Approaches and methods

APPLIED LINGUISTICS

in foreign language
learning
Group 5
Le Thi Son Tra Nguyen Duc Minh Quang
Do Hai Anh Tran Thu Trang
 Table of contents
0
Approaches, methods, techniques
1
0
Main foreign language teaching methods
2
0 Current situation and issues of the
3 second/foreign language teach in schools in
Vietnam
01
Approaches,
methods,
technique
 Approaches
An approach was a set of assumptions
dealing with the nature of language,
learning, and teaching.
(Edward Anthony, 1963)
 Approaches
- how language is used and how its constituent
parts interlock;

- how people acquire their knowledge of the

language and makes statements about the
conditions which will promote successful
language learning.
 Methods
Method was described as an overall plan
for systematic presentation
of a language course
based on a selected approach.
(Edward Anthony, 1963)
 Methods
- A method is the practical classroom realization of
an approach.

- Methods include various procedures and

techniques as part of their standard fare.
 Technique
Techniques were the specific activities
manifested in a curriculum that were
consistent with a method and therefore
were in harmony with an approach
as well.
(Edward Anthony, 1963)
 Technique
- A superordinate term to refer to various activities
that either teachers or learners perform in the
classroom

- Techniques include all tasks and activities.

 A multitude of
varying definitions

Richards and Rodgers (1982) proposed to call

Anthony’s method a design, and his technique a
procedure.
02
Main foreign
language teaching
methods
a. The Grammar-Translation Method
● Introduction
- A method of teaching foreign languages derived from the Classical
(sometimes called traditional) method of teaching Ancient Greek and Latin .

- Emphasizes the direct translation of sentences and passages from the

target language into the student's native language , with a strong focus on
grammar rules and vocabulary memorization .

(Diane Larsen-Freeman and Marti Anderson, 2011).

 a. The Grammar-Translation Method
● Introduction
❖ Function of The Grammar-Translation Method in 20th century:
- Help students to read and appreciate foreign language literature
- Help students become more familiar with the grammar of their native
language so that they can speak and write their native language better
- Help students grow intellectually
(Diane Larsen-Freeman and Marti Anderson, 2011)
❖ Experience

English class Member Time

High-intermediate 42 students Two-hour classes
level class at a three times a
university in week.
Colombia
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
1. The primary goal of teachers using this method is to help students:
- Develop the ability to read and understand literature written in the target
language.
- Learn and master grammatical rules and structures of the target language.
- Provides students with good mental exercise, which helps develop their
minds.
❖ Reviewing the Principles
2. The role of the teacher and students
- Teacher's role: a dominant, authoritative role.
- Student's role: a passive role, primarily absorbing information from the
teacher.
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
3. Characteristics of the teaching/learning process
- Teaching involves a systematic presentation of grammar rules
- Translation exercises are a key activity, often involving classical texts or
written passages .
- The teacher explains grammatical rules explicitly, and students translate
sentences or texts into and from their native language .
- Little focus is given to listening, speaking, or conversational skills .
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
4. The nature of student–teacher interaction and student–student
interaction

Student–teacher Student–student
interaction interaction
one-way non-existent
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
5. Feelings of the students
- The Grammar-Translation Method doesn’t explicitly address students'
emotions or affective needs.

