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Eight Approaches to Language Teaching

Don Snow, Amity Foundation, Overseas Coordination Office

Where there was once consensus on the right way to teach foreign languages, many

teachers now share the belief that a single right way does not eist! "t is certainly true thatno com#arative study has consistently demonstrated the su#eriority of one method over

another for all teachers, all students and all settings!

$resented here is a summary of eight language teaching methods in #ractice today% the&rammar'(ranslation )ethod, the Direct )ethod, the Audio'*ingual )ethod, the Silent

Way, Suggesto#edia, Community *anguage *earning, the (otal $hysical +es#onse

)ethod, and the Communicative A##roach! Of course, what is described here is only an

abstraction! ow a method is manifest in the classroom will de#end heavily on theindividual teacher-s inter#retation of its #rinci#les!

Some teachers #refer to #ractice one of the methods to the eclusion of others! Other

teachers #refer to #ic. and choose in a #rinci#led way among the methodological o#tions

that eist, creating their own uni/ue blend!(he chart inside #rovides a brief listing of the salient features of the eight methods! For

more details, readers should consult (echni/ues and $rinci#les in *anguage (eaching byDiane *arsen'Freeman, #ublished in 0123 by Oford 4niversity $ress in 5ew 6or., on

which this summary was based! Also see references listed in For Further +eading!

&rammar'(ranslation )ethod(he &rammar'(ranslation )ethod focuses on develo#ing students- a##reciation of the

target language-s literature as well a teaching the language! Students are #resented with

target'language reading #assages and answer /uestions that follow! Other activities

include translating literary #assages from one language into the other, memori7inggrammar rules, and memori7ing native'language e/uivalents of target language

vocabulary! Class wor. is highly structured, with the teacher controlling all activities!Direct )ethod(he Direct )ethod allows students to #erceive meaning directly through the language

because no translation is allowed! 8isual aids and #antomime are used to clarify the

meaning of vocabulary items and conce#ts! Students s#ea. a great deal in the targetlanguage and communicate as if in real situations! +eading and writing are taught from

the beginning, though s#ea.ing and listening s.ills are em#hasi7ed! &rammar is learned

inductively!

Audio'*ingual )ethod(he Audio'*ingual )ethod is based on the behaviorist belief that language learning is

the ac/uisition of a set of correct language habits! (he learner re#eats #atterns until able

to #roduce them s#ontaneously! Once a given #attern 9 for eam#le, sub:ect'verb'#re#ositional #hrase 9 is learned, the s#ea.er can substitute words to ma.e novel

sentences! (he teacher directs and controls students- behavior, #rovides a model, and

reinforces correct res#onses!(he Silent Way

(he theoretical basis of &attegno-s Silent Way is the idea that teaching must be

subordinated to learning and thus students must develo# their own inner criteria for

correctness! All four s.ills 9 reading, writing, s#ea.ing, and listening 9 are taught from

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the beginning! Students- errors are e#ected as a normal #art of learning% the teacher-s

silence hel#s foster self'reliance and student initiative! (he teacher is active in setting u#

situations, while the students do most of the tal.ing and interacting!Suggesto#edia

*o7anov-s method see.s to hel# learners eliminate #sychological barriers to learning! (he

learning environment is relaed and subdued, with low lighting and soft music in thebac.ground! Students choose a name and character in the target language and culture, and

imagine that #erson! Dialogs are #resented to the accom#animent of music! Students :ust

rela and listen to them being read and later #layfully #ractice the language during anactivation #hase!

Community *anguage *earning

"n Curren-s method, teachers consider students as whole #ersons, with intellect,

feelings, instincts, #hysical res#onses, and desire to learn! (eachers also recogni7e thatlearning can be threatening! ;y understanding and acce#ting students- fears, teachers hel#

students feel secure and overcome their fears, and thus hel# them harness #ositive energy

for learning! (he syllabus used is learner'generated, in that students choose what they

want to learn in the target language!(otal $hysical +es#onse )ethod

Asher-s a##roach begins by #lacing #rimary im#ortance on listening com#rehension,emulating the early stages of mother tongue ac/uisition, and then moving to s#ea.ing,

reading, and writing! Students demonstrate their com#rehension by acting out commands

issued by the teacher< teachers #rovide novel and often humorous variations of thecommands! Activities are designed to be fun and to allow students to assume active

learning roles! Activities eventually include games and s.its!

