Methods/Approaches/ of Teaching English as a Foreign Language lecture 3

4) Suggestopedia

• Often considered to be the strangest of the so-called "humanistic approaches". • Suggestopedia is a teaching method which is based on a modern understanding of how the human brain works and how we learn most effectively. • It was developed by the Bulgarian doctor and psychotherapist Georgi Lozanov.

• The term 'Suggestopedia', is derived from suggestion and pedagogy. • Suggestopedia was originally applied mainly in foreign language teaching, • and it is often claimed that it can teach languages approximately three times as quickly as conventional methods.

Key Elements of Suggestopedia

• Some of the key elements of Suggestopedia include a rich sensory learning environment (pictures, color, music, etc.) • a positive expectation of success and the use of a varied range of methods: dramatized texts, music, active participation in songs and games, etc.

Suggestopedia adopts a carefully structured approach, using four main stages as follows: 1. Presentation A preparatory stage in which students are helped to relax and move into a positive frame of mind, with the feeling that the learning is going to be easy and fun.

2. First Concert - "Active Concert" This involves the active presentation of the material to be learnt. For example, in a foreign language course there might be the dramatic reading of a piece of text, accompanied by classical music.

3. Second Concert - "Passive Review" The students are now invited to relax and listen to some Baroque music, with the text being read very quietly in the background. The music is specially selected to bring the students into the optimum mental state for the effortless acquisition of the material.

4. Practice The use of a range of games, puzzles, etc. to review and consolidate the learning.

Disadvantages: • Many people find classical music irritating rather than stimulating • the length of the dialogues and the lack of a coherent theory of language may serve to confuse rather than to motivate • and the provision of comfortable armchairs and a relaxing environment will probably be beyond the means of most educational establishments.

Disadvantages: • In addition the idea of a teacher reading a long (and often clearly inauthentic) dialogue aloud, with exaggerated rhythm and intonation, to the accompaniment of Beethoven or Mozart may well seem ridiculous to many people.

Disadvantages: • The students only receive input by listening, reading and musical-emotional backing, while other important factors of language acquisition are being neglected. • Furthermore, several other features of the method, like the 'non conscious' acquisition of language, or bringing the learner into a childlike state are questioned by critics.

5) The Silent Way

• The Silent Way is a language teaching method created by Caleb Gattegno that makes extensive use of silence as a teaching technique. • It was first introduced in Gattegno's book Teaching Foreign Languages in Schools: The Silent Way in 1972.

• The principles of the silent way: • Teachers should concentrate on how students learn, not on how to teach • Imitation and drill are not the primary means by which students learn • Learning consists of trial and error, deliberate experimentation, and revising conclusions • In learning, learners draw on everything that they already know, especially their native language • The teacher must not interfere with the learning process.

• Aims and goals • The general goal of the Silent Way is to help beginning-level students gain basic fluency in the target language, with the ultimate aim being near-native language proficiency and good pronunciation. • An important part of this ability is being able to use the language for self-expression; • students should be able to express their thoughts, feelings, and needs in the target language. In order to help them achieve this, teachers emphasize self-reliance.

• Teacher uses silence for multiple purposes in the Silent Way: • 1. It is used to focus students' attention. • 2. To elicit student responses. • 3. To encourage them to correct their own errors.

• The role of teachers: • The teacher's role is to monitor the students' efforts, and the students are encouraged to have an active role in learning the language. • Even though teachers are often silent, they are still active; they will commonly use techniques such as mouthing words and using hand gestures to help the students with their pronunciation. • Teachers will also encourage students to help their peers. • The role of the teacher is that of technician or engineer. • The teacher's task is to focus the students' attention, and provide exercises to help them develop language facility; however, to ensure their self-reliance, the teacher should only help the students as much as is strictly necessary.

• Learning process • The method also makes use of color association to help teach pronunciation; there is a sound-color chart which is used to teach the language sounds, colored word charts which are used to teach sentences, and colored Fidel charts which are used to teach spelling.

• A sound-color chart for English; these charts are used right from the beginning stages to teach pronunciation and word stress. • The students begin their study of the language by studying its sound system. • The sounds are associated to different colors using a sound-color chart that is specific to the language being learned. • The teacher first introduces sounds that are already present in the students' native language, and then progresses to sounds that are new to them. • These sound-color associations are later used to help the students with spelling, reading, and pronunciation.

• The sound-color chart consists of blocks of color, with one color representing one sound in the language being learned. • The teacher uses this chart to help teach pronunciation; • as well as pointing to colors to help students with the different sounds, she can also tap particular colors very hard to help students learn word stress. • Later in the learning process, students can point to the chart themselves.

• The chart can help students perceive sounds that may not occur in their first language, • and it also allows students to practice making these sounds without relying on mechanical repetition.

• The word charts contain the functional vocabulary of the target language, and use the same color scheme as the sound-color chart. • Each letter is colored in a way that indicates its pronunciation. • The teacher can point to the chart to highlight the pronunciation of different words in sentences that the students are learning. • There are twelve word charts in English, containing a total of around five hundred words. • The Fidel charts also use the same color-coding, and list the various ways that sounds can be spelled.

