Language teaching method

LANGUAGE TEACHING METHOD

A language teaching method can be defined according to a couple of characteristics. Johnson gives “seven questions to ask about a method” which are helpful to characterize and to identify a language teaching method.

First the basic ideas of a method should be found out. Then the theory behind the method has to be identified and “in an ideal world, [the method] would be supported by a view both of language and of language learning.” The third question asks which role the mind plays. A behaviourist theory for instance, demands less engagement of the mind than a mentalist view does. It is also important to find out, if the approach is deductive or inductive. A deductive method gives the learner a rule first which is then demonstrated in examples. When the method is inductive the learners deduce the rule from examples they are given. In most cases the rule is stated at the end of the sequence but sometimes it is never given clearly. Johnson then suggests to investigate how much the native language (L1) is used in the classroom and if it is allowed at all. The sixth question is about, which skills are being developed. There are the spoken skills (listening, speaking) and the written skills (reading, writing). The last “question to ask about a method” is concerned with the authenticity of the target language. It has to be investigated if realistic language is used or if the student learns a language that will never enable him to communicate competently in the foreign language (L2).

The investigation of the teaching methods in the following paragraphs will mainly rely on the points explained above. Sometimes other features will be added and some of the above ideas will not be considered.

GT consists of “a sequence of classroom activities”. First a grammatical rule is explained and examples are given. Then the learners get a bilingual vocabulary list which they should learn by heart. The lists often contain complex constructions which also should be learned with their translations. These constructions can contain sentences like: I see myself, you see yourself, he sees himself etc. Afterwards translation exercises (sentences and whole passages) from L1 to L2 and vice versa are done.

This method requires the engagement of mind very much. Compared to languages like Latin and Greek the study of modern languages at university was widely regared as the “soft option”. To overcome that view and to demonstrate that modern languages also have intellectual value “one way was to make the explanations difficult”. Because first the rules are stated and then examples are given the students learn the grammar deductively. These explanations are entirely given in the native language, hence L1 is very much used in the classroom. Besides that many translation tasks are given to the learner. In this method the foreign language (FL) is approached through L1. Another aspect of this method is that it mainly concentrates on written language. The reason for that is partly because Latin and Greek were not spoken and because written language seemed more suitable for acadamic use. One can also recognize that the language taught in this method is not very authentic because here the focus is on grammar and on written language, not on communication. Example sentences are used to demonstrate particular grammatical problems and not intended to be used in conversation, hence they are very unreal. The important role of “sentence-level-practice” where whole passages often constist of question and answer sentences following each other led to “what Howatt calls ‘manic interrogation’ sequences”. An example for manic interrogation is the following: “I am ready, and you? Not yet, wait a moment, please. What do you study at school? I study history and geography, and my sisters study music and drawing. At what o’clock do you dine? Ordinarily we dine at five, but today we dine a little later, because we are waiting for our uncle, who will arrive from Naples. What do you admire in this landscape? I admire all in it. Do you play an instrument? I don’t play at all. Do your sisters sing? They sing a little. Why do you blame your school-fellows? Because they are not diligent at school. What does it matter to you, if they are diligent or not at school or elsewhere?Mind your own business.”

Адрес публикации: https://www.prodlenka.org/metodicheskie-razrabotki/324823-language-teaching-method