An investigation into how pictures are used to teach speaking to the children in han thuyen primary school

Ministry of education and training
Hanoi University

Le thi khue

An investigation into how pictures are
used to teach speaking to the children in
Han Thuyen primary school

Submitted in patial fulfilment
of requirement of the degree
of master in Tesol

Hanoi
November 2008


Ministry of education and training
Hanoi University

Le thi khue

An investigation into how pictures Are
used to teach speaking to the children in
Han Thuyen primary school

Submitted in patial fulfilment
of requirement of the degree
of master in Tesol

Supervisor: Nguyen Thu Le hang, Ma

Hanoi
November 2008


Table of contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... I
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ............................................................................... III
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ IV
ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... V
LIST OF ABBREVIATION ........................................................................................... VI
LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS ............................................................................. VII
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY ..................................................................................... 1
1.2 AIMS OF THE STUDY ................................................................................................... 2
1.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY ................................................................................................. 3
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ..................................................................................... 2
1.5 OUTLINE OF THE THESIS. ............................................................................................ 3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................... 5
2.1 CHILD LANGUAGE LEARNING ..................................................................................... 5
2.1.1 First language acquisition ................................................................................. 5
2.1.2 Second language acquisition.............................................................................. 6
2.2 SPEAKING SKILLS AND THE TEACHING OF SPEAKING SKILLS ....................................... 7
2.2.1 Definition of speaking skills ............................................................................... 7
2.2.2 Teaching speaking skills .................................................................................... 8
2.2.3 Factors affecting the development of speaking skills ......................................... 9
2.3 PICTURES AND DIFFERENT VIEWS ON THE USE OF PICTURES IN ELT ......................... 10
2.3.1 Different views on the use of pictures in ELT .................................................. 11
2.3.2 Different uses of pictures in English language teaching ................................. 15
2.3.3 Some principles for choosing, designing and using pictures in ELT ............... 18

2.3.4 Classification of pictures .................................................................................. 19
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................. 21

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3.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PARTICIPANTS ......................................................................... 21
3.1.1 The teachers in Han Thuyen primary school ................................................... 21
3.1.2 The primary school children ............................................................................ 23
3.2. DESCRIPTION OF THE DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT............................................ 23
3.2.1 Questionnaire ................................................................................................... 23
3.2.2 Observation ...................................................................................................... 24
3.2.3 Interviews ......................................................................................................... 25
3.3 DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES.............................................................................. 26
3.4 PROCEDURE OF DATA ANALYSIS ............................................................................... 28
3.5 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ 28
CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS ................................................................................ 29
4.1 RESEARCH QUESTION 1: HOW ARE PICTURES USED TO TEACH SPEAKING TO THE
CHILDREN IN HAN THUYEN PRIMARY SCHOOL? ............................................................. 29

4.1.1 The teaching methodology ............................................................................... 29
4.1.2 The teaching procedures .................................................................................. 31
4.1.3 The teaching techniques ................................................................................... 32
4.1.4 The amount of time spent on using pictures to teach speaking ........................ 33
4.1.5 The students’ activities in the speaking lesson ................................................. 34
4.2 RESEARCH QUESTION 2: WHAT KINDS OF PICTURES ARE MOST FREQUENTLY USED? 36
4.3 RESEARCH QUESTION 3: WHAT ARE THE MAIN PURPOSES FOR USING PICTURES IN THE
SPEAKING CLASS? .......................................................................................................... 39

4.4 RESEARCH QUESTION 4: WHAT ARE THE TEACHERS’ AND THE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES

TOWARD THE USE OF PICTURES IN THE SPEAKING CLASS? .............................................. 44

4.4.1 The teachers’ comments on pictures in the textbook........................................ 45
4.4.2 The teachers’ problems when using pictures to teach speaking ...................... 47
4.5 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ 48
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS................................................ 50
References
Appendixes

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Statement of authorship
Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, other person’s work has been
used without due acknowledgement in the main text of the thesis.
This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree diploma in any other
tertiary institution

Date

..
Le THi Khue

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Acknowledgements
This study has been completed with the assistance and guidance of many people.

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms
Nguyen Thu Le Hang, M.A for her valuable suggestions, academic guidance, critical
comments and practical advice. Without her generous help this thesis cannot be
completed.
My sincere acknowledgements go to the teachers in Han Thuyen School who
have helped me to complete the survey and proofread my thesis.
Last but not least, I would like to thank all the people in my family and my friends
who have spared no time and efforts to help and encourage me while the thesis is written.

