APPROACHES

METHODS
TECHNIQUES
 TASK 1

a) Work in groups of four: think about the

reasons why you should study teaching
methods.
b) Make a list of positive and negative
aspects of learning teaching methods.
 REASONS FOR STUDYING PAST AND
PRESENT TEACHING METHODS:

• View of HOW the field of language has

evolved.
• Source of well-used practices, that
teachers can adapt or implement based
on their own needs.
• Experience in using different approaches
and methods can provide teachers with
basic teaching skills.
 WHY STUDYING METHODS?

1-Methods serve as a soil for reflection

because:
• They provide conscious awareness of the
thinking that underlines their actions.
• They make teachers becoming clearer of
WHY they do WHAT they do.
• Teachers become aware of their own
fundamental assumptions, values and
beliefs.
 WHY STUDYING METHODS?

2- By becoming clear on where they stand

TEACHERS:
• Can choose to teach differently from the way they
were taught.
• Are able to see why they are attracted to certain
methods and repelled by others.
• Are able to make choices that are informed, not
conditioned.
• May be able to resist, or at least argue against, the
imposition of a particular method by authorities
• They offer teachers alternatives to what they currently
think and do.
 WHY STUDYING METHODS?

3- A knowledge of methods is part of the

KNOWLEDGE BASE OF TEACHING.

• Teachers join a community of practice.

• Teachers learn the professional discourse that
community members use so that professional
dialog can take place.
• It confers teachers a professional identity and
connects each other so they are not so isolated
in their practice.
 WHY STUDYING METHODS?

4- A knowledge of methods helps expand a

teacher's repertoire of techniques.

effective teachers have a large diverse repertoire

of best practices which presumably helps them
deal more effectively with the unique qualities
and idiosyncrasies of their students.
 «Teaching is more than following a recipe.»
(Larsen-Freeman)

• Any method shapes teachers’ own

understanding, beliefs, styles, level
of experience.
• Teachers are PROFESSIONALS,
who can make their OWN decisions.
 «The issue is not about methods,
but HOW they are used»
• They can help teachers articulate,
transform, etc., their understanding of
the teaching and learning process.
• They can serve as integration of theory
and practice.
• It can encourage continuing education.
• (From Larsen-Freeman, Diane. Techniques and Principles
in Language Teaching. Oxford. 2nd Ed. 2000)
 • Assumptions, theories dealing with the nature of
language teaching and learning.
APPROACH • It is axiomatic

• An overall plan for the orderly presentation of

language material.
• It is based on the selected approach
METHOD
• It is procedural

• It is what actually happens in the classroom.

• It is implementational
TECHNIQUE
 • It is the level at which assumptions and beliefs
about the language are specified.
APPROACH

• It is the level at which theory is put into practice.

• Choices are made about what particular skills
METHOD and content are going to be taught.

• It is the level at which classroom procedures are

described.
TECHNIQUE
 TECHNIQUE

Carries out a
METHOD

Which is consisted with and

APPROACH
 APPROACH

Refers to
theories about
the nature of language
language learning

source of practices and principles

in language teaching.
 APPROACH

As regards the
NATURE OF LANGUAGE or
LANGUAGE THEORY:

Model of language competence,

an account of the basic features
of linguistic organization
and language use
 APPROACH

NATURE OF LANGUAGE,
THEORY OF LANGUAGE

THREE THEORETICAL VIEWS:

 APPROACH: Theory of the Nature of
Language
STRUCTURAL VIEW

• The language is a
SYSTEM of structurally
related elements for the
coding of elements:
• phonological units,
• grammar units,
• grammatical operations
• lexis items
 APPROACH: Theory of the Nature of
Language

• AUDIOLINGUAL
STRUCTURAL

METHOD
VIEW

• TOTAL PHYSICAL
RESPONSE
• SILENT WAY
 APPROACH: Theory of the Nature of
Language
• Language is a vehicle for the
FUNCTIONAL VIEW

expression of functional
meaning.
• It emphasizes the semantic and
communicative dimension of
language.
• It specifies and organizes the
language teaching content by
categories of meaning and
function.
 APPROACH: Theory of the Nature of
FUNCTIONAL VIEW Language

• NOTIONAL SYLLABUSES
(1976)

• ESP (English For Specific

Purposes 1980)
 APPROACH: Theory of the Nature of
Language
INTERACTIONAL VIEW
• Language is a vehicle for the
realization of interpersonal
relations and for the
performance of social
transactions.
• It includes interaction and
conversation analysis.
• Students achieve facility in using
a language while their attention is
focused in conveying and
receive authentic messages.
 APPROACH: Theory of the Nature of
Language

