The Audio-Lingual Method

Joanne Lian Li FangChua Swee Woon

Introduction Audio-Lingual Method is an oral-based

approach. AL was based on structural linguistic and

behavioral psychology : the way to acquire the sentence patterns of the target language is repetition of dialogues about every day situations that are imitated and drilled to make the response automatic.

Structural Linguistic

Language is a system of structural related elements, like phonological units, grammatical units, and lexical items, for the transmission of meaning. So to learn the target language is to mater the elements of the target language system.

From structural linguistics it borrows the theory that language can be separated into different segments(e.g. tense, pronouns) and studied in small ‘chunks’.

Theory of learning-BehaviorismLanguage learning is habit-formation.Mistakes, the bad habit, should be

avoided.Language skills are learned more

effectively if they are presented orally first, then in written form.

The meaning of words can be learned only in a linguistic and cultural context.

Principles of Audio-Lingual Method

Use drills to teach the lines of dialogues.

Repeat the language mode as accurately and quickly as possible.

Key Features

1. Dependence on mimicry and memorization of set phrases.

2. Teaching structural patterns by means of repetitive drills.

3. Little or no explicit grammatical explanation because learners are supposed to infer grammatical rules.

4. Skills are sequenced in the following order: listening, speaking, reading, writing.

5. Learning of vocabulary in context but limited.

6. Use of tapes, language labs and visual aids

7. Focus on native-like pronunciation - “habit-forming”

8. Some use of mother tongue by teachers is permitted, but learners are not allowed to use it at all.

9. Immediate reinforcement (praise/reward) of correct responses.

10. Cultural background of target language is stressed.

Strengths

Controlled drills may encourage shy students to speak.

ALM lessons and drills tend to go very quickly, they may help create a sense of fluency for some students.

Limitations

Learners who need the written word to reinforce their speaking and listening may find ALM very difficult.

Some learners may be unable to make the transition from controlled drills to more open-ended and creative language use.

Basic method of teaching is repetition, speech is standardized and learners turn into parrots who can reproduce many things but never create anything new or spontaneous.

New materials necessitated extensive use of equipment with all associated problems of black-out, extension leads, carrying tape-recorders from classroom to classroom.

Techniques or Activities of Audio-Lingual Method (AL)

Techniques of AL – Backward Build-up drill

teaching long lines of dialogues Breaking down the line into several parts Repeating a part of the sentence

I’m going to the post office.post officegoing

I’m to the

Backward build-up drill

follow the teacher, students expand what they repeated part by part until they are able repeat the entire line.

T: Repeat after me: post office.S: Post office.T: To the post office.S: To the post office.T: Going to the post office.S: Going to the post office.T: I’m going to the post office.S: I’m going to the post office.

Techniques of AL – Dialog Memorization

Person 2 Person 1

Techniques of AL – Dialog Memorization Students take the role of one person in the

dialogue and the teacher the other. Switch roles and memorize the other

person’s part. Half of the class to take one role and the

other half to take the other. Some pairs of students might perform the

dialogue for the rest of the class.

T: Hello. How are you?

S: Fine, thanks. And you?

T: Fine. Where are you going?

S: I’m going to the school. Would you like to come?

T: Sure. Let’s go together.

Techniques of AL – Dialog Memorization

Techniques of AL – Chain Drill

To make students ask and answer questions with each other.

It allows some controlled communication among students and give the teacher an opportunity to check students’ speech.

Techniques of AL – Question & Answer Drill

Practicing the target language with answering questions and the question patterns.

Techniques of AL – Question & Answer Drill

Students practice the target language with answering questions and the question patterns.

Students answer the teacher’s question quickly.

Bank

T: Are you going to the bank?

S: Yes, I am. I’m going to the bank Library

T: Are you going to the zoo?

S: No, I’m not going to the zoo. I’m going to the library

Techniques of AL – Question & Answer Drill

Teacher Role/Student Role

The teacher is like an orchestra leader. Providing students with a good model for

imitation. Students are imitators.

Student-teacher interaction/ student-student interaction

Interaction is teacher-directed Student-student interaction →Chain drills and

dialogues

What areas of language are emphasized? What language skills are emphasized?