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Abstract
Pictures have been widely used in English language teaching and learning in
many countries in the world including Vietnam. But, how pictures are used

to teach

speaking effectively to the young learners in the primary school is a problem for many
ELT teachers in Viet Nam. Basing on the theoretical frame work of child language
acquisition, English language teaching methodology gained in the M.A training course
and the personal experience obtained in the teaching job, the writer of this thesis hopes to
make an investigation into the use of pictures to teach speaking to the young children in
Han Thuyen Primary school. This action research focuses on four problems (1) the
teaching methods employed when pictures are used to develop the speaking skills for the
children, (2) the kind of pictures used in the speaking lesson, (3) the purposes of pictorial
use in the speaking class and, (4) last but not least the teachers’ and students’ attitudes

toward the use of pictures for English language instruction in a Vietnamese school where
there is a lack of natural language environment. In this research the data were gathered
using three data collection instrument namely, questionnaire, interview and observation.
The collected data on the use of pictures to teach speaking to the young children in the
school were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistic analysis with the help of
the Microsoft Excel. The research concluded that the systematic use of pictures as a
supplementary teaching source has actively contributed to the successful teaching and
learning of English to the young children in Han Thuyen School despite many difficulties
on the part of teachers and students.

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List of abbreviations
In English
A-L: Audio- lingual
ALM: Audio-lingual Method
AP: Arranging pictures
A-V: Audio- visual
B.A: Bachelor of Arts
C-M: Communicative method
DP: Describing pictures
ELT: English language teaching
HT: Hàn Thuyên
p.: page
Ph.D.: Doctor of philosophy
Pra: Practice

Pre: Presentation
Pro: Production
Q&A: Question and answer
T; Teacher
Three Ps: Presentation, Practice, Production.
TPR: Total physical respond
TV: Television program
In Vietnamese
NXB ĐHQG: Nhà xuất bản đại học quốc gia

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List of tables and charts
Tables
Table 1: Personal background of Han Thuyen teachers
Table 2: The classification of teachers in Han Thuyen School
Table 3: The students’ number in different groups and the amount of their learning time
Table 4: Han Thuyen teachers’ teaching methodology
Table 5: Han Thuyen teachers’ techniques to teach speaking skills
Table 6: The amount of time spent on using pictures to teach speaking
Table 7: Han Thuyen students’ activities in speaking lessons
Table 8: Kinds of pictures to teach speaking
Table 9: Purposes for using pictures in speaking lessons
Table 10: The teachers’ evaluation of the textbook pictures

Charts

Chart 1: The procedures for teaching speaking skills in Han Thuyen School
Chart 2: Evaluation of the children’s speaking skills in Han Thuyen School
Chart 3: Children’s attitudes and reactions toward pictorial use

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Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Background to the study
Nowadays English has become one of the most popular languages in the world
and it is almost considered to be the international language. It is widely used in
science, technology, diplomacy, tourism, foreign trade, etc. It seems easier for people
from different countries to communicate, understand, study and exchange cultural and
spiritual values through English. In Vietnam since we have carried out economic
reforms and open- door policies to attract foreign investment and cooperate with other
countries, learning English has become more and more popular. English has been
widely taught everywhere in Vietnam. Different methods have been employed but the
result is still far from satisfactory. Pictures as visual supplementary teaching materials
so far have been used for different teaching purposes. Pictures have been used as a
story stimulus to generate writing ideas or evoke emotional expression or as an
effective guided writing tool to facilitate students’ writing process and to improve
their writing proficiency. Pictures are a good and useful tool for examination purposes
because they encourage the learner to predict, infer, and deduce information from a
variety of sources. Pictures help to bring the outside world into the classroom, thus
help to make the situation more real and in turn help the learner to use appropriate
associated language. Pictures have been used to present different linguistic elements.
Pictures have been so widely used that textbooks are filled with pictures. However

they have not been appropriately exploited to teach speaking effectively in many
primary schools in Vietnam. Statistics issued by the Ministry of Education and
Training showed that the quality of English language teaching and learning in
Vietnamese schools has been very poor. A lot of time and money has been spent on
teaching English to not only young children in the primary school but also the
students in secondary schools but the result is far from desired. However, there are
some schools which succeed in helping young learners to learn English effectively as
a means of communication. In these schools the government- selected textbooks have
been taught. Some supplementary textbooks in the training programs are the same as
those used in other primary schools throughout Viet Nam. But the communicative
abilities of the students in these schools are surprisingly good. Han Thuyen School is
one of them. What has led to this success may be contributed to many causes, but the

