UNIT 3

A. APPROACHES AND METHODS

The theories of language teaching which deals with acquisition of language when
actually applied to classroom teaching have led to the discovery of different
instructional methods. All these methods are concerned with providing and creating
opportunities for learners to acquire language.

It is concern with what to teach, how to teach and when to teach are the basic queries
is called as teaching methodology. The Teaching Methodology is defined as “a
science of method or orderly arrangement”. It consists of four components.
1. Approach: It is related to the basic assumptions, nature of language to be
taught in classrooms.

2. Method: It an overall plan for the orderly presentation of language materials,

based on a selected approach

3. Technique: Is an actual implementation which takes place in the classroom.

4. Strategy: Is a process used or implement in teaching the language.

The major methods of language teaching are:

1. GRAMMAR TRASNLATION METHOD

a) This method consists of teaching abstract grammar rules, lists of

vocabulary items and translation of sentences.

b) Learners are asked to translate sentences which are artificial of prose

lessons, poems and non-detailed lessons

c) Formal grammar is taught by a study of the parts of speech, types of

sentences

d) Priority is given to reading and writing skills.

e) According is the desired outcome of this method. Correctness is given

utmost importance.

f) Grammar is taught prescriptively. Learners are taught to memorise target

language.

g) Vocabulary is taught by giving explanations in the mother tongue.

 h) No attention paid to the teaching of spoken English.

TECHNIQUES

1. Students translate a reading passage from the target language into their
native language.
2. Students / learners are given set of words to find antonyms or synonyms in
the reading passage.
3. Grammar rules are presented with examples.
4. Students are given the list of vocabulary words and asked them to
memorise in mother tongue.
5. The teacher gives the students a topic to write about in the mother tongue.

MERITS

1. The target language /English is taught with the help of mother tongue.
2. The learners can easily translate sentences, phrases and words into mother
tongue.
3. No labour is required.
4. The learner can easily understand the topic.
5. It is a time saving method.
6. The learners learnt many English words easily by this method.
DEMERITS
1. Listening and speaking skills are neglected.
2. Learners are tend to think in mother tongue and write in English.
3. Translation of English into mother tongue leads to artificial sentences.
4. Many words in English do not have exact equivalents in the mother tongue
and vice versa.
5. The patterns of English are not practised.

CONCLUSION

The Grammar Translation Method is still popular in English classrooms. This method
tries to make a connection between what the learner have understood and the
teacher’s methodology.

2. DIRECT METHOD

The Direct method came into use as a reaction to the Grammar Translation method. It
is also known as Natural method.

Direct method is a method of teaching English/target language through conversation,

discussion and reading the language, without the use of the pupil’s language, without
translation and without the study of grammar.

PRINCIPLES / FEATURES / CHARACTERISTICS

The basic features of Direct method are:

1. It enables the learner to practise thinking in the English instead of his mother
tongue.
2. The students are directly involved with the use off English/ target language.
3. The meanings of words are given by pointing to objects and pictures.
4. Translation and the use of the mother tongue are banned completely.
5. Grammar is taught, starting with examples and going on to rules later.
6. Used of full sentences is followed by teachers and students.
7. Vocabulary is selected and graded.
8. Within a particular sentence pattern, a limited number of words are used.

TECHNIQUES
1. Students takes turns reading sections of a passage, play or dialogue out loud.
2. The teacher asks students a number of questions in English and students
answers all questions in English correctly.
3. The teacher asked the learners to write a comprehensive passage on the topic
given by teacher.
4. The learners learn the grammar by practising various exercises like fill in the
blanks, etc.

MERITS

1. It allows the learners too acquire the target language.

2. The learners receive the input in the target language.
3. It creates association between words in the English and concepts in their mind,
actions and situations etc.
4. Classes have few students, the learning process is increase.

DEMERITS

1. It is teacher centric method.

2. The grammar rules are neglected.
3. It is inconvenient for huge classrooms.
4. It required skilled and trained teachers.
5. The writing and reading skills are neglected.

3. READING METHOD

This method is also known as Dr. West’s method or Textbook method. It was
developed by Dr. Michael West.

This focus in the Reading method is mostly on reading skills, with emphases on
comprehension/understanding the content of a passage or text.
FEATURES / PRINCIPLES / TENENTS

1. The detailed study of textbooks which leads to understanding of vocabulary,

grammatical structure.
2. This method emphasizes on reading skills.
3. Dr. West gave importance to silent reading.
4. Permits the use of mother tongue wherever necessary.
5. In the words of Dr. West “Learning to read a language is by for the shortest
road to speak and write it”.
6. The basic objective of this method to make learners fluent readers.
7. It simply the vocabulary by replacing old fashioned literary word by more
common modern equivalents. For example, nought – nothing before.

