Saturday, May 3, 2014

Historical Overview of Language Instruction Methods (02/24/14)


Although I will not go into great detail here.  I would like to share a brief overview of language instruction methods.  Diane Larsen-Freeman, author of Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching, is thorough in sharing a historical overview of teaching methods. 

  • Grammar-Translation Method is based on a classical method of teaching Greek and Latin, emphasizing vocabulary and grammar, using written text translations.
  • Direct Method uses the target language (TL) and emphasizes oral tasks to promote thinking and listening in the TL.
  • Audio-Lingual Method encourages students to communicate and overlearn language.  Students act as parrots and often participate in call and response activities.
  • Silent Way Method makes use of prior knowledge and focuses on pronunciation.
  • Desuggestopedia promotes use of the full brain while employing the use of art and music.
  • Community Language Learning Method promotes conversation in the native language and teaching chunks in the TL to make transcripts.
  • Total Physical Response employs the use of vocabulary and imperatives to provoke appropriate responses.
  • Communicative Language Teaching offers authentic language for real-world experience.  This method promotes meaningful learning for students. (Larsen-Freeman, 2000).
For further reading you can borrow or purchase a copy of the third edition of Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching, which Larsen-Freeman co-authored with Marti Anderson in 2011. Which method did you experience when learning your L2 and which do you employ in your classroom?  Please leave comments below.





Works Cited

Larsen-Freeman D. (2000). Techniques and principles in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford
     University Press.
Image retrieved from http://allthingslearning.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/why-should-we-
     bother-to-learn-a-foreign-language/




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