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extensive use of a lot pictures to teach speaking can be clearly seen. This has inspired
the writer to investigate how pictures have been used to teach English speaking to the
young children in Han Thuyen primary school.
1.2 Aims of the study
The importance of English has made it a compulsory subject in not only most
secondary schools, but in many primary schools as well. However, the quality of
teaching and learning English is still far from desired. After years of learning English,
the students can not acquire enough English to communicate effectively, because the
teaching of speaking does not receive due attention. Many school teachers do not
view speaking skills as important ones as the speaking skill is not included in the end

of term or final tests. So it is understandable that little attention is paid to the teaching
and learning of speaking skills. Basing on the theoretical basis the writer of this
research intends to do an action research on how pictures are used to teach speaking
to the young children in a private primary school in Hanoi. The writer not only wants
to know about the kinds of pictures which have been used but the procedure and
techniques which have been applied to teach speaking in the school as well. In
addition the research also investigates the attitudes of the teachers and the students
toward pictures in the speaking lesson and the problems faced by the teachers when
using pictures. These aims may be summarized into the following research questions:
1. How are pictures used to teach speaking to the children in Han Thuyen primary
school?
2. What kinds of pictures are most frequently used?
3. What are the main purposes for using pictures in the speaking class?
4. What are the teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward the use of pictures in the
speaking classes?
1.3 Scope of the study
Pictures include many things which can be used for teaching purposes for
example actions, real objects, different kinds of boards, modern equipment, etc. Due to
the time limit this research only focuses on the use of pictures to teach speaking to the
young children in Han Thuyen School. The use of real objects, charts, diagrams will not
be taken into consideration. The study deals with the use of pictures to teach speaking
to young children who study from grade 1 to grade 5 only. Older children and adult

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learners have their own ways of learning. That is why in this study all the problems
relating to them will be overlooked. Pictures which are used to teach reading, writing
and listening separately are also not discussed in this minor research, either.
1.4 Significance of the study
There are many ways to enhance teaching and learning speaking skills for the
Vietnamese young learners in Vietnamese primary schools in general and Han
Thuyen Primary School in particular. Among these ways, using pictures to teach
speaking has been applied and it has proved to be effective, exciting and productive.
This study will help the writer and other practicing teachers get more insight into the
theory of using pictures to teach speaking to young English language learners in
general and to the young children in Han Thuyen Primary School in particular. This
study also sheds light on the method, procedures and teaching techniques which have
been used to develop speaking skills to the young children in the primary level.
Furthermore, this study reveals many problems faced by the teachers when pictures
are used to teach speaking to the young children in a Vietnamese school where there
is a lack of native language environment. This will be beneficial to practicing
teachers. It is also hoped that this research will help school authorities and policy
makers know more about the advantages and disadvantages of pictures in English
language teaching in a primary school and the difficulties that the conscientious
teachers have to encounter so that they can work out suitable policies to support or
assist the teachers in designing and selecting pictures for ELT purposes.
1.5 Outline of the thesis.
The thesis consists of 5 main chapters.
Chapter 1, Introduction, presents the background, the aims of the study and the
research questions. The scope, the significance and the outline of the study are also
mentioned.
Chapter 2, Literature review deals with the theory of child language learning and the
theories which are related to the teaching of speaking skills and the use of pictures to
teach speaking to young children.
Chapter 3, Methodology, deals with the respondents, the data collection instruments,

data collection procedures and procedure of data analysis which are used to obtain
information for the research.

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Chapter 4, Data analysis is devoted to the analysis of the data which are collected
through the data collection instruments with the aim of finding out the information
which helps to answer the four research questions.
Chapter 5, Conclusion and suggestion deal with the finding of the research and make
some suggestions for the use of pictures to teach speaking.

