Audio-LingualMethod

1.0 THE AUDIO-LINGUAL METHODThe objective of the audio-lingual method is accurate

pronunciation and grammar, the ability to respond quickly and accurately in speech situations and knowledge of sufficient vocabulary to use with grammar patterns.

Particular emphasis was laid on mastering the building blocks of language and learning the rules for combining them.

It was believed that learning structure, or grammar was the starting point for the student.

Here are some characteristics of the method: Language learning is habit-formation. Mistakes are bad and should be avoided, as they are considered bad

habits. Language skills are learned more effectively if they are presented

orally first, then in written form. Analogy is a better foundation for language learning than analysis. The meanings of words can be learned only in a linguistic and

cultural context.

1.1 TECHNIQUES INVOLVED IN THE AUDIO-LINGUAL METHODThe main activities include reading aloud dialogues,

repetitions of model sentences, and drilling. Key structures from the dialogue serve as the basis for

pattern drills of different kinds. Lessons in the classroom focus on the correct imitation of

the teacher by the students. Not only are the students expected to produce the correct

output, but attention is also paid to correct pronunciation. Although correct grammar is expected in usage, no explicit

grammatical instruction is given. It is taught inductively.  Furthermore, the target language is the only language to

be used in the classroom.

The techniques used by the Audio-lingual Method are :

Repetition Drill: Repetition Drill is often used to teach the lines of the dialogue. Students are asked to repeat the teacher’s model as accurately and as quickly as possible.

Simple substitution Drill: The students repeat the line from the dialogue which the teacher has given them, substituting the cue into the line in its proper place.

Progressive Drill: Progressive drill is to give the students practice in finding and filling in the slots of a sentence. It is similar to the simple substitution drill. The difference is that the teacher gives cue phrases, one at a time that fit into different slots in the dialogue line.

Transformation Drill: The teacher gives students a certain kind of sentence, and affirmative sentence for example. Students are asked to transform this sentence into a negative one.

Question-and-answer Drill: This drill helps students practice with answering questions.

Expansion Drill: this drill helps students to produce longer sentences bit by bit, gradually achieving fluency.

Clause combination Drill: Students learn to combine two simple sentences into a complex one.

Backward build-up Drill: This drill is used when a long line of a dialogue is giving students trouble. The teacher breaks down the line into several parts. The students repeat a part of the sentence, usually the last phrase of the line. Then, following the teacher’s cue, the students expand what they are repeating part by part until they are able to repeat the entire line.

Chain Drill: A chain drill gets its name from the chain of conversation that forms around the classroom as students, one-by-one, ask and answer questions of each other. The teacher begins the chain by greeting a particular student, or asking him a question. That student responds, and then turns to the student sitting next to him. A chain drill allows some controlled communication, even though it is limited. A chain drill also gives the teacher an opportunity to check each student’s speech in the Audio-lingual Method.

Mini-dialogue: This drill helps students to learn to make an appropriate response or reply to a given utterance. Students are told in advance to respond.

Completion: Students hear an utterance that is complete expect for one word, then repeat the utterance in completed form.

Use of minimal pairs: The teacher works with pairs of words which differ in only one sound; students are first asked to find the difference between the two words and later to say the two words.

1.2 ADVANTAGES / STRENGTHSThe audio-lingual theory is probably the first language

teaching theory that openly claims to be derived from linguistics and psychology. 

The Audio-lingual Method attempts to make language learning accessible to large group of ordinary learners. With large classes, drills are of particular use in that they maximize student participation.

 While previous methods tended to be preoccupied with vocabulary and morphology, the Audio-lingual Method stresses syntactical progression and uses pattern drills to help the students gain control over grammatical structures, which is a much more interesting way of learning grammar than working through written exercises. What’s more, drilling can be positively beneficial in helping a student to develop his oral ability.

The Audio-lingual Method leads to the development of simple techniques of varied, graded, and intensive practice of specific features of the language, and more scientifically selected and systematically arranged materials and structural patterns to go with. Moreover, the teaching techniques with tape recording and language lab drills offer practice in speaking and listening which are considered of primary importance in language learning. The technique pattern drills gives students more practice in using grammar pattern.

The Audio-lingual Method develops the separation of the language skills into a pedagogical device that is listening, speaking, reading and writing. The Audio-lingual Method introduces specifically designed techniques of auditory and oral practice. It lays emphasis on listening and speaking which did not gain so much importance from Grammar-Translation Method. It achieves noticeable success in developing aural comprehension and oral fluency.

1.3 DISADVANTAGES / SHORTCOMING / WEAKNESSESThe theoretical basis of the Audio-lingual Method was

found to be weak. The behaviourist theory could not possibly serve as a model of how humans learn language, since much of human language is not imitated behaviour, but is created a new from underlying knowledge of abstract rules.

Techniques such as pattern practice, drilling, memorization, etc. might lead to language like behaviour, but they are not resulting in competence. Teachers complain about the lack of effectiveness of the techniques in the long run, and students complain about the boredom caused by endless pattern drills.

Learners play a reactive role by responding to stimuli, and thus have little control over the content, pace or style of learning. They are not encouraged to initiate interaction, because this may lead to mistakes.

The teacher’s role is central and active in the Audio-lingual Method. It is the teacher who always dominates the class. The teacher models the target language, controls the direction and pace of learning, and monitors and corrects the learner’s performance.

Materials in the Audio-lingual Method are primarily teacher-oriented. The teacher’s book contains the structured sequence of lessons to be followed, an the dialogues, drills, and other practice activities. The audio-lingual here ignores the fact that learning can be facilitated if all the channels are open to students.

1.4 PROCEDURE / EXPERIENCE OF THE LESSON USING THE AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD

Stage 1 (listening skill)

Backward build-up drill

1.4.1 Teacher read the dialogue on the white board.1.4.2 Teacher repeats the dialogue for several times.1.4.3 Teacher asks the whole class repeat each of the

lines of the dialogue after her model.1.4.4 When the class comes to the line “I’m going to the

shop”, they stumble a bit their repetition.1.4.5 Teacher repeats the last two words.1.4.6 Little by little teacher builds up the phrases until

entire sentence being repeated.

Stage 2 (Speaking)

Single-slot substitution drill

1.4.7 Teacher begins by reciting a line from the dialogue, “I am going to the shop”.

1.4.8 Then she pauses and shows the student a picture of the bank and says the phrases, ‘The bank’.

1.4.9 The students realize that they are supposed to take cue phrase based on the picture shown by the teacher.

1.4.10 Then teacher gives another picture.1.4.11 The students repeat entire sentence, putting the

name of the place in the picture in the appropriate slot in the sentence.

Stage 3 (grammar)

Multiple-slot substitution drill

1.4.12 Teacher asks student to repeat the original sentence of the dialogue, ‘I am going to the shop’.

1.4.13 Teacher gives students the cue ‘she’.1.4.14 Students respond by saying, ‘She is going to the

shop’.1.4.15 Teacher continues provide subject pronoun or name

of location.

Stage 4 (speaking)

Transformation drill and question-and-answer drill

1.4.16 Teacher uses a substitution drill that requires student to change a statement into a yes/no question.

1.4.17 Teacher offer an example, I say, ‘she is going to the shop’ and change into question, ‘Is she going to the shop?’

1.4.18 Students answer the question and teacher move on to the question-and-answer drill.

1.4.19 Teacher shows the picture of hospital and asks the students, ‘are you going to the hospital’.

1.4.20 Teacher continues by showing another picture.

Thank YouPrepared by: ShaliniSyuhadah