PowerPoint Presentation

The Silent WayPrepared by: Youssef BOUDARKACRMEF SM Eng.Department

OUTLINE:The SW : A DefinitionBasic Premises of SWObjectives of the SWTheory of language & Learning Teachers & students roles Pedagogical Materials Advantages & Disadvantages

The Silent Way

The SW is the name of a method of language teaching devised by Caleb Gattengo.

It is based on the idea that teachers should be as silent as possible during a class but learners should be encouraged to speak as much as possible

Basic Premises of SW. There are three basic principles:- The learner needs to discover or create.- Learning is made easier by the use of physical objects such as Cuisenaire rods. Learning is made easier by problem-solving using the target language.

Problem solving = trial & error = discovery learning 4

Objectives of The SWNear-native fluency in the target language.

The teacher facilitates the students' & helps the stud-ents gain insight into the functioning of the language.

Learners autonomy and independence.

Theory of Language

Language is seen as groups of sounds arbitrarily associated with specificmeanings and organized into sentences or strings of meaningful unitsby grammar rules.

Language is separated from its social context andtaught through artificial situations, usually represented by rods.

Gattegno views language itself "as a substitute forexperience, so experience is what gives meaning to language" (Gattegno1972: 8).

Theory of Learning

Gattegno recommends that the learner needs to "return to the state of mind that characterizes a baby's learning - surrender" (Scott and Page 1982: 273).

The "artificial approach" that Gattegno proposes is based on the Principle that successful learning involves commitment of the self to language acquisition through the use of silent awareness.

Teacher s rolesA technician or an engineer who facilitates learning/ neutral observer.

Teacher silently monitors learners interactions with each other.

The teacher uses gestures, charts, and manipulates in order to elicit & shape students responses.

"Teach, test, get out of the way"

To teach : the presentaton ofan item using nonverbal clues. To test: elicitation & shaping of stss production is done. To get out : he monitors sts production & the way they interact.8

Learners roles

Learners are expected to develop independence, autonorny, and responsibility.

The absence of correction and modelling requires students to develop inner critera and to correct themselves.

Learners work collectively rather than competitively.

A learner should be a teacher, problem-solver, and a self-evaluator.

Pedagogical Materials

Disadvantages . The learner works in isolation and communication is lacking badly in a Silent Way classroom.With minimum help on the part of the teacher, the Silent Way method may put the learning itself at stake.The material ( the rods and the charts) used in this method will certainly fail to introduce all aspects of language. Other materials will have to be introduced.

AdvantagesLearning through problem solving looks attractive especially because it fosters:creativity,discovery,increase in intelligent potency andlong term memory.

The indirect role of the teacher highlights the importance and the centrality of the learner who is responsible in figuring out and testing the hypotheses about how language works. In other wordsteaching is subordinated to learning