to part

be learner-centered

have an immediate purpose for the students and include a full of skills

Culture and content-based teaching in C.L.T

• Culture in C.L.T

+ learning a culture

+ sense of what is wrong and what is

right in English

+ not only in a grammatical sense.

Culture in C.L.T

• Example:

“Take a plate with you!”

Food or drink

Content – based teaching

• Make content first

• Make others (grammar, skills, functions…) later

• Advantage:

+ learn a new language more sucessfully

+ reflect learners’ needs better

+ provide a coherent framework to link or develop

all of the language skills

+ have more motivation than others

Content – based teaching

Content – based teaching

• Example:

“Advertising”

Students design a picture about type of milk which they drink every morning

Students say about their ads of

milk on TV

Some comments on our teacher’s teaching methods and techniques.

In general, our teachers’s method and techniques improve nowadays. In the past,

teachers teach students the styles of grammar-translation method. However, they

are now turning to CLT (Communicative Language Teaching).

1. In term of learner-centered teaching

In the past At present.

- Teachers seem like lions, tigers, kings or queens.

- Teachers decide what to teach according to their hobby, harbit and available documents that they have.

- Teacher’s roles are a guide, an introductor and an instructor, then a commentator.

- Learners are the main factor of studying process. They are given choice of what, when and how to learn.

2. In term of whole language teaching

In the past At present

- Teachers divide one unit of language into seperated ones. For example: They spend one period to teach all about vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. So when studying grammar, students often forget all the new word they have learned. It will cost them extra time to revise new words before learning new grammar related to the new words.

- Teachers seldom conbine listening with speaking skill or reading and writing skill.

- Teachers teach new words one by one. They teach the word’s spelling first, then word’s pronunciation. Also they teach its meaning, its form and its use. After students are familiar with one new word, teachers introduce them the sentences containing the new word. Then students can master all meaning of the word in context. They can remember well and completely.

- Teachers mix four main skills in one class for student to practice.

3. In term of culture and content-based teaching

In the past At present - Teachers seldom introduce

cultural matters to the lesson.

- They imposed general meanings for new words without giving the context containing the new words.

- Teachers pay attention to introducing students culture of the target language for better communications in real life. It means they teach students grammar and new words first then they introduced the students context in which cultural issues are mentioned.

- Teachers introduce students many sentences then guide them to infer the structures of grammar and new words which are repeated and practice the new grammatical items or the new words immediately.