Adapt Don’t Adopt

Historical Bases of Today’s Options

Magda Enriquez Beitler

Approaches on a Pendulum

To use a language

To analyze a language

Teach UseJohan Amos Comenius – 1631Students:• Imitate • Repeat• Limit vocabulary• Practice reading• Get meaning through pictures

Teach AnalysisKarl Ploetz –(1880)Grammar Translation

Teach Use François Gouin (1880) Exclusive use of target language in the

classroomAlexander von Humboldt (1886) Language cannot be taught, one can

only create conditions for learning to take place

Teach UseInternational Phonetic Association – (1896)

- Spoken form of language is primary and it should be taught first- Phonetics should be applied to language teaching- Teachers and learners should be trained in phonics

XX Century

Approach

Theory

Research Paradigm

Philosophy

Method Set of Procedures

Technique

Classroom Device

Activity

Nine Approaches of the XX Century

Grammar Translation

Instruction is given in L1

Little use of target language for communication

Focus is on grammar, reading texts, translations

Teacher does not have to speak target language

Direct Approach

No use of L1

Conversational style Use of actions and pictures Grammar is learned inductively Reading is for pleasure Target culture is taught

inductively Teacher must be proficient in L2

Reading Approach

Reading comprehension is emphasized and grammar is only taught as needed

Vocabulary is first controlled and then expanded

Translations are used Teacher does not need good oral

proficiency

World War II

Urgent need to Communicate

1945

US - Audiovisual Approach

UK - Oral or Situational Approach

Audio-lingualism

Lesson begins with dialogue Use of mimicry and memorization Use of listening, speaking, reading in a

sequence. Writing is postponed Grammatical structures are also sequenced Controlled vocabulary and pronunciation to

prevent learners’ mistakes Teacher must be proficient in the structure

given by the learning activities and materials

Oral-Situational

Inspired in behaviorist psychology (Skinner 1957)

Spoken language L1

All materials are presented orally first Only target language is used in the

classroom Grammatical structures go from simple to

complex New items are presented and practiced

situationally

Cognitive

Inspired by cognitive psychology (Neisser1967) and the Chomsky Revolution (1959, 1965)

Language is acquired, not learned, and grammar is taught deductively

Learning is individualized Reading, writing and vocabulary are

important Errors are part of the learning process Teacher must be proficient in target

language

Affective Humanistic

Inspired in the concept of affective consideration

Emphasizes respect, meaningful communication and cooperative learning

Learning environment is more important than materials or methods

Cooperative learning Teacher is viewed as facilitator and

should be proficient in L1 and L2

Comprehension-Based

L2 is acquired in the same form as L1 (Krashen and Terrell, 1983)

Listening comprehension is very important to spontaneously develop speaking, reading and writing

Learners: Begin by listening to comprehensible input Speak only when they feel comfortable Progress by scaffolding comprehensible input Uses rules to monitor learning Can understand and be understood Teacher can use audiotapes and videotapes

when not a native speaker

Communicative

Goal is for learner to communicate in target language

Cooperative learning Uses authentic language and real

life situations Skills are integrated from the

beginning Teacher is a facilitator who is

proficient in target language

XXI Century

Communicative Language Teaching CLT

ListeningViewingReading

Passive

Receptive

Input=

SpeakingWriting

Output=

Active

Productive

Input must be comprehensible

Output must communicate

ListeningViewingReading

Passive

Active participants in the interpretation,

expression and negotiation of

meaning

Communicative competence includes not only grammatical competence, but pragmatic competence in an interactive way

Communicative Competence

Grammatical Competence-The ability to recognize the lexical,

morphological, syntactic and phonological features of a language not by stating the rule but by using the rule.

Discourse Competence

-Bottom-up processing- Identification of isolated words helps understand the whole

-Top-down processing – Understanding the theme or topic helps understand the whole

-Coherence

-Cohesion

Socio-cultural competence or Cultural

awareness- Understanding of social context in which language is used- The roles of the participants- The information they share- The function of the interaction

Strategic Competence- Communicative competence is relative- Coping is needed

How do we as teachers can facilitate Communicative Language Teaching?

Question is…

???

??