TECHNIQUES

The practitioner / teacher of Reading Method usually begins the study the study of
language with an oral phase. In the beginning students are thoroughly initiated into
the sound system of the language and become accustomed to listening to and speaking
in simple phrases.

The reading texts are graded in terms of vocabulary. The main part of the text is then
divided into intensive and extensive reading. Intensive reading is done under the
supervision of the teacher. It is more analytic and provides material for grammatical
study, for the acquisition of vocabulary, and for training in reading complete
sentences for comprehension. Teacher doesn’t ask the student to translate but
encourages them to infer the meaning of unknown words from the context. During
this intensive reading, the teacher is able to check in detail the degree of
comprehension achieved by each student.

For extensive reading, the students are on their own, reading many pages of connected
discourse graded to their personal level of achievement. Special readers with adopted
texts which conform to specific levels of word-frequency and idiom counts are used.
The students are guided in the teacher from level to level as their reading ability
develops. They acquire a large passive vocabulary or recognition vocabulary, which
varies according to the material each has been reading.

MERITS

1. Reading helps to make the writing easy.

2. It helps to increase the vocabulary of the students.
3. This method is less expensive and time saving.
4. It helps the learners to improve the pronunciation and masters the stress and
intonation.
5. It increases the ability of the better students to read in another language.
DEMERITS
1. More emphasis is given on reading skills
2. Writing and speaking skills are neglected
3. This method stress on importance on silent reading
4. The language of the textbook is dull and sometimes it is difficult.

CONCLUSION
Reading became the goal of most foreign language programmes in the United States.
Teachers started looking for the most effective ways of developing the reading skill,
so that the graduate of a limited duration language course would be capable of
independent reading after formal study of the language has ended.
This method is useful in India, can be implement in the classrooms.

4. AUDIO – LINGUAL METHOD

This method was mainly developed in America in 60’s and 70’s. Charles Fries
(1945) of the University of Michigan led the way in applying principles from
structural linguistics in developing the method. It is also known as Michigan method.
It is a technique of foreign language instruction that emphasizes audio-lingual skills
over reading and writing and is characterised by extensive use of pattern practise.
FEATURES

1. Language is a system of rules. It is acquired by habit formation.

2. It lays emphases on the structures of sound and order and symbols of the
language.
3. The syllabus consists of a graded list of phonological, morphological and
syntactic terms.
4. The presentation is through dialogues drills, repetition, memorisation and
pattern practice.
5. There is much use of tape-recorders, language labs and visual aids.
6. There is an extended pre-reading period at the beginning of the course.
7. The cultural background of the target language is stressed.
8. Some use of the mother tongue by teachers is permitted.
9. The target language is presented entirely orally.
10. Reading and writing activities are based on what students know how to say
orally.
11. Learners overcome the habits of their mother tongue and form new habits
required in learning target language.

TECHNIQUES

1. Students memorise the dialogues through mimicry, student take the role of one
person in the dialogue and the teacher other.
2. Students are asked to repeat the teacher’s model accurately and quickly.
 3. The teacher gives students a certain kind of sentence pattern. For example:
the teacher asked the students to change the affirmative sentence to negative
one.
4. The teacher works with pair of words which differ in only one sound. For
Example: ship/sheep.
5. The games are designed to get students to practise a grammar point within a
context.
MERITS

1. This approach facilitates in acquiring language.

2. This method lay stress on development of syntax
3. It is a teacher-dominated approach
4. The use of visual aids is effective
5. Developing simple techniques and making use of language lab.
DEMERITS
1. There is no creativity. Students repeat and memorise the sentences, results in
well trained parrots.
2. The methods and techniques are boring.
3. The understanding of the topic is neglected.
4. Equal importance is not given to all four skills.
5. Audio -lingual training is given in mechanical way.

5. BILINGUAL METHOD
Dr. C.J. Dodson of the University College of Wales was the originator of the
Bilingual method.
This method aims at developing general proficiency in language and lays special
emphases on developing vocabulary.