6. The view of language and culture

- Language view: The emphasis is on the written form of the language, with
a focus on reading and writing rather than spoken communication.
- Culture view: Culture is viewed as consisting of literature and the fine arts.
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
7. What areas of language are emphasized? What language skills are
emphasized?
❏ Vocabulary and grammar are emphasized.
❏ Reading and writing are the primary skills that the students work on.
❏ There is much less attention given to speaking and listening.
❏ Pronunciation receives little, if any, attention.
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
8. The role of the students’ native language?
- The students' native language is used extensively as a tool for teaching.
Translations are made between the native language and the target
language.
- The native language often serves as the foundation for understanding the
target language, and it is used to explain grammar rules and vocabulary.
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
9. Evaluation in Grammar–translation method
● Based on written tests, often involving translation exercises, grammatical
analysis, and sentence construction.
● Students may be asked to translate passages, define grammatical terms,
or explain grammatical rules.
● Success is measured by the accuracy of translations and the correct
application of grammatical rules.
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
10. Teacher respond to student errors
● Correction of errors is direct and immediate.
● Students are often expected to memorize the correct forms to avoid
making the same errors in the future.
❖ Some expanded techniques of Grammar-Translation
Method
❏ Translation of a Literary Passage
❏ Reading Comprehension Questions
❏ Antonyms/Synonyms
❏ Cognates
❏ Deductive Application of Rules
❏ Fill-in-the-blanks Exercise
❏ Memorization
❏ Use Words in Sentences
❏ Composition
(Diane Larsen-Freeman and Marti Anderson, 2011)
 b. The Audio-Lingual Method
● Introduction
- An oral-based approach
- Drills students in the use of grammatical sentence patterns instead of just
emphasizing vocabulary acquisition through exposure to its use in
situations.
(Diane Larsen-Freeman and Marti Anderson, 2011).
- A method which emphasis is on learning grammatical and phonological
structure , especially for speaking and listening .
(British council)
 b. The Audio-Lingual Method
● Introduction
- The Audio-Lingual Method has a strong theoretical base in linguistics and
psychology.
- Charles Fries (1945) of the University of Michigan led the way in applying
principles from structural linguistics in developing this method => sometimes
called “Michigan Method”.
❖ Experience

English class Member Time

Beginning-level 34 students, 1-hour class
class at a 13–15 years of 5 days a week
university in Mali age
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
1. The primary goal of teachers using this method is to help students:
- Use the target language communicatively.
- Students need to overlearn the target language, to learn to use it automatically
without stopping to think.

2. The role of the teacher and students

- Teacher's role: like an orchestra leader, directing and controlling the
language behavior of her students.
- Student's role: imitators of the teacher’s model or the tapes she supplies of
model speakers.
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
3. Characteristics of the teaching/learning process
- Areas of language emphasized:
Pronunciation Grammar Vocabulary
- Skills emphasized:
Listening and speaking Reading and writing
4. The nature of student–teacher interaction and student–student interaction
- There is student-to-student interaction in chain drills or when students take
different roles in dialogues, but this interaction is teacher-directed.
- Most of the interaction is between teacher and students and is initiated by the
teacher.
❖ Reviewing the Principles
5. Feelings of the students
- There are no principles of the method that relate to this area

6. The view of language and culture

- Language view: influenced by descriptive linguists.
- Culture view: Everyday speech is emphasized in the Audio-Lingual Method.
Culture consists of the everyday behavior and lifestyle of the target
language speakers.
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
7. 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.
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
8. The role of the students’ native language?
- The students' native language is generally avoided in the classroom.
- The goal is to immerse students in the target language, forcing them to
respond in the new language and think in it.
- The native language is not used for explanations or translations.
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
9. Evaluation in Grammar–translation method
- Evaluation is based on oral performance , typically through listening and
speaking tests. Students might be asked to:
● Repeat sentences they have practiced.
● Perform substitution drills accurately.
● Answer questions based on dialogues.
 ❖ Reviewing the Principles
10. Teacher respond to student errors
● Correction of errors is direct and immediate.
● Students are often expected to memorize the correct forms to avoid
making the same errors in the future.

(Diane Larsen-Freeman and Marti Anderson, 2011)

❖ Some expanded techniques of Grammar-Translation
Method
• Dialogue Memorization • Transformation Drill
• Backward Build-up (Expansion) • Question-and-answer Drill
Drill • Use of Minimal Pairs
• Repetition Drill • Complete the Dialogue
• Chain Drill • Grammar Game
• Single-slot Substitution Drill
• Multiple-slot Substitution Drill
 c. The Direct Method
● Introduction
- A method when the goal of instruction became learning how to use another
language to communicate.

