AUDIOLINGUAL METHOD

AND

SILENT WAY METHOD

DIRECTED BY: GROUP 2

1. SANTI R.F. PASARIBU 17120015

2. PUTRI GRESIA SIMATUPANG 17120019
3. FEBI SULISTIA 17120029
4. SHALSA NAMYRA ATISHA 17120032
5. MADONNA SAMOSIR 17120035

LECTURER:

DUMARIS E. SILALAHI, S.Pd, M.Pd

FAKULTAS KEGURUAN DAN ILMU PENDIDIKAN

UNIVERSITAS HKBP NOMENSEN PEMATANG SIANTAR

PROGRAM STUDI BAHASA INGGRIS
 The Audio-Lingual Method

Introduction

IN the period of World War II IN the period of World War II United States required linguists
to set up special training program which would be emphasized on fast and easy foreign language
acquisition. The Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) was established in 1942. The ASTP, the
so-called Army method, had a significant impact on linguistics and the way foreign languages were
taught.

…was “Army method”. It was based on Leonard Bloomfield’s technique (informant method)
of memorization and repetitionin simple foreign language patterns. In brief, the linguist, without
knowing the language, was trained to absorb its basic structure from the informant/native speaker
and together with students “gradually learned how to speak this language, as well as to understand
much of its basic grammar” (Richards, J.C. et-al. 1987).

became …became The Aural-Oral approach, which was invented by Charles Fries. According
to Fries, language should be taught by using “intensive oral drilling of its basic patterns” (Richards,
J.C. et-al. 1987).

Fries published “his principles in Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language
(1945), in which the problems of learning a foreign language were attributed to the conflict of
different structural systems (e.g., differences between the grammatical and phonological patterns of
the native tongue and the target language)”. The idea of contrastive analysis of two languages was
presented in this work. It was essential in order to prevent potential problems in second language
acquisition and it became the basis for a major branch of applied linguistics called systematic
comparisons. This development of systematic comparison provided a new perspective towards
Foreign Language Teaching.

Like the Direct Method, it is also an oral-based approach. The Audio-Lingual Method drills
students in the use of grammatical sentence patterns. Unlike the Direct Method, it has a strong
theoretical base in linguistics and psychology.

Charles Fries (1945) of the University of Michigan led the way in applying principles from
structural linguistics in developing the method, and for this reason, it has sometimes been referred
to as the ‘Michigan Method.’ It was thought that the way to acquire the sentence patterns of the
target language was through conditioning –helping learners to respond correctly to stimuli through
shaping and reinforcement. Learners could overcome the habits of their native language and form
the new habits required to be target language speakers.

Audio-lingual teaching method is defined as a method which emphasizes on repetition of the

words to help the students to be able to use the target language communicatively. The purpose of
the repetition/drills is to breakdown the troublesome sentences into smaller part. Drilling is a key
feature of audio-lingual approaches to language teaching which placed emphasis on repeating
structural patterns through oral practice (Brown, 1998: 137).
 Audio Lingual Method is a style of teaching used in teaching foreign language. It was derived
from Skinner’s Behaviorist Psychology. It is one of the methods in English teaching-learning process.
Audio Lingual Method trains students in order to reach conversational proficiency in a variety of
foreign language, and puts the emphasis on behavior.

Audio Lingual Method drills students in the use of grammatical sentence patterns. In Audio
Lingual Method, the teacher wants their students to be able to use the target language
communicatively. Audio Lingual Method uses repetition, replacement, and question answer to drill
speaking skill especially student’s vocabulary. The teacher is easier to control the student’s behavior
and student’s vocabulary. After that, the teacher can know the memorization of the students’
vocabulary.

As mentioned, lesson in the classroom focuses on the correct imitation of the teacher by the
students. Not only are the students expected to produce the correct output, but attention is also
paid to correct pronunciation.

The function is :

1. Learners can understand foreign languages when speaking at normal speed and care about the
usual things that happen around the conversation.

2. Language learners are able to speak in received pronunciation and proper grammar.

3. Language learners do not have difficulties in understanding printed material.

4. Learners of language are able to write with good standards.

TECHNIQUES OF THE AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD

1. Dialogue memorization. Students memorize an opening dialogue using mimicry and applied role
playing.

2. Backward Build-up (Expansion Drill). Teacher breaks a line into several parts; students repeat
each part starting at the end of the sentence and “expanding” backwards through the sentence,
adding each part in sequence.

3. Repetition drill. Students repeat teacher’s model as quickly and accurately as possible.

4. Chain drill. Students ask and answer each other one by one in a circular chain around the
classroom.

5. Single-slot Substitution drill. Teacher states a line from the dialogue, and then uses a word or
phrase as a “cue” that students, when repeating the line, must substitute into the sentence in the
correct place.
6. Multiple-slot Substitution drill. Same as the single slot drill, except that there are multiple cues to
be substituted into the line.

7. Transformation drill. Teacher provides a sentence that must be turned into something else, for
example a question to be turned into a statement, an active sentence to be turned into negative
statement, etc.