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Chapter 2: Literature review
In this chapter young children’s language learning and acquisition will be
considered. The review of pictorial usage in English language teaching in general and
in teaching speaking skill in particular is also mentioned. These considerations will
lay the theoretical foundation for the study in the following chapters.
2.1 Child language learning
2.1.1 First language acquisition

The marvelous capacity for acquiring competence in one’s native language
within the first few years of life has been a subject of interest for many centuries.
According to Brown (1987) modern research on child language acquisition dates back
to the late eighteenth century when the German philosopher Dietrich Tiedemann his
observations of the psychological and linguistic development of his young son … for
the most part research was limited to diary like recordings of observed speech with
some attempts to classify word types. Only in the second half of the century did
researchers begin to analyze child language systematically and try to discover the
nature of the psycholinguistic process which enables every human being to gain fluent
control of an exceedingly complex system of communication.
Since then hundreds of linguists and psychologists have been studying
linguistic, psychological, sociological, and physiological aspects of first language
acquisition. By about age three children can comprehend different linguistic behaviors
and can communicate rather naturally. This fluency continues into school age as
children can produce and comprehend complex structures, expand their vocabulary,
and sharpen communicative speaking skills. By the time children enter primary
school, they are sophisticated language users, operating a communicative system
which no other creature or computer comes close to matching. The speed of
acquisition for all children has led to the belief that there is some innate predisposition
in the human infant to acquire language. Chomsky (1965) claims that the existence of
innate properties of language to explain the child’s mastery of his native language in
such a short time despite the highly abstract nature of the rules of language. This
innate knowledge according to Chomsky is embodied in a “little black box” of sorts, a
language acquisition device. Lenneberg (1967) also proposes that language is a
species- specific behavior and that certain modes of perception, categorizing abilities,

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and other language related mechanism are biologically determined. McNeil (1970)
describes in detail the four innate linguistic properties: (1) the ability to distinguish
speech sounds from other sounds in the environment, (2) the ability to organize
linguistic events into various classes which can later be refined, (3) knowledge that a
certain kind of linguistic system is possible and that other kinds are not, (4) the ability
to engage in constant evaluation
construct

the simplest

possible

of the developing linguistic system
system

so as to

out of the linguistic data that are

encountered. So far there have been many other approaches to child language
acquisition.
Brown (1987) is right when he evaluated the contribution of Chomsky,
McNeill and their colleagues to the theory of child language acquisition. In his
opinion Chomsky, McNeill and their colleagues helped us to see that the child’s
language, at a given point, is a system in its own right. The child linguistic
development is not a process of developing fewer and fewer incorrect structures not a
language in which earlier stages have more mistakes than later stages. Rather, the

child’s language at any stage is systematic in that the child is constantly forming
hypotheses in speech and comprehension. As the child’s language develops these
hypotheses get continually revised, reshaped, or sometimes abandoned.
2.1.2 Second language acquisition
The wave of research in child language acquisition has led foreign language
teachers and teacher’s trainers to study some of the general findings of such research
with a view to drawing analogies between first and second language acquisition, and
even to justifying certain teaching methods and techniques on the basis of first
language learning principles. It is true that all children, given a normal developmental
environment acquire their native language naturally, without special instruction from
teachers or trainers. But there are considerable differences between first and second
language learning.
Ellis (1994) confirms that in the case of L2 acquisition, the silent period is not
obligatory, as the learner already knows about language, having already acquired one.
Yet many learners- especially children- opt for a silent period.
Krashen (1982) claims that formulaic speech occurs when learners are forced
to speak before they are ready and that left to their own devices, they will remain
silent. But Krashen’s view seems to ignore the fact that it is perfectly natural for any
language user to seek to simplify the burden of processing language- by using
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formulas to establish islands of reliability for example. Learners, like native speakers,
learn formulas because it reduces the learning burden while maximizing
communicative ability. Pupils starting to learn a foreign language are often highly
motivated. We can help children maintain their initial motivation by encouraging

