Second language teaching methods

Second/Foreign
Language
Teaching
Methodologies
Presented by: Li Shengxi
Luan Lei
Ma Huan
Ye Min
MA 03


Outline
Ⅰ. Introduction
Ⅱ. The Grammar-Translation Method
Ⅲ. The Direct Methods
Ⅳ. Audio-lingual Method
Ⅴ. Communicative Language Teaching
Ⅵ. Other Teaching Methods
Ⅶ. Summary


Ⅰ. Introduction
i. What Is Teaching Method?
Teaching method is a way of teaching a
language which is based on systematic
principles and procedures, i.e., which is an
application of views on how a language is
best taught and learned.


ii. Seven Teaching Methodologies

 The Grammar-Translation Method
 The Direct Methods
 Audio-lingualism
 The Situational Language Teaching
 Communicative Language Teaching
 Humanistic Approaches
 Task-based Teaching


Ⅱ. The Grammar-Translation
Method
i. Background
The grammar-translation method of foreign
language teaching is one of the most tradi-tional
methods, dating back to the late nine-teenth and
early twentieth centuries. It was originally used to
teach 'dead' languages (and literatures) such as
Latin and Greek, and this may account for its heavy
bias to-wards written work to the virtual exclusion
of oral production.


ii. The Principal Characteristics
 Classes are taught in the students' mother tongue.
 Vocabulary is taught in the form of isolated word

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lists.
Elaborate explanations of grammar are always
provided.
Reading of difficult texts is begun early in the course
of study.
Little attention is paid to the content of texts.
Often the only drills are exercises in translating
disconnected sentences.
Little or no attention is given to pronunciation.


iii. Drawbacks
 No class time is allocated to allow students to

produce their own sentences.
 There is often little contextualization of the
grammar
 The type of error correction can be harmful
to the students’ learning processes.


II. The Direct Method
i. Background: a reaction to the grammartranslation approach in an attempt to integrate
more use of the target language in instruction.

ii. The Principal Characteristics
 Only use the target language in class.
 The learner should be actively involved in using the

language in realistic everyday situations.
 Students are encouraged to think in the target
language.
 First speaking is taught and then only reading and
writing.


iii. Drawbacks
 L2 should be learned in way in which L1 was ac-

quired - by total immersion technique.
 It rejects use of the printed word - but this objec-tion
is illogical since L2 learner has already mas-tered his
reading skills.
 Later disciples of Direct Method took it to extremes
and refused to speak a single word of English in
lessons.
 Also Direct Methodists failed to grade and struc-ture
their materials adequately - no selection, grading or
controlled presentation of vocabulary and structures.


iv. Strategies Using Direct Method
 Q & A: The teacher asks questions of any nature and
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the students answer.
Dictation: The teacher chooses a grade appro-priate
passage and reads the text aloud.
Reading Aloud: Students take turn reading sec-tions
of a passage, play or dialog out loud.
Getting Students to Self-Correct: The teacher should
have the students self-correct by offering them a
choice between what they said and the proper
pronunciation.
Map Drawing


III. Audiolingual Method
i. Background
This method is based on the principles of
behavior psychology. It adapted many of
the principles and procedures of the
Direct Method, in part as a re-action to
the lack of speaking skills of the Reading
Approach.


ii. The Method Characteristics
Dependence on mimicry and memorization of set

phrases
Teaching structural patterns by means of repetitive
drills
No grammatical explanation
Learning vocabulary in context

Use of tapes and visual aids
Focus on pronunciation
Immediate reinforcement of correct responses


iii. Strategies
 Dialog Memorization
 Backward Build Up
 Transformation Drill
 Complete the Dialog
 Dictation
 Flashcards


Ⅳ. Communicative Language
Teaching
i. Background
The communicative approach could be said to be the product of
educators and linguists who had grown dissatisfied with the audiolingual and grammar-translation methods of foreign language
instruction.
The origins of Communicative Language Teaching are to be found
in the changes in the British languages teaching tradi-tion dating
from the late 1960s. Interest in and development of
communicative-style teaching mushroomed in the 1970s; authentic
language use and classroom exchanges where students engaged in
real communication with one another became quite popular.


ii. The Principal Characteristics
 Learner-Centered

The role of the instructor in CLT is quite different from traditional teaching methods. In the
traditional classroom, the teacher is in charge
and "controls" the learning. In CLT the teacher
serves as more of a facilitator, allowing stu-dents
to be in charge of their own learning.


• Communication
Language is used for
communication. For this
reason, CLT makes use of
communication to teach
languages. CLT
emphasizes real-life situations and communica-tion
in context. While grammar is still important in
the CLT classroom, the
emphasis is on communicating a message.  


• Social Context
CLT also stresses
social and situational
contexts of communication. In CLT, students learn about
language in social
contexts, such as the
difference between
speaking with an elder
and a peer.

iii. CLT and Multimedia
Multimedia is an ideal way to teach lan-guage
using CLT as the theory. It allows for realistic
simulations of communicative situ-ations.
Many such programs are games, such as "A la
rencontre de Philipe" or "Who is Oscar
Lake?". They place the learner in a situation
in which understanding basic communication, and social and cultural contexts
are vital to advancing in the game.


Ⅵ. Other Teaching Methods
i. Humanism is described in applied

linguistics as ‘language teaching respecting
the integrity of learners, allowing for personal growth and responsibility, taking
psychological and affective factors into
account, and representing “whole person
learning”’. The roots of humanism in language teaching are various. One central one is
the ‘discovery-learning’ movement.


Characteristics
(take that of the Silent Way as an example)
 The students have to be fully alert to make
the most of what the teacher says to play the
major part in the learning.
 Various aids are used as simple pointers, or to
make shapes, helping the learners de-duce the

meanings for themselves.
 The method has many traditional aspects,
including use of traditional structural syllabuses.


ii. Task-based Teaching
Task-based teaching has become a subject of keen
contemporary interest, and different task-based
approaches exist today. One underlying principle
holds for all the approaches – to place the emphasis
firmly on activities or tasks that learners do in class.
One thing should be men-tioned is that, there are a
number of features that will make tasks more or less
difficult. So that we can progressively give our
learners tasks where there are more and more things
to think about, and consequently less and less
attention available for form.


Ⅶ. Summary
i. Comparison of Different Teaching Method
Figure 1. Teacher & Learner Roles in Different Teaching Methods
Method

Teacher’s Roles

Learner’s Roles

Situational language
Teaching

Context Setter
Error Corrector

Imitator
Memorizer

Audio-lingualism

Language Modeler
Drill Leader

Pattern Practicer
Accuracy Enthusiast

Communicative Language
Teaching

Needs Analyst
Task Designer

Improviser
Negotiator

Total Physical Response

Commander
Action Monitor

Commander

Action Monitor

Community Language
Learning

Counselor
Paraphraser

Collaborator
Whole Person

The Natural Approach

Actor
Props User

Guesser
Immerser

Suggestopedia

Auto-hypnotist
Authority Figure

Relaxer
True-Believer


ii. What's Now, What's Next?
The future is always uncertain, and this is no less

true in anticipating methodological directions in
second language teaching than in any other field.
Some current predictions assume the carrying on
and refinement of current trends; others appear a
bit more science-fiction-like in their vision.
However, the future of L2 teaching methodologies, as
yet not fully explored, is associated with what might
be called a ‘cognitive approach to language
learning’. Perhaps this cognitive, or informationprocessing approach is where the future lies.