8. Question and Answer drill. Students should answer or ask questions very quickly.

9. Use Minimal Pairs. Analysis, teacher selects a pair of words that sound identical except for a single
sound that typically poses difficulty for the learners-students are to pronounce and differentiate the
two words.

10. Complete the dialogue. Selected words are erased from a line in the dialoguestudents must find
and Insert.

11. Grammar games. Various games designed to practice a grammar point in context, using lots of
repetition.

Characteristics of the Audiolingual Method

Other characteristics of the Audiolingual method are as follows:

1. The teaching objective is to master four language skills in a balanced manner.

2. The order of presentation is listening and speaking and then reading and writing.

3. Models of foreign language sentences are given in the form of conversations to memorize.

4. Mastery of sentence patterns is done by pattern exercises (pattern-pratctice). Exercise or drill

follows the sequence: stimulus> response> reinflation.

5. Vocabulary is strictly restricted or expressive, not as stand-alone freelance words.

6. Teaching system sounds systematically (structured) so that they can be used / practiced by
students, with demonstration techniques, imitation, comparison, contrast, and others.

7. Writing lessons are a representation of speaking lessons, in the sense that writing lessons consist
of patterns of learning and vocabulary that have been learned orally.

8. Translation is avoided. The use of mother tongue when it is very necessary for explanation is
limited.

9. Grammar (in the sense of science) is not taught at the beginning. If grammatical teaching is
needed at some stage it should be taught inductively, and gradually from the easy to the difficult.

10. The choice of material is emphasized in the unit and patterns that show the structural
differences between the foreign language taught and the mother tongue of the student. Likewise,
forms of student error that are general in nature and of high frequency. For this we need contrual
analysis and analysis of obedience.

11. The possibilities of student errors in giving a response must be completely avoided.

12. The teacher becomes the center in class activities, students follow (respond to) what is ordered
(stimulus) by the teacher.

13. The use of recording materials, language laboratories, and visual aids is very important.

The procedure are :

 Students listen to examples of dialogue (read by the teacher or from tape, 2-3 times). Then
students repeat each line of dialogue together and individually.

 Teachers pay attention to the pronunciation, intonation and fluency of students in reciting
dialogues and immediately correct them if something goes wrong.

 Dialogues are memorized lines per line and practiced

 Students are allowed to see their textbook. Activities such as reading and writing will be
given when students are proficient in listening and speaking activities.

 This series of activities can be done in a language laboratory.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Audiolingual Method :

We implicitly alluded to some of the advantages of this Audiolingual Method. As well as other
language teaching methods, then besides the advantages, there are also some weaknesses or
shortcomings of the Audiolingual Method.

1. The advantages of this method include:

a. Can be applied to moderate classes.

b. Give lots of practice and practice in aspects of listening and speaking skills.

c. Suitable for the students' linguistic level.

d. Audiolingual may be the theory of first language teaching which openly claims to be formed from
a combination of linguistics and psychology.

e. The Audiolingual method tries to make language learning more accessible to learners in large
numbers (large classes). This causes learning participation through drill techniques to be maximized.

f. Positive drill can help students develop their oral abilities.

g. Teaching techniques in the Audiolingual method using tape recording and language laboratories
offer speaking and listening skills training which is the most important thing in language learning.
Drill patterns give students more practice.

h. The Audiolingual method develops language skills into "pedagogig equipment" which is listening
(listening), reading and writing. The Audiolingual method specifically introduces the design of
listening and oral training techniques. This shows success in developing listening and speaking
fluency.

2. The disadvantages of this method include:

a. Skilled and skillful teachers are needed

b. Sometimes tests are tedious and inhibit the hypothesizing of language rules and give very little
attention to spontaneous utterances.

c. The techniques used in Audiolingual methods such as drill, memorization, etc. may be able to
make language a behavior, but it does not eliminate the expected competencies.

d. With the Audiolingual method, the teacher may complain about the amount of time (long)
needed, and students will complain about the boredom caused by the drill pattern that is constantly
being used.

e. Teacher roles and activeness are important in the Audiolingual method, so teachers dominate the
class more.

Silent Way
Introduction

Silent Way originated in the early 1970s and was the brainchild of the late Caleb Gattegno.
The last line of Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote about teaching and learning can be said to lie at
the heart of Silent Way. The three basic tenets of the approach are that learning is facilitated if the
learner discovers rather than remembers or repeats, that learning is aided by physical objects, and
that problem-solving is central to learning.

The use of the word "silent" is also significant, as Silent Way is based on the premise that the
teacher should be as silent as possible in the classroom in order to encourage the learner to produce
as much language as possible. As far as the presentation of language is concerned, Silent Way adopts
a highly structural approach, with language taught through sentences in a sequence based on
grammatical complexity, described by some as a "building-block" approach.

The structural patterns of the target language are presented by the teacher and the
grammar "rules" of the language are learnt inductively by the learners. Cuisenaire rods (small
coloured blocks of varying sizes originally intended for the teaching of mathematics) are often used
to illustrate meaning (the physical objects mentioned above). New items are added sparingly by the
teacher and learners take these as far as they can in their communication until the need for the next
new item becomes apparent.