- Basic Rule: No Translation is Allowed

- It conveys directly in the target language through the use of

demonstration and visual aids
❖ Experience

English class Member Time

Lower-level 30 students One-hour classes
secondary school three times a
in Italy week.
❖ Review the Principles
1. What are the goal of teachers who use the Direct Method?
- Students learn how to communicate in the target language.
- Students should learn to think in the target language

2. What is the role of the teacher? What is the role of the students?
- The teacher directs the class activities.
- The student role is less passive than in the Grammar-Translation Method
- The teacher and the students are more like partners
❖ Review the Principles
3. What are some characteristics of the teaching/learning process?
- Students need to associate meaning with the target language directly.
- Students speak in the target language a great deal and communicate as if they
were in real situation.
- Grammar is taught inductively. The students are presented with examples and
they figure out the rule or generalization from the examples.
- Students practice vocabulary by using new words in complete sentences.
❖ Review the Principles
4. What is the nature of student-teacher interaction? What is the nature of
student-student interaction?
- The initiation of the interaction goes both way.
- Although the latter is often teacher-directed. Students converse with one
another as well.

5. How are the feelings of the students dealt with?

- There are no principles of the method which related to this are
❖ Review the Principles
6. How is language viewed? How is culture viewed?
- Language is primarily spoken, not written => Students study common,
everyday speech in the target language.
- Study culture consists of the history of the people who speak the target
language, the geography of the country or countries where the language is
spoken, and information about the daily lives of the speakers of the language.
❖ Review the Principles
7. What area of language are emphasized? What language skills are
emphasized?
- Vocabulary is emphasized over grammar.
- Although work on all 4 skills => Oral communication is seen as basic.
- The reading and writing exercises are based upon what the students practice
orally first.
- Pronunciation also receives attention right from the beginning of a course.

8. What is the role of the student’s native language?

- The students’ native language should not be used in the classroom
❖ Review the Principles
9. How is evaluation accomplished?
- Students are asked to use the language, not to demonstrate their knowledge
about the language. Using both oral and written skills.
- For example: The students might be interviewed orally by the teacher or might
be asked to write a paragraph about something they have studied.

10. How does the teacher respond to students errors?

- Tries to get students to self-correct whenever possible.
❖ Review the Techniques
1. Reading Aloud
- Students take turns reading sections of a passage, play, or dialogue out loud.
- At the end of each student’s turn, the teacher uses gestures, pictures,
examples, or other means to make the meaning of the section clear.

2. Question and Answer Exercise

- This exercise is conducted only in the target language.
- Students are asked questions and answered in full sentences => Practice new
words and grammatical structures.
❖ Review the Techniques
3. Getting students to Self-Correct
- The teacher of this class has the students self-correct by asking them to make a
choice between what they said and an alternative answer he supplied.
- A teacher might simply repeat what a student has just said, using a questioning
voice to signal to the student that something was wrong with it.
- A teacher repeats what the students said, stopping just before the error. The
student then knows that the next word was wrong.
❖ Review the Techniques
4. Conversation Practice
- The teacher asks students a number of questions in the target language, which
they have to understand to be able to answer correctly.
- The questions contained a particular grammar structure. Later, the students
were able to ask each other their own questions using the same grammatical
structure
5. Paragraph Writing
- The teacher in this class asked the students to write a paragraph in their own
words on the major geographical features of the US.
- They could have done this from memory, or have used the reading passage in
the lesson
❖ Review the Techniques
6. Fill-in-the-blank Exercise
- All the items are in the target language, no explicit grammar rule would be
applied.
- The students would have induced the grammar rule to fill in the blank from
examples and practice with earlier parts of the lesson.
7. Dictation
- 1st: the teacher reads it at a normal speed, while the students just listen
- 2nd: read the passage phrase by phrase, pausing long enough to allow
students to write down what they have heard.
- Last: Teacher again reads at a normal speed, students check their works
❖ Review the Techniques
8. Map Drawing
- The class included 1 example of a technique used to give students listening
comprehension practice.
- The students were given a map with the geographical features unnamed.
- The teacher gave the students directions
- He gave instructions for all the geographical features of the United States so
that students would have a completely labeled map if they follow his
instruction.
- The students then instructed the teacher to do the same thing with a map he
had draw on the board.
- Each student have a turn giving teacher instructions
 d. Communicative Language Teaching
● Introduction

- Being able to communicate required more than linguistics competence

=> It required communicative competence , knowing when and how to say what to
whom
- Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) aims broadly to make communicative
competence the goal of language teaching
❖ Experience