FEATURES
1. The mother tongue of the learner is used in the classroom.
2. The mother tongue is used to explain and translate difficult words and phrases
in the second language.
3. It recommended a restricted use of the mother tongue by the teacher alone and
not by the pupils.
4. Mother tongue is not used as translation.
5. Teacher uses the mother tongue in the classroom
6. Sentence is the unit of teaching.
7. Teacher gives meanings in mother tongue for meaningful parts or sentences.
8. When the students achieve proficiency the mother tongue is withdrawn by the
teacher.

TECHNIQUES
 1. The teacher reads out a dialogue to the class. The students listen to the teacher
with their books closed.
2. The students repeat the lines with the teacher with their books opened in the
second reading.
3. The teacher says each sentence wise or meaningful parts.
4. The teacher says each sentence of the dialogue twice with mother tongue.

MERITS

1. This method makes good use of the pupil’s skills in mother tongue and ability
to associate word and object.
2. This method promotes fluency and accuracy.
3. No equipment like tapes and audio-visual aids is required.
4. It saves time for pattern practice in English by quickly learning concepts
through English language.
5. Less work load for teachers.

DEMERITS

1. The focus is on the grammatical structures rather on normal conversation.

2. Students become dependent on their tongue.
3. If the teacher is careless, this method may degenerate into translation method.
4. This method is useful for only junior classes not for higher classes.

6. ECLECTIC METHOD
The Eclectic method was born out of the realisation that each of the individual
methods had strengths and weakness and that no one method was responsive to the
dynamic classroom context.
Definition
Parveen Kumar notes that “the Eclectic method is a combination of different method
of teaching and learning approaches.”
According Gao, “not a concrete, single method, but a method which combines LSRW
and includes some practice in the classroom”.
FEATURES
1. Teachers are given a chance to choose different kinds of teaching techniques
in each class period to reach the aims of the lesson.
2. There is flexibility in choosing any aspect or method that teachers think
suitable for teaching inside the classroom.
3. Learners can see different kinds of teaching techniques, using different kinds
of teaching aids, which ensures the understanding of the topic.
4. Solving difficulties that may merge from the presentation of the textbook
materials.
5. It saves both time and efforts in the presentation of language activities.
APPROACHES AND METHODS USED

Definitions of all the approaches.

MERITS

1. It is easier for learners to understand the language of the text in its cultural
context.
2. It combines listening speaking reading and writing.
3. Learning is easy due to the use of realistic situations in the classroom.

DEMERITS

1. It discourages the teacher to reflect upon their teaching.

2. Mixing all the methods and approaches may result in conflicts
3. Teacher will hesitate to introduced new methods and approaches in traditional
style of teaching.
B. COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING (CLT)

Communicative Language Teaching is one of the recent approaches and long-lasting

approaches to be used in world.

Language is a means of communication. The approaches (like GTM, Direct,

Bilingual. Reading etc) have ignored the function or importance of communication
and succeeded in imparting knowledge of language forms and rules. Thus, student
acquire linguistic competence not the communicative competence.

Communicative competence enables the user of the language to convey and interpret
messages. It is an ability to now when and where to use the sentences learnt and to
whom.

Human being is a social animal, they live in a society and they communicate with
each other. In order to communicate, though they are various means available, the
most convenient means is using the language. Communicative Language Teaching
believes in providing opportunities to the learners to communicate with each other.

TENETS OF COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING

Communicative Language Teaching can be used to support a wide variety of

classroom procedures because it lays down principles that can be interpreted in many
different ways. These principles are;

1. The goal of language learning is communicative competence.

2. Learners learn a language through using it to communicate.
3. Authentic and meaningful communication is the goal of classroom activities.
4. Fluency and accuracy are both important dimensions of communication.
5. Communication involves the use of different language skills.
6. Learning is a gradual process that involves trial and error.
7. Learners are not the passive recipients in a classroom. They are active participants
and contribute to classroom process.
8. Use of mother tongue is not a problem can be use whenever it is necessary.
9. Tasks which are ‘problem solving’ allows the learners to think, interact with
others and find solution.
10. Learners involvement in task is active and every learner get learner the chance to
participate actively.

METHODS

1. The method is function-based and task-centred.

2. The learner is given some tasks like
a) Making a request for something
b) Making a phone call
c) Booking a room in a hotel
 d) Greeting people
e) Introducing oneself or others etc.
And he/she is trained to perform these tasks with the teacher and class peers.
3. While conveying the message id primary accuracy is secondary.
4. Use of mother tongue/translation is allowed to help learners to perform the task.
5. Pair work and group work are frequently used in the classroom.
6. Students are motivated to speak freely and confidently.
7. The teacher set questions on the various tasks.

