Approaches to Language Teaching

1. APPROACHES TO LANGUAGE
TEACHING
Student: Paolo Cedeño
Applied Linguistic For English Teaching

2. CHARACTERISTICS OF OPTIMAL INPUT FOR
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
1. Comprehensible
2. Interesting/relevant (considering students´
interests)
3. Not grammatically sequenced (conscious rules do
not interfere with communication)
4. Great quantity
5. Filter level ("off the defensive")
6. With tools for conversational management ( to help
students manage conversations with native
speakers)

3. GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD
Learning
Procedure
•Grammar rule explanation + example sentences.
•Vocabulary-bilingual list.
•Reading section with emphasis on grammar and
vocabulary acquired.
•Exercises for reinforcement.
•Conscious structure control , mostly classes are taught
in student´s first language.
Learning Goals •Helping students to read literature in the target
language.
•A high emphasis on language structure.
Which optimal
input does it lack?
•It fails to provide a great deal of comprehensible input,
the small amount of it is focused on form and not on
meaning.
•It is highly grammatical sequenced and content fills
some kind of students´ interests.
•Due to its early production and accuracy expected, an
anxiety level is produced.
•Very low amounts of acquired competence. As a result,
students lack of ability to manage conversations with
native speakers.
PRESENT-DAY TEACHING METHODS:

4. AUDIO-LINGUALISM
Learning Procedure •Inductive learning: a dialogue is used to introduce
structures and vocabulary.
•Through class practices, the students is expected to
memorize it.
•Pattern drill (repetition, substitution, translation and
transformation) on structures are used to "strengthen
habits", to make the pattern automatic.
•Some rule explanation: descriptive not performing.
Learning Goals The focus of attention is given to the structure and
syntax of language through an over-learnt variety of
patterns.
Which optimal input does it
lack?
•Understandable dialogues, grammatically sequenced,
input quantity restricted to the lesson-dialogue.
•Useful, age-appropriate and natural content. However
it falls far short of true interest and relevance.
•Anxiety due to early production. Little communicative
function

5. COGNITE-CODE METHOD
Learning
Procedure
Explanation of the rule followed by exercises to practice
rule consciously. Then through meaningful situations,
communicative competence is promoted.
Learning Goals To develop conscious knowledge automatically with the
use of language in meaningful situations.
Communicative competence development.
Which optimal
input does it
lack?
Greater amounts of comprehensible input. However it
may result then limited when is used to contextualize
language structure, and not totally focused on message.
Grammar sequenced, with limited creative and relevance
material, but with possible conversational management.
High affective filter for accuracy production.

6. THE DIRECT METHOD
Learning Procedure Target language is used through the whole class.
Questions and answers, mainly on students´
interests, are the main vehicle for inducing grammar
rules and language comprehension.
After enough examples provided, the rule is
discussed and explained
Learning Goals Language acquisition through conscious knowledge
grammar.
Which optimal input
does it lack?
A great deal of comprehensible input is provided
through a variety of topics and structures utilized.
Grammatically sequenced.
Anxiety caused by grammatical accuracy at early
stages.

7. THE NATURAL APPROACH
Learning Procedure The teacher speaks only the target language while
students may use either the first or second
language. Teachers utilize realia, pictures, and
students' previous knowledge to promote speech
comprehensible.
Semantic activities may involve the
use of a certain structure.
Learning Goals To enable students to
talk about ideas, perform tasks, and solve problems.
Which optimal input
does it lack?
Enough comprehensible input, based on students´
interests and feelings, conversational tools provided
for managing talks with native speakers.
Not grammatical sequenced either deliberate
sequencing.
Anxiety reduced, production is not promoted until
they feel ready.

8. TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE
Learning
Procedure
Meaning in the target language is conveyed through
observing and performing actions themselves. Once
understanding of spoken language is achieved,
students are encouraged to participate and initiate
speech production. Grammar will be learned
inductively.
Learning Goals Having students enjoy their experience in learning to
communicate in a foreign language. High emphasis on
listening comprehension.
Which optimal
input does it
lack?
•Language learning results effective because it is fun
with a grammatical focus through commands
contextualization.
•Comprehensible input in the form of commands,
context is provided.
•Students are not asked for speech production until
they themselves decide they are ready, therefore
lowered student anxiety.

9. SUGGESTOPEDIA
Learning
Procedure
First a review is done through traditional conversation.
Then new material is shown in the form of dialogues
based on situations familiar to the students (translation is
alllowed). Dialogue is read by the teacher while students
are engaged in deep and rhythmic yoga-breathing-
listening comprehension mode. Concentration is greatly
promoted.
Learning Goals Teachers hope to overcome learning barriers and facilitate
communication.
Which optimal
input does it lack?
Learning is facilitate in a cheerful environment, very close
to completely matching the requirements for optimal input.
Topics are of inherent interest and use. Confidence
building is of great importance. Suggestopedia seems to
depend on the net of grammatical structures provided by
successful communication, not on specific and
necessarily sequential points.

10. MORE RECENT METHODS COMPARISON
Additional methods or improvements to older has been
promoted, with the provision of more input and putting
grammar-in-its-place:
 Total Physical Response: several experiments took
place for providing comprehensible input, using
different strategies, and do not force early production.
 Suggestopedia (with natural principles or control
groups): little differences in the ability acquired to
express themselves freely within the framework of their
lexical capacity.

11. HOW TO DECIDE WHICH METHOD TO USE?
 In general, there is no one way to teach. Based on Asher
and some other linguistics research, there is no one
method that is clearly the best, but clearly there are some
methods which are more effective than others.
 What is clearly defined, is that the method selected should
satisfy minimal requirements: provide students with
enough comprehensible input to bring their second
language competence to the point where they can begin
to understand language heard "on the outside", read, and
participate in conversations.

12. ALTERNATIVES AND SUPPLEMENTS
 Conversation:
It will give the acquirer a chance to practice the tools he has learned and
give him perhaps the best opportunity to acquire new ones.
Preferably with a native potential friend motivated to facilitate on you
second language acquisition.
 Pleasure reading:
It needs to be comprehensible and that the topic be something the
student is genuinely interested in.
Reading for interest and pleasure increases competence, even more than
‘pedagogical passages´.
 Using subject matter for language teaching (it is not ESP), in which
teachers make some linguistic and cultural adjustments.
 Complementing with units covering "life situations" topics and case
studies.

13. CONSIDERATIONS IN TEST EVALUATION AND
SELECTION
 Reliable, results should not vary under different
conditions.
 Valid, it should measure what it is supposed to
measure.
 Practical, economical, easy to score, and easy to
interpret .
 In itself causes more second language acquisition:
It should encourage students to engage in activities
that will help them acquire more language.

14. CONSIDERATIONS FOR MATERIAL SELECTION
AND EXTRA ACTIVITIES
 Materials are supposed to help students in
language acquisition, fill a basic need and bring
students to the point where they can utilize the
outside world.
 Comprehensible, interesting/relevant, and not
grammatically sequenced themselves.
 Laboratory: to supply input or reinforce a skill that is
useful for acquisition.
 Guest speakers(Ted.com), films, field trips, TV
commercial and any multimedia resources that help
to encourage English learning and bring students to
real situations using second language.

15. For suggestions:
paolo.cedeno.25@gmail.com