Language, Learning and teaching : Language, Learning and teaching
Language learning : Language learning Learners may pick up bits of language which the teacher does not set out to teach, and they may not always remember bits that the teacher does prioritise.
There may be a relationship between learning and teaching but it certainly isn't neat and tidy.
Language learning : Language learning A feature of learning is that it seems to be more effective the more the learners are involved in the process.
The more that learners are involved in working out patterns for themselves, the better those patterns will be learned.
Language teaching : Language teaching A teacher can make a choice between 'telling' learners what the teacher knows, or setting up ways of helping learners see patterns for themselves.
Language teaching : Language teaching The best teachers have a range of techniques available to them.
From the range that the teacher has s/he makes a decision on those that are best suited to a particular context, based on such questions as:
Who are the learners? What are their needs? What are their expectations? What material and resources are available?
Potential factors that influence the choice of approach : Potential factors that influence the choice of approach For new teachers the middle circle is naturally relatively small, and the choice of which techniques to adopt may be limited. Part of developing as a teacher is expanding the middle circle so that more choices are available.
In what ways do you think this technique would, or would not, be useful? : In what ways do you think this technique would, or would not, be useful? The teacher presents grammar rules by explaining them using the learners' mother tongue. Learners practise these rules by translating sentences both from and into the target language. Learners are expected to learn lists of words in the target language with their mother tongue equivalents. Speaking practice is not considered very important.
Slide 8 : This is a very brief description of the 'grammar-translation' method. The emphasis is on learning grammar rules and it is assumed that these will lead to an ability to communicate. However, this is not necessarily the case because there is a difference in knowing about a language (its rules and so on), and actually being able to use the language. My comments
In what ways do you think this technique would, or would not, be useful? : In what ways do you think this technique would, or would not, be useful? The teacher provides a spoken model of a short piece of language. Learners repeat it several times and try to memorise it. The teacher corrects any mistakes. Taped material may be used and may include gaps where learners supply the missing words.
Slide 10 : This is a very brief description of the audio-lingual approach. It became popular through the 1940s and remained so until the early 70s. The benefits of repetition are still intuitively recognised by many teachers today, and this element of the approach continues in many classrooms.
“human mind has an innate ability to process language, allowing people to comprehend and produce utterances they had never heard before” My comments
In what ways do you think this technique would, or would not, be useful? : In what ways do you think this technique would, or would not, be useful? The teacher does not organize the course around a lot of traditional grammar points but instead sets up a series of communicative situations, similar to those that learners may find themselves in real life. So learners will learn how to order a coffee, how to ask for directions, ways of making suggestions and so on.
Slide 12 : This is a very brief description of a functional approach. It refers to the defining of the communicative functions that learners are likely to want to engage in (making requests, agreeing, disagreeing, ordering a coffee and so on). My comments
In what ways do you think this technique would, or would not, be useful? : In what ways do you think this technique would, or would not, be useful? At first learners just listen and do not speak until they feel ready. When they do, the teacher responds to meaning, rather than the grammatical form, and the teacher does not draw attention to any grammar points.
Slide 14 : My comments This is a very brief description of the natural approach. Despite the claims that have been made for the successes of this approach, most researchers, and certainly most students, believe that some overt teaching of language 'rules' is useful.