Approaches to Language Teaching and Learning

INTELIGENCIAS MÚLTIPLES:

1. Linguistic intelligence: the ability to use words effectively.
2. Logical/mathematical: the capacity to use number and reason effectively.
3. Visual-spatial: the capacity to recognize form, space, color, line…
4. Bodily/kinesthetic: the ability to use the body to express ideas and produce things.
5. Musical: the ability to recognize and perceive musical forms.
6. Interpersonal: to interact with the mascot, teacher or other students.
7. Intrapersonal: the ability of self-knowledge and self-understanding.
8. Naturalist: the ability to recognize and categorize plants, animals and other objects in nature.

COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING (CLT)

It began in Britain in the 1960s. Characteristics: Language is used for communication. Hymes defines communicative competence as the ability to use language correctly in a given speech community. Characteristics of CLT:

1. Use of basic communicative functions.
2. Understanding and production of oral texts in familiar situations. Interaction.
3. Use of authentic texts.
4. Teacher is a facilitator.
5. Learned-centered.
6. Cultural competence is relevant.
7. Games in CLT.
8. Communicative teaching is often organized in three phases: the PPP approach to language teaching.

TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR)

It has been developed by J. Asher in 1977. Its objective is teaching language through physical actions. The teacher says words in English and does actions to go with them. This practice enables children to better understand and learn the words. Characteristics:

1. The teacher directs and students “act” in response.
2. Listening and physical response skills are emphasized.
3. Action-based drills in the imperative form.
4. Fun and stimulating learning.

THE NATURAL APPROACH:

It was developed by Terrel and Krashen starting in 1977. This approach states that there are two distinctive ways of developing competence in a second language:

• Acquisition: the natural way as children’s language development: step by step by listening and understanding.
• Learning: refers to a process in which conscious rules about language are developed.

Characteristics:

• Approach: focused on meaning, not form.
• Meaning is achieved by giving learners lots of comprehensible input.
• Learners start to talk when they are ready. Delay production.
• The appearance of silent period may be palpable in first as well as second language acquisition, yet, is most noticeable in child’s second language acquisition.
• Silent period refers to the phenomenon, when children remain silent, or say very little even after several months of exposure to the target language.

CLIL (CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING)

In this methodology the language is used as a tool to teach other subjects content and also to learn the language at the same time. The learning is contextualized. Specific vocabulary related to the subject taught can be learned by the children. The purposes for CLIL in preschool are slightly different from the ones exposed above. In preschool, the language is presented through songs, stories, and playtime to expose young children to the language and its phonetics.