4.2 The approaches / methods • 4.2.1 The grammar- translation method
•
• A method which emphasizes the teaching of L2 grammar
and translation practices from and into the L2 L is a system of rules to be observed in texts and to be related to L1 rules and meanings. L learning is an intellectual activity involving logical analysis of the language, extensive memorization of complicated rules and paradigms, and the application of these rules and paradigms in translation exercises Little thought was given to teaching aural/oral communication
4.2.3 The reading approach
• A method that deliberately restricts the goal of
language teaching to training in reading comprehension.
• A method which puts stress on autonomous
silent reading and individual reading rate, characterized by detailed instructions on reading strategies, vocabulary control, graded reading materials, and rapid reading techniques.
• Some classifications relate to the ‘how’ in
the FLT: analytic vs synthetic; in the former the learner is expected to achieve a command of the rules of the language directly from contact with samples of the language, while in the latter, he/she attains such a command indirectly, i.e. via explicit instruction in the rules of the language to be learned. Similar distinctions are: direct vs indirect, inductive vs deductive, empiricist vs rationalist.
• There have been some attempts at the
classification of methods. Some classifications relate to the ‘what’ of FLT: formal vs functional; the formal approach considers knowledge about a language to be more important than practical skills in that language, whereas the functional approach considers practical skills, esp. oral skills, to be the main objective.
• Following the prevailing notions of physical
• The Germans changed money at the bank
scientists, the structuralist linguists adopted a strongly empirical and inductive approach to the description of language. The paralell with physics is very clear: physical objects ‘cut’ into smaller and smaller pieces until the ultimate – the atom – is reached. The structuralist procedure –called immediate constituent analysis or IC analysis – is to ‘cut’ the components of the sentences into their immediate constituents, one ‘cut’ at a time, until the process cannot be continued and the fundamental ‘building-blocks’ of the sentence – the morphemes – have been reached:
• Generally the preference in the 18th c and a
major part of the 19th c was for the grammar-translation method, and that the direct method became the vogue round about 1900. • It is interesting to note that the change in methods is little time bound and for our days the two methods continue to exist in some form or other.
B Psychological input 1 Psychological theories 2 Pedagogical presentation of psychological theories 3 Selected elements from B2: Psycholinguistics Approach Syllabus Method Materials The Genesis of an Approach
Foreign Language Teaching Theories
Chapter 4 Survey of FLT Approaches
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
A Linguistic input 1 Linguistic theories 2 Pedagogical presentation of linguistic theories 3 Selected elements from A2: Applied linguistics
•
• 4.2.2 The direct method • A method that emphasizes direct
association of L2 utterances with denoted objects, actions, and persons. • L is spoken. L teaching should be based on phonetics. L learning is analogous to L1 acquisition, which should give emphasis on sounds and simple sentences and direct association of language with objects and persons of the immediate environment.
Cut
• • • • • • • •
1 The Germans 2 The Germans 3 The Germans 4 The Germans 5 The Germans 6 The \Germans 7 The \Germans 8 The \German\s Cut 6 8 \changed money \changed money \changed \money \changed \money \changed \money \changed \money \chang\ed \money \chang\ed \money 1 7 3 at \at \at \at \at \at \at \at 2 the the the \the \the \the \the \the 4 bank bank bank bank \bank \bank \bank \bank 5
C Other inputs Sociological Pedagogical etc
4.1 Introduction
• The need for educational facilities for large
groups of learners did not occur until the evergrowing demand for FLT beginning the 19th century. • In ancient Greece and Rome when only a few sought to learn an L2, the common procedure was to hire a private tutor. • In the Middle ages, Latin was taught to the non-initiated in an intensive and direct way: it was the medium of instruction for all subjects right from the beginning.