Vocabulary is kept to a minimum while the students are mastering the sound system and grammatical patterns.

The natural order of skills presentation is adhered to : listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

The oral/aural skills receive most of the attention .

The role of native language

The habits of the students’ native language are thought to interfere with the students’ attempts to master the target language.

The target language is mostly used in the classroom instead of the native language.

Silent Way Method

Joanne Lian Li FangChua Swee Woon

Kev Yi BengTell me and I forgetTeach me and I rememberInvolve me and I learn---Benjamin Franklin

Introduction of Silent Way (SW) Method

The Silent Way is one of new methods developed in the 70s to highlight the cognitive domain in language learning.

Caleb Gattegno, the founder of the Silent Way, of Egypt, although he repeatedly insisted that "the Silent Way is not a method at all", devoted his thinking to the importance of problem solving approach in education.

He contends that the method is constructivist and leads the learners to develop their own conceptual models of all the aspects of the language.

The best way of achieving this is to help students to be experimental learners.

Silence

to focus students' attention to elicit(bring out) student responses to encourage them to correct their own errors

Teachers are still active: mouthing words using hand gestures encourage students to help their peers

The Silent Way Assumptions of teaching and learning process

The teacher makes use of what students already know, particularly the sound of a language – learning starts from knowing the pronunciation

At the beginning, the teacher needs to look for progress, not perfection Learning takes place in time Students learn at different rate The teacher may spend some more time

working on practising certain language elements with the help from other students

The Silent Way

Teacher’s silence is a tool – The more the teacher does for the students

what they can do for themselves, the less they will do for themselves

Students can learn from one another; the teacher’s silence encourages group cooperation

A teacher’s silence frees the teacher to closely observe the students’ behaviour

Students’ actions can tell the teacher whether or not they have learned

The Silent Way Errors are important and necessary to learning

– they show the teacher where things are unclear Errors are inevitable since students are

encouraged to explore the language The teacher should work with students in

getting them to self-correct – if students simply given answers, rather than being allowed to self-correct, they will not retain them

The teacher should supply the correct answer as the last resort only

If the teacher praises (or criticises) students, they will be less self-reliant – the teacher’s actions can interfere with students’ developing their own criteria

Learning Hypotheses

Learning is facilitated if the learner discovers or creates rather than remembers and repeats what is to be learned

Learning is facilitated by accompanying (mediating) physical objects

Learning is facilitated by problem solving involving the material to be learned.

Theory of Learning Cognitive Approach

The role of learners in the language learning process should be more than simply responding to stimuli

Instead, they should be more active to engage in formulating hypotheses in order to discover the rules of the target language

Errors are inevitable while they are trying and testing their hypotheses

Goals of the Silent Way Teaching

Students are able to use the language for self-expression.

They need to develop independence from the teacher, to develop their own criteria for correctness.

Students become independent by relying on themselves.

The teacher should give them only what they absolutely need to promote their learning.

The Silent Way The Teacher

The teacher sets up situation that focus student attention on the structure of the language

Through the use of nonverbal gestures(pointing, etc) and the tools which are available, the teacher works on focusing the students’ perceptions, forcing their awareness and providing exercises to insure their facility

The teacher speaks only when necessary – when the teacher does speak, it is to give clues, not to model the language

The teacher should respect the autonomy of the learners in their attempts at relating and interacting with the new challenges

The Silent Way

The Learner Students gain autonomy in the language by

exploring it and making choices They have to make use of what they know and to

actively engage in exploring the language by giving their utmost attention to the learning task – because no one can learn for them

Students should learn to rely on each other and themselves – in addition to the teacher

The Silent Way

Classroom Interaction The teacher remains silent for much teacher-

student interaction, but s/he works with students in learning the target language through nonverbal gesture and other tools

Student-student verbal interaction is desirable – students can learn from one another – and is therefore encouraged

The teacher’s silence is to foster the student-student interaction

Types of learning & teaching activities

The teacher models a word, phrase, or sentence and then elicits learner responses.

Learners then go on to create their own utterances by putting together old and new information.

Charts, rods, and other aids may be used to elicit learner responses.

Teacher modeling is minimal, although much of the activity may be teacher directed.

Phonetic Chart

Colored Rods

The EndThank you!