them to become more actively and personally involved in their own learning, and by
helping them build up their confidence and to perceive progress. The younger the
learners are, the easier it seems to learn a language. Young children who are exposed
to more than one language before the age of puberty seem to acquire all the languages
equally well. Learning a second language differs qualitatively from learning the first
language. Psychological, physical and sociological factors are considered in addition
to the linguistics structure of second language and how it differs from the first
language. Individuals who are self- conscious about making mistakes often find
learning second language difficult. Children are unconcerned or unaware that they are
making mistakes. With the teachers’ help, children can learn from their mistakes to be
better. It is clear that children acquire their first language without explicit learning. A
second language is usually learned but to some degree may also be acquired or
depending on the environment setting and the input received. Brown (1987) says that
the plasticity of the brain prior to puberty enables children to acquire not only their
first language but also a second language and that possibly it is the very
accomplishment of lateralization that makes it difficult for people to be able ever
again acquires fluent control of a second language.
Krashen (1982) proposes a distinction between acquisitions the process by
which children unconscious acquire their native language and learning by which
children unconsciously acquire their native language, knowing the rules, being aware
of them and being able to talk about them. ELT teachers should know about this
difference so that they can help the young learners learn or acquire the second or
foreign language properly and effectively. When the children are still young more
attention should be paid to helping them acquire the language unconsciously through
games, imitation, and real life activities and so on.
2.2 Speaking skills and the teaching of speaking skills
2.2.1 Definition of speaking skills
Speaking skills are man’s ability in using language as a means of
communication. When defining speaking skills, “ We do not merely know how to
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assemble sentences in the abstract: we have to produce them and adapt them in the
circumstances. This means making decisions rapidly, implementing them smoothly
and adjusting our conversation as unexpected problems appeared in our path” Bygate
(1987, p.3) Obviously, in the learning process, learners do not learn by heart every
word; sentence and then gather them in the abstract but they learn how to speak in a
particular situation. It means that speaking skills help students to learn language as a
means of communication in real life. Speaking skills develop people’s ability to speak
fluently, correctly and clearly and they can speak out in every situation.
2.2.2 Teaching speaking skills
Rivers (1968) mentions the elements of speaking skills. She deems it
necessary to have a clear understanding of the processes involved in speech. In the
teaching of speaking skill, we are engaged in two processes: forging an instrument
and giving the student practice in its use. Then the teaching of speaking skill involves
two levels of activity. The forging of the instrument requires much practice in the
arbitrary associations of the new language: lexical items, morphological and
syntactical patterns, sentence types. At this stage the student is asked merely to
manipulate the elements of the foreign language code, so that he can express a
number of possible meanings imposed upon him by the exercise or by the teacher.
When he has acquired facility in these mechanical associations he needs practice in
setting in motion a number of interacting systems of a hierarchical nature. Rivers also
states clearly that speaking to express a personal intention is not sequential or linear
process, one item generating the next throughout the utterance; rather is it a
hierarchical process. So it takes time and effort to develop this skill for the learners,
especially the young ones. In English language teaching teachers must be fully aware

of the main micro skills of speaking if they want to form or develop these skills for
their students.
Brown (1994) quotes the list of the macro skills of speaking put forward by
Richards (1983) (see appendix 5). He draws the teachers’ attention to the importance
of focusing on both the forms of the language as well as the functions of the language.
When teaching speaking teachers are advised not to limit the student’s attention to the
whole picture, even though that whole picture is important. Teachers may help
students see the pieces right down to the small parts of language that make up the
whole.

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2.2.3 Factors affecting the development of speaking skills
There are many factors which affect the development of the speaking skills of
the young children. Below are the major ones.
2.2.3.1 Age
Many researchers believe that the younger the children are the easier for them
to learn English: Diller (1981), Cummins (1981), Flege (1987) assume that a critical
point for second language acquisition occurs around puberty, beyond which people
seem to be relatively incapable of acquiring a native like accent of the second
language.
Brown (1994) acknowledges that young children have many advantages in
second language learning. First of all, children’s widespread success in acquiring
second languages belies a tremendous subconscious effort devoted to the task and
their fluency and naturalness are often the envy of adults struggling with second

languages. Generally speaking, children under the age of puberty stand at excellent
chance of sounding like a native if they have continued exposure in authentic
contexts. These advantages of young children should be taken into consideration and
made use of when ELT teachers teach young children in the primary level.
2.2.3.2 Intellectual development
Brown (1994) argues that since children up to the age of about eleven are still
in an intellectual stage of what is called concrete operations you need to remember
their limitations. Rules, explanations and other even slightly abstract talk about
language must be approached with extreme caution. Children are centered on the here
and now on the functional purposes of language. They have little appreciation for our
adult notions of correctness and they certainly cannot grasp the met language we use
to describe and explain linguistic concepts. So instructions on language theory should
be avoided and more repetition and meaningful practice ought to be given.
2.2.3.3 Attention span.
Brown (1994) says that children have short attention spans; the short attention
spans come up when you present the stuff which is boring, useless or too difficult.
Since language lessons can at time difficult for children, your job then is one of
making them interesting, lively, and fun. In order to help young teachers teach
children more effectively. He makes some interesting suggestions. Because children
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are focused on the immediate here and now, activities should be designed to capture
their immediate interest. A lesson needs to have a variety of activities to keep interest
and attention alive. A teacher needs to be animated, lively and enthusiastic about the
subject matter. Consider the classroom a stage in which you are the lead actor, your

