Overview of Language Teaching Methods

COMMUNITY LANGUAGE LEARNING (CLL)

Who Invented It?

Charles A. Curran

How Is It Carried Out?

A group of learners sits in a circle with the teacher standing outside the circle. A student whispers a message in their native language to the teacher. The teacher translates it into the foreign language. The student repeats the message in the foreign language. Students then compose further messages in the foreign language.

What Are the Five Stages in CLL?

1. Birth Stage: A feeling of security and belonging is established.
2. The learner's abilities improve.
3. The learner speaks independently and may need to assert his or her own identity.
4. The learner is seen as secure enough to take criticism.
5. The learner works upon improving style and knowledge.

When Is CLL Used?

It is used in introductory conversation courses in a foreign language.

What Can the Teacher Do in CLL?

The teacher can successfully transfer his or her knowledge and proficiency in the target language.

When Is CLL Most Often Used?

Community language learning is most often used in the teaching of oral proficiency, but with some modifications, it may be used in the teaching of writing.

What Tasks and Activities Are Used?

• Translation
• Group work
• Recording
• Transcription
• Analysis
• Reflection and observation
• Listening
• Free conversation

What Are the Learner's Roles?

• Learners are expected to listen attentively to the "knower."
• Freely provide meanings they wish to express.
• To repeat target utterances without hesitation.
• To support fellow members of the community.
• Report deep inner feelings and frustrations as well as joy and pleasure.
• Become a course leader to other learners.

What Are the Teacher's Roles?

• The teacher operates in a supportive role, providing target language translation and a model for imitation.
• The teacher monitors learner utterances, providing assistance when requested.
• The teacher may intervene to correct, supply idioms, and advise on grammar.
• The teacher is responsible for providing a safe environment in which clients can learn and grow.

Enhancing Personal Development: Humanistic Activities at Work

What Do Humanistic Exercises Deal With?

• Enhancing self-esteem
• Becoming aware of one's strengths
• Seeing the good in others
• Gaining insights into oneself
• Developing closer and more satisfying relationships
• Becoming conscious of one's feelings and values
• Having a positive outlook on life

What Can We Share While Talking in L2?

Students can share:

• Their hopes and dreams and their ambitions
• Their experiences, memories, and desires
• Their interests, values, and insights
• Their feelings, strengths, and much more

The result is that students can feel more positive about themselves and others.

What Unmet Needs Do People Have?

• Being listened to
• Being accepted
• Being understood
• Being cared about
• Having positive, rewarding relationships

What Does Humanistic Teaching Mean for the Teacher?

• Create a sense of belonging
• Make the subject relevant for learners
• Involve the whole person
• Encourage self-knowledge
• Develop personal identity
• Encourage self-esteem
• Involve feelings and criticism
• Encourage creativity
• Develop knowledge of the process of learning
• Encourage self-initiation and self-evaluation

What Tests Were Developed to Measure Humanistic Activities?

• FLAQ
• My Class and Me
• Sociometric questions
• Saht

The Structural Approach

Belief: The mastery of structure is more important than acquisition.

Characteristics

• Word order is of primary importance.
• It makes use of function words.
• English makes use of inflection (e.g., regular verbs).
• Speech is more important than reading or writing.
• Language is learned through use and should be accompanied by activities. If these activities are enjoyable, language will be retained.

The Lexical Approach

Characteristics

• Lexis is the basis of language.
• It is not necessary to know grammar to be able to communicate.
• The syllabus should be centered on lexis and not on grammar.
• Word chunks are very important because fluency is the result of the acquisition of these chunks.
• Activities will include:
  • Intensive listening and speaking activities
  • Guessing the meaning from context
  • Repetition

Functional Approach

Characteristics

• Language structures are learned according to the function they carry out.
• This approach defines the functions of language and then relates these to linguistic elements.
• The syllabus includes not only grammar and lexis but also specific topics and notions students need to learn.

Grammar-Translation Method

Characteristics

• The main goal is to learn the language to translate from one language into another language. The student's mother language was used for instructions.
• Reading and writing were more important than listening and speaking.
• Vocabulary was taught through bilingual word lists.
• Translation was from L1 to L2 and vice versa.
• Accuracy was emphasized.
• Grammar was taught deductively.
• The student's native language was used for instruction, and although some of the teachers were not native speakers, they had a high level of the student's native language.

Teacher's Roles

• The teacher had to know both languages well.
• The teacher gave rules to students, and these were learned through patterns and drills.
• There was very little demand on teachers. They only had to prepare translations and correct.

Student's Roles

• The main role was to translate from L1 to L2 and vice versa.
• Students had to attain a high level of accuracy.
• Students only wished to translate, to read, and to write.

Task-Based Learning

Characteristics

• Basically, students' work is focused on completing a task.
• The focus of the lesson is the task, not the structure.
• When the task has been completed, the teacher discusses the language used.
• There are usually three stages.
• A task-based syllabus is based on the process of learning, that is, how individuals learn a language, not on a preselection of things to be taught.

Teacher's Roles

• Selecting, adapting, and creating tasks
• Bearing in mind learners' needs
• Carrying out pre-task activities where necessary
• Facilitating information and sources
• Teachers should bear in mind the difficulty and grading of the task.

Student's Roles

• Students' work is focused on completing the task.
• Learners have to arrive at a result from given information through some process of thought, which allows teachers to control and regulate the process.
• Students must be prepared to work in pairs or small groups.
• Students will have to develop the skill of guessing from linguistic and contextual clues.