1. Language Teaching Methods

2. What is a method? • Approach: language description, learning theory • Design: objectives, syllabus, activities, roles of teachers/learners/materials • Procedure: classroom application • (Richards and Rodgers, 2001: Ch. 2) • -> underlying theory + practical techniques • -> actual practice tends to be eclectic

3. The Audiolingual Method • Approach • structuralism + behaviourism • Design • dialogues & drills (pattern practice) • Procedure • main focus = accurate oral performance • Never translate • Hear, speak, read, write • Immediate error correction

4. The Communicative Approach - 1 • Approach • communicative competence + cognitive/affective views • Design • “strong” (“using to learn”) vs. “weak” (“learning to use”) versions (see R & R: 155) • part-skill vs. whole-task (Littlewood, 1992) • problem-solving, information gap activities, games, role plays, simulations, project-work

5. The communicative approach - 2 • Procedure (“weak” version) • pre-communicative -> communicative activities (Littlewood, 1981; cf. Littlewood 2004) • “learner-centred” (Nunan, 1999)

6. Other methods • The Silent Way • Suggestopedia • Counselling/Community Language Learning • Total Physical Response • The Natural Approach

7. Conclusion • The “post-method condition” (Kumaravadivelu) • “…in order to help our learners learn, it is not ‘the latest method’ that we need, but rather a fuller understanding of the language classroom and what goes on there.” Allwright & Bailey (1991: xviii) • Assignment topic no. 2

8. SEMINAR • What reasons are there for studying language teaching methods? • What main advantages and disadvantages do you see each of the following as having: • The Audiolingual Method • The Communicative Approach (weak or strong)

9. RECOMMENDED READING