energy will be infectious to others. While you may think that you’re overdoing it,
children need this exaggeration to keep spirits buoyed and minds alert. A sense of
humor will go a long way to keep children laughing and learning. Since children’s
humor is quite different from adults, remember to put yourself in their shoes. Children
have a lot of natural curiosity. “Make sure you tap into that curiosity whenever
possible and you will thereby help to maintain attention and focus”
(Brown 1994, p.92)
2.2.3.4 Motivation and concern for speaking
According to Brown (1987) motivation is commonly thought of as an inner
drive, impulse, emotion, or desire that moves one to a particular action. It is easy to
figure that success in a task is due to the fact that someone is motivated. It is easy in
second language learning to claim that a learner will be successful with the proper
motivation. Such claims are of course not erroneous, for countless studies and
experiments in human learning have shown that motivation is a key to learning. If that
motivation and concern is high, then the necessary efforts will be expanded in pursuit
of goals. Teachers can help learners to perceive or develop that motivation by
showing, among other things how clarity of speech is significant in shaping their self
image and ultimately, in reaching some of their higher goals. All the above factors
suggest that any learners who really want to can learn to speak English clearly and
comprehensively. You can assist in the process by gearing your planned and
unplanned instruction towards all factors, especially motivation.
2.3 Pictures and different views on the use of pictures in ELT
2.3.1 Pictures as visual aids
A picture is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as a painting, drawing, sketch,
etc, especially as a work of art. In the dictionary of applied linguistics, visual aids are
objects, pictures, cut-outs, cards, drawings, charts, maps, etc, which are used by the
teacher in the class for educational purposes. Pictures as visual aids are visual images
or pictorial forms which include various types such as drawings, photos pictures,

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paintings, posters, advertisements, stick figures, slides, flash cards, and so on. They
are mainly used as supplementary teaching materials.
According to Mayer& Monero (2002) pictorial forms may be static materials
or dynamic materials such as video or animation. The students perceive knowledge
through watching and exploiting these things following teachers’ instructions.
2.3.1 Different views on the use of pictures in ELT
2.3.1.1 Traditional points of view
Rivers (1968) proves that many generations of language teachers have been
influenced by the grammar- translation method to L1 or L2 language teaching and
learning. This method is clearly rooted in the formal teaching of Latin and Greek
which prevailed in Europe for many centuries. Latin and Greek were not learned for
communicative purposes between scholars. The utility was considered at that time an
inappropriate criterion to be applied to an area of advanced study. The learning of
Latin and Greek was then justified as an intellectual discipline: the mind being
trained, it was asserted, by logical analysis of the language, much memorization of
complicated rules and paradigms, and the application of these in translation exercises.
In other words, learners are taught about the language. The teaching of an ancient
language for communication was not considered, the original pronunciation of which
was even in doubt. The reading and translation of texts was, therefore, of great
importance, as were writing exercises in imitation of these texts. Pictures were not
used for language teaching purposes. If any of them were used, they were for
illustrative purposes only.
2.3.1.2 Views of the direct method advocates
Brown (1994) clearly stated that the basic premise of the Direct Method was

similar to that of Gouin’s Series Method, namely, that second language learning
should be more like first language learning- lots of oral interaction, spontaneous use
of the language, no translation between first and second language, and little or no
analysis of grammatical rules.
Later, Richards and Rodgers (1986) also summarize the principles of the
Direct Method and mention the use of pictures objects and miming to make clear the
meanings of concrete vocabulary.