• Evaluation in the Silent Way • It is carried out primarily by observation. The teacher may never give a formal test, but she is constantly assessing students by observing their actions. • This allows her to respond straight away to any problems the students might have. • The teacher may also gain feedback through students' errors; errors are seen as natural and necessary for learning, and can be a useful guide as to what structures need more practice.

• Finally, the teacher may gain feedback by asking the students at the end of the lesson. • When evaluating the students, teachers expect them to learn at different rates, and students are not penalized for learning more slowly than their classmates. • Teachers look for steady progress in the language, not perfection.

• A Silent Way classroom also makes extensive use of peer correction. • Students are encouraged to help their classmates when they have trouble with any particular feature of the language. • This help should be made in a cooperative fashion, not a competitive one. • One of the teacher's tasks is to monitor these interactions, so that they are helpful and do not interfere with students' learning.

6) Total Physical Response (TPR)

• Total Physical Response is a language learning method based on the coordination of speech and action. • It was developed by James Asher, a professor of psychology at San Jose State University, California.

• The principles of TPR: • Second language learning is parallel to first language learning and should reflect the same naturalistic processes • Listening should develop before speaking • Children respond physically to spoken language, and adult learners learn better if they do that too • Once listening comprehension has been developed, speech develops naturally and effortlessly out of it. • Adults should use right-brain motor activities, while the left hemisphere watches and learns • Delaying speech reduces stress.

• Objectives • Here are some of the objectives of Total Physical Response • Teaching oral proficiency at a beginning level • Using comprehension as a means to speaking • Using action-based drills in the imperative form

• The syllabus • TPR uses a sentence-based grammatical syllabus. • Types of learning techniques and activities •

Activities where a command is given in the imperative and the students obey the command is the main activity in TPR.

• Advantages of TPR: • 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. • Class size need not be a problem, and it works effectively for children and adults.

• Disadvantages of TPR: • 1. TPR is most useful for beginners. • 2. It does not give students the opportunity to express their own thoughts in a creative way. • 3. It can be a challenge for shy students. • 4. , the nature of TPR places an unnaturally heavy emphasis on the use of the imperative mood, that is to say commands such as "sit down" and "stand up". These features are of limited utility to the learner, and can lead to a learner appearing rude when attempting to use his new language.

7) The Natural Approach:

• The Natural Approach was developed by Tracy Terrell and Stephen Krashen, starting in 1977. • It came to have a wide influence in language teaching in the United States and around the world.

• Principles of The Natural Approach: • Language acquisition (an unconscious process developed through using language meaningfully) is different from language learning (consciously learning or discovering rules about a language) • and language acquisition is the only way competence in a second language occurs. (The acquisition/learning hypothesis).

• Conscious learning operates only as a monitor or editor that checks or repairs the output of what has been acquired. (The monitor hypothesis) .

• Grammatical structures are acquired in a predictable order and it does little good to try to learn them in another order.(The natural order hypothesis).

• People acquire language best from messages that are just slightly beyond their current competence. (The input hypothesis)

• The learner's emotional state can act as a filter that impedes or blocks input necessary to acquisition. (The affective filter hypothesis)

• The syllabus • The syllabus for the Natural Approach is a communicative syllabus. • Types of learning techniques and activities • Comprehensible input is presented in the target language, using techniques such as TPR, mime and gesture. • Group techniques are similar to Communicative Language Teaching. • Learners start to talk when they are ready.

• Procedure • The Natural Approach adopts techniques and activities from different sources but uses them to provide comprehensible input.

8) Communicative Approach

Not a highly structured method of teaching. Rather a broad assembly of ideas from a range of sources which have come to be accepted as 'good practice' by many contemporary teachers.

• Origins of Approach • Communicative language teaching (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”.

• New syllabuses took into account needs of different pupils. • Traditional academic syllabuses had assumed learner's goal was in-depth mastery of target language. • But for less academic pupil a more immediate 'pay-off' was necessary, in terms of usefulness for practical purposes.

• Principles of CLT: • A teacher’s main role is a facilitator and monitor rather than leading the class. • Lessons are usually topic or theme based, with the target grammar “hidden” in the context e.g. a job interview (using the Present Perfect tense.)

• Lessons are built round situations/functions practical and authentic in the real world e.g. asking for information, complaining, apologizing, job interviews, telephoning. • Activities set by the teacher have relevance and purpose to real life situations – students can see the direct benefit of learning. • Emphasis on engaging learners in more useful and authentic language rather than repetitive phrases or grammar patterns.

• Emphasis on communication and meaning rather than accuracy. Being understood takes precedence over correct grammar. The fine tuning of grammar comes later. • Communicative competence is the desired goal. i.e. being able to survive, converse and be understood in the language. • Emphasis is put on correct pronunciation and choral (group) and individual drilling is used • Authentic listening and reading texts are used more often, rather than artificial texts simply produced to feature the target language

• Use of songs and games are encouraged and provide a natural environment to promote language and enhance correct pronunciation • Feedback and correction is usually given by the teacher after tasks have been completed, rather than at the point of error, thus interrupting the flow.

• Classroom activities used in CLT • Example Activities: Role Play, Interviews, Information Gap, Games, Language Exchanges, Surveys, Pair Work, Learning by teaching.

End of lecture