The teacher then provides this new item by modelling it very clearly just once. The learners
are then left to use the new item and to incorporate it into their existing stock of language, again
taking it as far as they can until the next item is needed and so on.

The function is :

This method does use silent methods but that does not mean that both the teacher and the
students do nothing. The teachers when speaking usually do their hand movements to do
conversation stimulation with students. In this method the teacher acts as a mediator as well as an
observer to criticize and praise the aim of improvement in the classroom.

As with other methods this method has several disadvantages and advantages
including. The disadvantage of this method is that students will experience poor language
communication in the classroom. The material to be taught will fail a lot because it is unable to
display all aspects of the language. While the advantage is that learning will look attractive will
stimulate the creativity of students because learning through solving problems of increasing
intelligence and memory used is long-term memory.

Characteristic of silent way method is :

o Learning starts through sound in a sound-colour chart.

 o Structure is taught through situations involving one structure and at a time and sometimes
the use of rods.
o Teaching is with minimal spoken cues and pronounciation is expected to be close to a
native speakers.
o Errors are just areas of opportunity, evidence of where to work.

Procedure

Steps that can be taken by the teacher in using this method in outline include:

1. Preliminary. The teacher provides teaching aids in the form of; (a) fidel chart. This board
contains the spelling of all syllables in a foreign language learned. (b) wooden sticks
(cuisenenaire rods). Sticks which usually number ten with different colors which will later be
used as props in forming complete sentences.
2. The teacher presents one language that is understood, the presentation is only one time.
Thus he forces students to listen carefully. At the beginning, the teacher said nothing, but
only showed the symbols on the display board. The student pronounces the symbol
designated by the teacher by reciting it loudly, first simultaneously. Then on the instructions
of the teacher one by one the students recite it. This step is the beginning.
3. After the student is able to pronounce the sounds in a foreign language learned, the teacher
presents the second display board containing the selected vocabulary, this vocabulary is
taken from the sentences that are most often used in daily communication. This vocabulary
is very useful for students in composing a sentence independently, this step is also still the
beginning.
4. The teacher uses colorful sticks that have been provided to lure students to speak foreign
languages that are being studied.
5. In closing, the teacher can test the success of students in vocabulary mastery which has
been taught by using commands that are not verbally as possible as in point number 4
above. In this test, of course, you must pay attention to the time available, it is not possible
with the time limit testing can be given to all students.

Disadvantages

 The Silent Way is often criticized of being a harsh method. The learner works in isolation and
communication is lacking badly in a Silent Way classroom.
 With minimum help on the part of the teacher, the Silent Way method may put the learning
itself at stake.
 The material ( the rods and the charts) used in this method will certainly fail to introduce all
aspects of language. Other materials will have to be introduced.

Advantages
 Learning through problem solving looks attractive especially because it fosters:
o creativity,
o discovery,
o increase in intelligent potency
o Long term memory.
 The indirect role of the teacher highlights the importance and the centrality of the learner
who is responsible in figuring out and testing the hypotheses about how language works. In
other words teaching is subordinated to learning.
Conclusion :

conclusions that we can take from the two methods that we have
explained are that the audiolingual method makes it easier for educators to
teach English, besides that students are easier to understand or understand
what has been conveyed through audio that is heard by using memories to
remember the message delivered.

the silent method makes it easier for educators to provide

understanding through teaching aids and learners will more easily understand
the language verbally through teaching aids.
References :

Anggraeni, Purwita. 2007. “Audio lingual teaching as an alternative method in teaching speaking”.
Semarang.

Burnkart, Grace Stoval. 1998. “Spoken Language: What It Is and How to Teach It”. Retrieved on 10
Februari 2012. Retrie http://www.ncr\lrc.org/essentials/speaking/goalsspeak.htm

Deckert, Glenn. 2004. “The Communicative Approach Addressing Frequent Failure”. English Teaching
Forum

Hornby, A.S. 1995. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary University Press.

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Maniruzzaman, M. 2007. “Teaching Efl Pronunciation: Why, What and How?” Retrieved on 10
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Journal of English Language Teaching, ISSN: 2302-3198

This article is written based on the writer’s paper with guidance An. Fauzia R. Syafei, M.A.

2007. “Audio lingual teaching as an alternative method in teaching speaking”. Unpublished Thesis.
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Burnkart, Grace Stoval. 1998. “Spoken Language: What It Is and How to Teach Retrieved on 10
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Based on the discussion above, it can be concluded that ALM and echniques, the students and
teacher will be closer. Students-teacher, students interaction from Dra.

2007. “Audio lingual teaching as an alternative method in : Universitas Negeri

Burnkart, Grace Stoval. 1998. “Spoken Language: What It Is and How to Teach ved from

Deckert, Glenn. 2004. “The Communicative Approach Addressing Frequent

. New York: Oxford

Techniques and principles in language teaching.