1. Name
and explain 4 different teaching Approaches, describe the main features of
those Approaches. Choose three that you would prefer to use as a teacher and
discuss why you like them better than the others.
1) The
Oral Approach: according to Richards and Rodgers (2014), this approach was
developed by Palmer and Hornby, and became “the accepted British approach to
English language teaching” (p. 46) in the 1950s. Its methodological principles include:
selection (choosing materials to teach grammar), gradation (organization of
contents), and presentation (presentation techniques and practice). These
authors mention that the main characteristics of this approach are: spoken
language comes first, materials are presented orally before written, the target
language is always used in class, language is introduced and practiced situationally,
vocabulary is taught through selection procedures, simple grammar forms are
taught before more complex ones, and when there is enough grammatical
knowledge, reading and writing is introduced.
2) The
Communicative Approach: according to Richards (2006), this approach was first
proposed in the 1970s, and its goal was to teach communicative competence,
which refers to: the knowledge of language use for different purposes, changing
language depending on the setting or participants, understanding different
texts, and maintaining communication when one has limited language knowledge.
In order to do so, the purposes for learning another language could be more
specific, as well as the settings, which makes the role of the learners change,
which depending on the communicative events, and the language functions they
might use, they must learn the concepts, and the grammatical content along with
vocabulary that they will need. Therefore this approach’s main characteristics
are: making real communication the ultimate goal of learning another language, providing
learners with the opportunity to practice what they know, being tolerant of
errors because they prove that the learner is developing communicative
competence, developing accuracy and fluency, linking the 4 skills (reading,
speaking, writing, listening) together like they are in the real world, and
letting the students induce grammar rules.
3) The
Eclectic Approach: according to Popova (2001), this approach is a combination
of different approaches, put together in order to integrate them to form a
better foreign language teaching syllabus. Its main characteristics are: providing
freedom to overcome financial, administrative or pedagogical constraints,
complementing techniques, methods and approaches, flexibility in order to
fulfill objectives, making the target language more attractive through variety,
and providing students with different learning styles to be able to acquire
another language.
4) Structural
Approach: according to Mareva and Nyota (2011), this approach views the
elements of language as linear and rule-governed. Richards and Rodgers (1995)
as cited in Mareva and Nyota (2011) mention that this approach regards
linguistic levels as “pyramidically structured from phonemes to morphemes to
phrases, clauses and sentences” (p. 104), and therefore depends on grammatical
rules. According to Nasr (1994), the main characteristics of this approach are:
believing that language is a system of structures that apply to phonology and
grammar, and that must be taught in their linguistic and cultural contexts;
learning vocabulary is gradual, the 4 language skills must be learned by
linguistic habits, the structures of the native language contrast and can be
compared with those of the language being learned, and this will help explain
the problems that the learners will have in the process of learning another
language; and finally, believing textbooks in the target language will work for
any type of native speaker.
I
would choose the communicative approach because I believe language in real
communication situations can be more relevant than just learning the form of a
foreign language, and also because tolerance of errors is important for the
learners to feel motivated and keep learning. I would also choose the oral approach because
I think that using the target language to speak is important because most
situations in real life depend on speaking abilities; and I would choose this
approach because simpler grammar forms are introduced before complex ones, and
I believe that being familiar with simple forms helps understanding more
complex ones. Finally, I would choose the eclectic approach because I believe
that variety is very important for almost all of the aspects of language teaching,
and if there are different people in a class with different learning styles, it
isn’t fair to not help and not stimulate their learning process; and I would
also choose this approach because of the flexibility with external factors,
like the budget for material.
2. Design
an eclectic approach in which you include techniques and activities from the
different teaching approaches and methods. Justify your choices. Using that
Approach, how would you teach grammar, listening comprehension, reading,
vocabulary, speaking or writing?
My eclectic approach is called: the
Interlanguage Approach
Its goal is to be aware of the stages
of the learners’ interlanguage, in a specific language and level, in order to
create the syllabi. Its main characteristics are: to use techniques and methods
from different approaches that can apply to the stages of Selinker’s theory of
interlanguage for a specific group learning a foreign language at the same
level. Learners will first be tested in order to find out what their interlanguage
is like and then be placed in a level (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).
The techniques and activities used to
teach grammar would be: teaching the grammar structure in the target language
with enough time for the learners to understand but not as much time for them
to lose their concentration, then they would practice orally and then write
down the new structure. The presentation of the grammar structure in the target
language will be with a specific topic and a specific context in which the
structure is more used. Finally they will talk or write (whichever their
learning style is) with a native speaker about the same topic the lesson was
about and practice the grammar structure.
The techniques and activities used to
teach listening comprehension would be: a warm up with background information
provided by the learners by asking them questions about a certain topic in the
target language. If there is a bigger lack of vocabulary, they will listen to
the text in the bottom up form, and if there are fewer problems with vocabulary,
they will listen to the text in a top down form. Learners will listen as many
times as they feel necessary, and then, they will use the vocabulary speaking
or writing freely, or discuss the topic with the group and write an opinion
about the text.
The techniques and activities used to
teach reading would be: a warm up with background information provided by the
learners by asking them questions about a certain topic in the target language.
If there is a bigger lack of vocabulary, they will read the text in the bottom
up form, and if there are fewer problems with vocabulary, they will read the
text in a top down form. Learner will read the text as many times as they feel
necessary, and then, they will use the vocabulary speaking or writing freely,
or discuss the topic with the group and write an opinion about the text.
The techniques and activities used to
teach speaking would be: depending on their level, learners will present a
topic or act out a specific context, for content or form oriented purposes. If
they choose a presentation, they will give it to the class, and then talk about
the topic with a native speaker. If they choose to act, they will act for the
lass, and then act out the context with a native speaker. They will compare
their performance with the class and with the native speaker and discuss or
write about their experience and what they learned.
The techniques and activities used to
teach writing would be: a topic and a type of text will be chosen and
background information will be provided by the learners by asking them
questions in the target language. Then they will replicate as many texts of a
certain type about the topic discussed as they feel necessary, and then create
their own text about the topic and in the type of text studied. At the end, the
texts will be read and evaluated, and finally re-written.
Errors will be corrected when the
learner is perceived to be fossilizing them, and in the evaluations (exams), any
changes in the interlanguage will be the sign for them to be able to change
levels.
References:
Mareva, R. &
Nyota, S. (2011). Structural or communicative approach:
A case study of
English
Language teaching in Masvingo urban and peri-urban secondary schools. Internal
journal of English and literature Vol. 3(5), 103-111.
Nasr, R. T. (1994). Whole Education:
A New Direction to Fill the Relevance Gap. USA:
University Press
of America.
Popova, D. (2001). Eclecticism in
Foreign Language Teaching. Greta:
revista para profesores
de
inglés, Vol. 9(2), 35-37.
Richards, J. C. (2006). Communicative
Language Teaching Today. USA: Cambridge
University Press.
Richards, J. C. & Rodgers, T. S.
(2014). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching.
United Kingdom:
Cambridge University Press.