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Rivers (1968) pointed out that the direct method continues to flourish in its
modified form in many areas. To counteract the tendency toward inaccuracy and
vagueness; teachers reintroduced some grammatical explanations of a strictly
functional kind in the native language, given while retaining inductive approach
wherever possible. Where it was difficult to make the meaning of words and phrases
clear by sketches or gesture they would give a short explanation in the native
language. Clearly, direct method reveals some limitations of pictorial use in language
instructions, which should be taken into consideration by ELT teachers.
2.3.1.3 The Audio lingual method followers’ viewpoints
The Audio-lingual Method (ALM) was firmly grounded in linguistic and
psychological theory. Structural linguistic of the 1940s and 1950s were engaged in
what they claimed was a scientific descriptive analysis of various languages: teaching
methodologists saw a direct application of such analysis to teaching linguistic patterns
Fries (1945) At the same time, advocated conditioning and habit- formation
models of learning that were perfectly married with the mimicry drills and pattern

practices of audio lingual methodology.
Prator and Murcia (1979) summarize the characteristics of ALM and mention
the use of tapes, language labs and visual aides to help introduce structural patterns,
vocabulary, and new material and so on. In a word, in this method great importance is
attached to pronunciation and there is a great effort to get students to produce errorfree utterances. Structures are selected and sequenced my means of contrastive
analysis and language practice was firmly grounded in behaviorism and structuralism.
Visual pictures are widely used in ALM, but they are used mainly to help students
learn carefully graded structures and vocabulary in situations and contexts and much
attention is paid to accuracy. Much practice is done through repetition memorization
and manipulation of structures presented in dialogues.
2.3.1.4 Viewpoints of the Audio- visual method advocates
In its simplest form the audio- visual method has been employed for many
years in classrooms where objects, pictures, actions and gestures have been
systematically used with aural-oral work to elucidate meaning.
Rivers (1968) explained that the advocates of audio- visual method put
forward several reasons for considering the visual elements essential to the efficient

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learning of listening and speaking. It is believed that the pictures associated with the
recorded voice eliminate the need to use the native language because the direct bond
is established for the student between the meanings and what is demonstrated in the
image, and the foreign language utterance. The intention is to train the student to think
in the foreign language, with recourse to his native tongue from the first lesson. The
need for the script is eliminated, because the spoken words become associated, not

only with preceding and succeeding utterances, but also with the pictures stimulus so
that it is possible later to eliminate the recorded voice and to use the picture series to
evoke the sequence of utterances. In this way the strain on the auditory memory is less
than with a purely aural presentation with oral practice. With the elimination of the
script certain problems of native language interference in pronunciation, arising from
similarities in appearance of words, do not arise.
Rivers (1968) further analyses that in this method a lot of pictures are used to
assist skill development. Students are highly motivated. With well-drawn pictures
they find language classes interesting and enjoyable. When they see the situations in
which the phrases they are memorizing are appropriate, they feel they are learning
something which is useful and practical. As they associate phrases with people and
incidents in the pictures, rather than learning them as abstraction, they see how these
utterances serve real purposes. They feel a more immediate involvement than when
they learn from a printed script because they see the people talking, they can address
utterances to them, and they can hear replies to their utterances from the recorded
voice.
Rivers (1968) on the one hand emphasizes the advantages of the audio-visual
method. She thinks that the picture, with accompanying voice, has a greater sensory
impact than lines on printed page or even than that of the voice alone. The student can
see not only situations, but also gestures and expressions which have an essential role
in the clarification of elements of meaning conveyed by intonation and tone of voice.
Through his observation of personal relationships, the student also acquires some
understanding of the register or level of language for which particular utterances are
appropriate. The attention of the students is kept focused on the picture, so that all the
members of the class are concentrating on the same thing at the same time. With all
the advantages outlined, the audio- visual method maintains the specific advantages of
aural- oral work. The students hear the foreign language continually and speak it
often. They hear foreign language sounds from the first lesson in meaningful
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sequences with the appropriate intonation patterns and concentrating as they are on
situation and meaning, they begin to pronounce and speak without selfconsciousness. On the other hand, she points out the disadvantage of this method. She
says that in some cases if the meanings are abstract visual pictures can not help to
elucidate meanings and misunderstanding of meanings frequently occurs.
2.3.1.5 The “Designer” methods of the 1970
The Chomskyan revolution in linguistics drew the attention of linguists and
language teachers to the “deep structure” of language, while psychologists took
account of the effective and interpersonal nature of learning. As a result, new methods
were proposed to emphasize on the importance of psychological factors in language
learning.
Nunan (1989) referrers to these methods as designer methods, on the grounds
that they took a one- side- fits- all approach. These are two of the designer method.
They are suggestopedia and the silent way. In suggestopedia way pictures are not
used, relaxation is the chief means of retaining new knowledge and materials. The
students sit in comfortable seats when teachers try to present vocabulary, readings,
role- plays and drama with classical music in the background.
The silent way is the name given to a method of language teaching developed
by Thanasoulas (2002) The teacher is supposed to be silent hence the name of the
method- and must disabuse himself of the tendency to explain everything to them.
The silent way makes use of mime, gesture, and all kinds of visual aids including
color- coded pronunciation wall charts, and in particular. These are a set of rods of
different lengths and colors, which are used by teachers to encourage students to talk.
Particularly in the early stages, the learners talk intensively about rods, using a simple,
controlled vocabulary and some basic verbs. Learners then build up more complex
structures. During this process, the teacher remains relatively silent with the aim of

