IDE 205 APPROACHES & METHODS IN ELT AYÇA YALÇIN SELİN HOMAN

REASONS FOR THE DECLINE OF DIRECT METHOD Difficulties to implement in public schools –Restricted time –Limited skills of teacher –Size of classrooms Reading knowledge (Coleman Report) Lack of sound methodological principles

RESULTS OF THE DECLINE OF DIRECT METHOD An attempt to develop more scientific foundation for an oral approach to teaching English Systematic study of principles and procedures - Audiolingualism (USA) - Oral Approach or SLT (Britain)

ORAL APPROACH & SLT ►Developed by British applied linguists Harold Palmer – A.S. Hornby (1930s-1960s) ►It involved systematic principles of selection, gradation and presentation

ORAL APPROACH & SLT Important features of the method: ► Vocabulary Control Emphasis on reading skills ► Grammar Control Structures through sentence patterns

ORAL APPROACH & SLT Main characteristics of the approach: Oral introduction before written form The language of the classroom = Target language New language points = in situations Vocabulary selection = a core of common words Grammar = Simple to complex (inductively) Reading and writing are introduced later

THE ORAL APPROACH & SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING METHOD APPROACH Theory of Language Theory of Learning DESIGN Objectives Syllabus Learning- Teaching Activities Learner Roles Teacher Roles Instructional Materials PROCEDURE Classroom techniques

A.Theory of Language British Structuralism The basis of language = Speech The heart of speaking ability = Structure Relationship between the structure, context and situation (notion of situation) Oral practice of structures APPROACH

B.Theory of Learning A type of behaviorist habit-learning theory Processes rather than the conditions of learning (Frisby) - Receiving the knowledge - Fixing it in the memory by repetition - Using it in practice APPROACH

B.Theory of Learning Language learning = habit formation - Correct speech habits are fundamental An inductive approach to the teaching of grammar - The meaning of structures = induced from the situation - No explanations or translation Apply the language in class to situations outside the class. APPROACH

A.Objectives To teach the four basic skills of language through structure Accuracy is important in grammar and pronunciation Automatic control of basic structures and sentence patterns DESIGN

B.The Syllabus The structural syllabus - A list of the basic structures and sentence patterns - Arranged according to order of presentation - Structures are taught within the sentences - Vocabulary = to teach sentence patterns DESIGN

C.Types of Learning & Teaching Activities New sentence patterns presented in situations Drill-based practice The form of new words demonstrated with examples (no translation-grammatical explanations-description) Guided repetition and substitution activities Dictation, imitation and controlled oral-based reading and writing tasks DESIGN

D.Learner Roles In the initial stages of learning –Passive –No control over the content of learning –Likely to display undesirable behaviors During the practice phase of the lesson –More active –Initiating responses and questions DESIGN

E.Teacher Roles Teachers serve as a model - To set up situations - To model the new structure for students to repeat - To be a manipulator Teachers’ responsibilities according to Pittman - Timing - Oral practice to support the textbook structures - Revision - Adjustments to special needs of individuals - Testing - Developing language activities in addition to the textbook DESIGN

F.The Role of Instructional Materials Textbook - organized lessons planned around grammatical structures Visual Aids - wall charts, pictures, stick figures… DESIGN

PROCEDURE ● Procedures move from →controlled to freer practice of structures →oral use of sentece patterns to automatic use in speech-reading-writing ● An example of SLT lesson plan (Pittman ) First Part → stress and intonation practice Body Part → pronunciation → revision → oral practice - drilling → reading

PROCEDURE Teaching procedures to be used with SLT consists of: 1.Listening practice -get student’s attention -repeat the new model clearly, slowly 2.Choral imitation -repeat what the teacher has said -hand signals -instruction 3.Individual imitation -check pronunciation

PROCEDURE 4. Isolation - words, sounds that cause trouble - go through the previous techniques (before context) 5.Building up to a new model - ask/answer questions (with patterns they know) - bring about necessary information - introduce the new model 6.Elicitation - use mimes, gestures, prompt words - ask questions, make statements - give new examples of the pattern

PROCEDURE 7.Substitution drilling - use cues (words-pictures-numbers-names) - substitute, mix words into new patterns 8.Question-answer drilling - practice the new question form 9.Correction - repeating the error - shaking head - correction by the same or different student - encouraging students to listen each other carefully

CONCLUSION The first attempt to establish theoretical principles Textbooks were written according to the principles of SLT HOWEVER In 1960s, The views of language and language learning underlying SLT were called into question

REFERENCES 1. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, Jack C. Richards, Theodore S. Rodgers, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press Oral Approach and. Situated Language Learning, prepared by Doris Shih, FJU (PowerPoint Presentation) ppt#256,1,Oral Approach and Situated Language Learning