The greatest contribution of Communicative Language Teaching is asking teachers to

stress on communication.

English cannot be taught by using readers/workbooks. The teaching materials should

be written in communicative approach.

 TASK BASED LEARNING AND TEACHING

A Task Based approach aims to provide learners with a natural context for language
use. As the learners work to complete a task, they have a chance to interact. Such
interaction is thought to become easier in acquiring language as the learners have to
work to understand each other and express their own opinions. By interacting with
others, they get to listen to language.

PRINCIPLES

1. The class activities have a clear purpose and outcome.

2. Students work through a similar task and later individually.
3. The teacher breaks down into smaller steps the logical thinking process necessary
to complete the task.
4. The teacher should be aware how involved the students are in performing task.
5. The teacher supplies the correct information given by the students or recasting
what the students have said.
6. The teacher uses simple language. She uses whatever language is necessary to
have students comprehend the task.
7. Students have to listen to different pats of a total set of information in order to
complete the task.
8. It gives students opportunity to engage in speaking and listening and develop their
comprehension and speaking skills.
9. Students receive the feedback on completion of their tasks.
10. Students have input into the design and the way they carry out the task.

TYPES OF TASKS
1. Information Gap activity: Involves the exchange of information among the
learners in order to complete the task. For example: A student describing a
picture for another student to draw or students drawing each other’s family tress
after sharing information.

2. Opinion Gap activity: It requires that students give their personal preferences,
feelings or attitudes in order to complete task. For Example: A learner is asked to
write a letter to a friend who sought counselling about a problem.

3. Reasoning Gap activity: It requires learners to derive some new information by

drawing it form information they have been given. For example: students are
asked to solve riddles.
 C. HUMANISTIC APPROACHES

COMMUNITY LANGUAGE LEARNING

This method is derives from psychological techniques of learning called counselling-
learning. It was developed by an American Professor of Psychology, Charles A.
Curran and his colleagues.

The teacher plays the role of counsellor and the learners play the role of ‘clients’ in
the classroom. In this method, the teacher translates a sentence, uttered by the learner
in the mother tongue. The learners merely repeat the translated version and it goes on.

FEATURES/ PRINCIPLES

1. It is important to establish a mutual relationship between the learner and the

teacher in order to create healthy and friendly environment.
2. Students should be encouraged to communicate as frequently as possible during
the class.
3. The teacher stands behind the students in order to facilitate the learning process.
4. The teacher should respect the level of confidence and give appropriate
feedback
5. The teachers and learners share their learning experiences, thus getting to know
each other
6. Considering that each learner is unique, the teacher, as a counsellor, values the
learners and their ideas.
7. A learner uses his mother- tongue to give a clear idea.
8. Learners are required to attend one task at a time
9. Learners have a choice in what they want to practice
10. Students works in groups so that they can learn from each other as well as
teacher.
11. The teachers should correct the errors of the learners.
12. Apart from the language, learners also reflect on what they have experienced.
13. The syllabus is generated by the students in beginning stages.
TECHNIQUES
1. Tape recording is used to record student-generated language as well as give the
opportunity for community learning.
2. The teacher transcribes the student’s tape-recorded target language conversation.
3. The students relax and listen to their own voices speaking the target language on
the tape.
4. The small groups in the class is asked to make new sentences with words on the
transcript and later share with the rest of the learners.
 SUGGESTOPEDIA

Suggestopedia also called Super learning. It was developed by Georgi Lozanov, a

Bulgarian educator. It is a specific set of learning recommendations derived from
‘suggestology’, a psychological theory which says that “human beings respond to
subtle clues of which they are not consciously aware”.

The most important characteristics of this method are the decoration. Furniture and
arrangement of the classroom, the use of music and the authoritative behaviour of the
teacher.

It aims to help learners to overcome the feeling that they cannot be successful and so
removes their mental barriers through learning. It helps learners reach hidden reserve
of the mind.

PRINCIPLES

1. The joy and psycho relaxation.

2. Gaining access to the reserve powers of the mind.
3. Harmonious collaboration of the conscious and the unconscious.

METHOD

1. Learners listen to soothing music.

2. They are asked to close their eyes and do some relaxation exercises.
3. Learners are given new identities.
4. Some introductory work is done by the teacher who uses mime and actions to
briefly sketch out the identities of the learners
5. Questions are asked in the target language.
6. Other activities like games, role-play, creative language work is done.

CONCLUSION
It has received both appreciation and most critical response of nay of the so-called
new methods.