• TASKED-BASED
INTERACTIONAL

LANGUAGE TEACHING
• WHOLE-LANGUAGE
• NEUROLINGUISTIC
VIEW

PROGRAMMING
• COOPERATIVE LANGUAGE
LEARNING
• CONTENT-BASED
INSTRUCTION
APPROACH: Theory of Language Learning

LANGUAGE LEARNING or
LEARNING THEORY
is concerned with:
• the central process of learning
• an account of the conditions
believed to promote successful
learning
APPROACH: Theory of Language Learning

LANGUAGE LEARNING or
LEARNING THEORY
responds to two questions:
APPROACH: Theory of Language Learning

1) What are the psycholinguistics

and cognitive processes
involved in language teaching?
2) What are the conditions
needed in order for these
learning processes to be
activated?
APPROACH: Theory of Language Learning

PROCESS-ORIENTED THEORIES:
build on learning processes:
• habit formation,
• induction,
• inferencing,
• hypothesis testing,
• generalizations.
APPROACH: Theory of Language Learning

CONDITION-ORIENTED THEORIES:
Emphasize the nature of human and
physical context in which language
learning occurs.
• Natural Approach,
• Counselling learning,
• Total physical response,
• Silent way
 APPROACH: General Conclusions
• Principles may or may not lead to “a”
method.
• Teachers may develop their own teaching
procedures, informed by a particular view
of language and a particular theory of
learning.
• It DOES NOT specify procedure.
• It DOES NOT dictate a particular set of
teaching techniques and activities
 What links theory with
practice
(or approach with procedure)
is DESIGN
 DESIGN
OBJECTIVES

SELECTION – ORGANIZATION of language

content
It is the level
of method The ROLE of INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
analysis in
which it is The ROLE of the TEACHERS
considered:

The ROLE of the LEARNERS

TYPES OF LEARNING TASKS AND TEACHING

ACTIVITIES.
 DESIGN: OBJECTIVES

• Process oriented objectives: eg,

becoming a more proficient learner in
whatever one is engaged.
• Product oriented objectives:
• grammatical accuracy
• perfect pronunciation.
• general communication skills,
• ability to express oneself meaningfully.
DESIGN:
Content choice and organization; THE SYLLABUS

• Choice of linguistic content:

• Linguistic matter (how to talk about it)
• subject matter (what to talk about)
• Contents can be specified in terms of:
» FUNCTIONS
» NOTIONS
» TOPICS
» GRAMMAR
» VOCABULARY
 Design:
Types Of Learning And Teaching Activities:

Teaching activities can focus on:

• Grammatical accuracy
• Communicative skills
Learning activities can focus on:
• Development of specific psycholinguistic
process in language acquisition
• Mastery of particular features of grammar
 Design: Learners’ roles
Learners’ contributions to the learning
process.
How is it seen?
• Types of activities learners carry out.
• The degree of control learners have over
the content of learning.
• The seating arrangement.
• How learners influence other’s learning.
• The view of the learner as processor,
performer, imitator, problem solver.
 DESIGN: Teacher roles

• Their roles are related to the following

issues:
• a) types of functions: director, counsellor,
model.
• b) degree of control over HOW learning
takes place.
• c) determining the content to be taught.
• Interactional patters.
• d) types of interaction between teachers
and learners
 DESIGN: Teacher roles

“The role of the teacher will ultimately reflect

both the objectives of the method and the
learning theory on which the method is
predicated, since the success of a method
may depend on the degree to which the
teacher can provide the content or create the
conditions for successful language learning”
(Richards and Rodgers, 2001)
Design: The role of instructional materials

They will reflect decisions concerning:

a) the primary goal of material:
• to present content,
• to practice content,
• to facilitate communication between learners,
• to enable learners to practice content without the
teacher’s help.
Design: The role of instructional materials
• b) the form of material: texts, audiovisuals,
computer software)
• c) the relation of materials to other sources
of input: if the serve as major source of input or
not.)
• d) the abilities of teachers ( their competence
in the language or degree of training
experience)
 PROCEDURE
It is the last level of conceptualization
and organization within a method.

It encompasses the actual techniques,

practices and behaviours that
operate in teaching a language
according to a particular method.
 PROCEDURE
It is the level where it is described HOW
a method REALIZES its approach and
design in classroom behaviour.
It is concerned with HOW tasks and
activities are integrated in a lesson and
used as basis for teaching and
learning.
 PROCEDURE

THERE ARE THREE DIMENSIONS:

A) the use of teaching activities to present new
language and to clarify or demonstrate formal,
communicative aspects of language (drills, dialogs,
information-gap activities)
B) the ways particular teaching activities are used
for practicing the language.
C) the procedures and techniques used to give
feedback.
 PROCEDURE

The procedure focuses on the way a

method handles the
PRESENTATION, PRACTICE AND
FEEDBACK
phases of teaching.