(he Communicative A##roach

(he Communicative A##roach stresses the need to teach communicative com#etence aso##osed to linguistic com#etence< thus, functions are em#hasi7ed over forms! Students

usually wor. with authentic materials in small grou#s on communicative activities,

during which they receive #ractice in negotiating meaning!For Further +eading

General

;owen, D!, )adsen, !, = ilferty, A! >0123? TESOL techniques and procedures.+owley, )A% 5ewbury ouse!

*arsen'Freeman, D! >0123?! Techniques and principles in language teaching.5ew 6or.%

Oford 4niversity $ress!

+ichards, @!, = +odgers, (! >0123?!Approaches and methods in language teaching.Cambridge, )A% Cambridge!

On the Grammar-Translation Method

Chastain, ! >01B3?!Developing second language skills >nd ed!?, Cha#ter ! Chicago%+and')c5ally!

elly, *!&! >0131?!25 centuries of language teaching.+owley, )A% 5ewbury ouse!

On the Direct Method

Diller, !C! >01B2?! (he language teaching controversy! +owley, )A% 5ewbury ouse!

On the Audio'*ingual )ethod

Chastain, ! >01B3?!Developing secondlanguage skills >nd ed!?, Cha#ter ! +and

)c5ally!

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+ivers, W! >0132?! Teaching foreignlanguage skills!Cha#ters 'E! Chicago% 4niversity

of Chicago $ress!

On the Silent Way

&attegno, C! >01B?! Teaching foreign languages in schools" The silent #a$>nd ed!?!

5ew 6or.% ducational Solutions >1 4niversity $lace, 5ew 6or., 56 0GGGH?!

&attegno, C! >01B3?! The common sense of teaching foreign languages.5ew 6or.%ducational Solutions!

Stevic., ! >012G?! Teaching languages" A #a$ and #a$s! Cha#ters H'3! +owley, )A%

5ewbury ouse!

On Suggestopedia

*o7anov, &! >012?! Suggestology and suggesto#edia! "n +!! ;lair >d!?,%nnovative

approaches to language teaching.+owley, )A% 5ewbury ouse!

Stevic., ! >012G?!Teaching languages" A #a$ and #a$s.Cha#ters 02'01! +owley, )A%5ewbury ouse!

On Community Language Learning

Curran, C!A! >01B3?! &ounselinglearning in second language.ast Dubu/ue, "*%

Counseling'*earning $ublications!+ardin, @! >01B3?! A counseling'learning model for second language learning! TESOL

'e#sletter ()>?!Stevic., ! >012G?! Teaching languages" A #a$ and #a$s.Cha#ters B'0B! +owley, )A%

5ewbury ouse!

On the Total Physical esponse Method

Asher, @! >012?Learning another language through actions. The complete teacher*sguide+ook>nd ed!?! *os &atos, CA% S.y Oa.s $roductions!

;lair, +!W!, >d!?! >012?!%nnovative approaches to language teaching.+owley, )A%

5ewbury ouse!rashen, S!, = (errell, (! >012H?! The natural approach. San Francisco, CA% Alemany

$ress!

On the Communicati!e Approach

;rumfit, C!@!, = @ohnson, ! >ds!?! >01B1?!The communicative approach to language

teaching.Oford% Oford Community $ress!

@ohnson, !, = )orrow, ! >ds!?! >0120?! &ommunication in the classroom. sse, 4%*ongman!

*ittlewood, W! >0120?! &ommunicative language teaching.Cambridge, )A% Cambridge

4niversity $ress!

Savignon, S! >012H?! &ommunicative competence" Theor$ and classroom practice.;oston% Addison'Wesley!

Widdowson, !&! >01B2?! Teaching language as communication. Oford% Oford

4niversity $ress!Wil.ins, D!A! >01B3?!'ational s$lla+uses.Oford% Oford 4niversity $ress!

ight A##roaches to *anguage (eaching

(he &rammar'(ranslation )ethod

Goals

(o be able to read literature in target language< learn grammar rules and vocabularyreading, writing, s#ea.ing, listening?name, occu#ation?in the target language and culture! (hey use tets of dialogs accom#anied by translations

and notes in their native language! ach dialog is #resented during two musical concerts