encouraging the student of the language to be increasingly self- reliant and
independent of the teacher.
2.3.1.6 The communicative approach
The point of view that language is first and foremost as a system for
communication has led to the emergency of the communication approach. This is an
approach to foreign language teaching, which emphasizes the learner’s ability to use

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the language appropriately in specific situations. It often uses authentic classroom
materials and activities to reflect real life situations and demands. Finocchiaro (1984)
and Brumfit (1984) had presented on of the most comprehensive lists of CLT features
compared with the audio lingual method. Later on Nunan (1991) offers five features
to characterize CLT:
1. An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target
language.
2. The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation.
3. The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language but
also on the learning process itself.
4. An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as important
contributing elements to classroom learning.
5. An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activation outside
the classroom.
According to the advocates of this approach, more attention is paid to fluency
and less attention is paid to accuracy. Errors may be permissible on condition that the

student learns the target language and knows how to get the message across. Teachers
use real objects, pictures, flash cards, activities and students as visual aids in most
effective way to develop students’ communicative competence. Pictures are an
indispensable part of teaching foreign language today. In addition, the advocates of
this method emphasizes information gap in ELT lessons and learners’ needs to use
English as a means of communication in real life situations.
2.3.2 Different uses of pictures in English language teaching
2.3.2.1 Using pictures to motivate the learners
In communicative language teaching, speaker motivation is considered the
most important factor to succeed in language learning. This is due to the fact that the
learners who are interested in learning tend to do better than those who are not.
Pictures as visual aids are obviously stimulus to form language learners’ motivation.
Lee and Coppen (1970) emphasized that visual aids can bring more variety
and interest into language lessons. Colorful, lively and interesting images of pictures,
real objects, etc. catch learners’ eyes, attract them and encourage them to talk freely
and naturally without the fear of making mistakes, moreover, learners will be quickly
bored with the lessons that they have nothing to attend to but the teacher, textbook
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and themselves. Pictures can refresh the atmosphere, warm up the atmosphere by
living and interesting images that attract students’ attention and interest. When
students are keen on what are presented in the classroom they will be eager to talk and
discuss that.
2.3.2.2 Using pictures to create language contexts to teach linguistic elements and
language skills

Krashen (1982) found that pictures are important because they can provide
comprehensive input by assisting the learners to connect meaning with form. The
presence of pictures in the foreign language classroom is necessary because of the
diverse learning styles of the students. Research regarding the use of pictures in
foreign language instruction points to effective results with learners such as Lee
(1970) and Krahen (1982). Pictures can be used to enhance speaking, reading, writing
and listening activities in the foreign language classroom. Pictures can help students
gain input, organize ideas, visualize ideas, and deduce more complex concepts.
Krashen (1982) agree that in order for foreign language students to gain
proficiency, pictures must be implemented in the classroom and be used in purposeful
and effective manner. According to them in the foreign language classroom pictures
cater to the diverse needs of learners. When considering the needs of diverse learners
in the foreign language classroom, it is imperative that the most effective classroom
methodologies be determined to facilitate an increase in students’ language ability.
One of the major functions of pictures is helping students to practice what they have
learnt.
Bowen (1985) presents that pictures allow the teacher to talk less, by
diminishing the importance of the verbal stimuli provided by the teacher voice and
allow the students to talk more. When used, pictures attract students’ attention and
therefore, lower the role of the verbal stimuli provided by the teacher’s voice. As a
result, they allow students to talk more. Moreover, pictures also help teachers to
create circumstances and wake up students’ passion of expressing their own ideas;
students have more time and more chance to practice language skills. They help to
teach listening, speaking, writing and reading and allow the teacher to integrate these
skills constructively. Consequently, students have opportunities to practice all four
skills and gradually perfect their language.

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