Object Member Time

Immigrants 20 people have Two-hour classes
To lived in Canada Two times a week.
Canada for 2 years
(High-intermediat
e level of English)
❖ Review the Principles
1. What are the goals of teachers who use Communicative Language Teaching?
- Enable students to communicate in the target language.
- Students need knowledge of the linguistics forms, meanings, and function.
- Be able to choose from among these the most appropriate form, given the
social context and the roles of the interlocutors.
- Be able to manage the process of negotiating meaning with their interlocutors.
- Communication is a process; knowledge of the forms of language is insufficient.
❖ Review the Principles
2. What is the role of the teacher? What is the role of the students?
- The teacher facilitates communication in the classroom. Establishing situation
to promote communication. An advisor during the activities.
- Students are communicators. They are actively engaged in negotiating meaning
even when their knowledge of the target language is incomplete.
- Since the teacher’s role is less dominant than in a teacher-centered method,
students are seen as more responsible for their own learning.
❖ Review the Principles
3. What are some characteristics of the teaching/learning process?
- Almost everything that is done is done with a communicative intent.
- Students use the language a great deal through communicative activities such
as games, role-plays, and problem-solving tasks.
- Activities that are truly communicative have three features in common:
information gap, choice, and feedback.
- The speaker has a choice of what she will say and how she will say it.
- The use of authentic materials. It is considered desirable to give students an
opportunity to develop strategies for understanding language as it is actually
used.
❖ Review the Principles
4. What is the nature of student–teacher interaction? What is the nature of
student–student interaction?
- The facilitator of the activities, a co-communicator, but more often he
establishes situations that prompt communication between and among the
students.
- Students interact a great deal with one another. They do this in various
configurations: pairs, triads, small groups, and whole groups.
❖ Review the Principles
5. How are the feelings of the students dealt with?
- By learning to communicate students will be more motivated to study another
language since they will feel they are learning to do something useful.
- Teachers give students an opportunity to express their individuality by having
them share their ideas and opinions on a regular basis.
- Student security is enhanced by the many opportunities for cooperative
interactions with their fellow students and the teacher.
❖ Review the Principles
6. How is the language viewed? How is culture viewed?
- Language is for communication.
- Aspect of communicative competence is knowledge of the functions that
language is used for.
- The learner needs knowledge of forms and meanings and functions.
- Culture is the everyday lifestyle of people who use the language.
❖ Review the Principles
7. What areas of language are emphasized? What language skills are
emphasized?
- Language functions might be emphasized over forms.
- A functional syllabus is used.
- Students work with language at the discourse or suprasentential level. They
learn about cohesion and coherence.
- Students work on all four skills from the beginning. Just as oral communication
is seen to take place through negotiation between speaker and listener
❖ Review the Principles
8. What is the role of the students’ native language?
- Judicious use of the students’ native language is permitted in CLT.
9. How is evaluation accomplished?
- A teacher evaluates not only his students’ accuracy, but also their fluency.
- A teacher can evaluate his students’ performance informally in his role as
advisor or co-communicator.
- A teacher is likely to use an integrative test which has a real communicative
function.
- In order to assess students’ writing skill, a teacher might ask them to write a
letter to a friend.
❖ Review the Principles
10. How does the teacher respond to student errors?
- Errors of form are tolerated during fluency-based activities and are seen as a
natural outcome of the development of communication skills.
- The teacher may note the errors during fluency activities and return to them
later with an accuracy-based activity.
❖ Review the Techniques
1. Authentic Materials
- For students with lower proficiency in the target language, simpler authentic
materials are most desirable.
- Use items of realia that do not contain a lot of language, but about which a lot
of discussion could be generated.
2. Scrambled Sentences
- Given a passage that the sentences are in a scrambled order => unscramble the
sentences => restored to their original order.
- Learn how sentences are bound together at the suprasentential level
❖ Review the Techniques
3. Language Games
- Games that are truly communicative have the three features of communication:
information gap, choice, and feedback
=> These three features were manifested in the card game we observed in the
following way:
+ An information gap existed => did not know what her classmate was going to
do the following weekend.
+ What she would predict and How she would predict it
+ Received feedback from the members of her group
❖ Review the Techniques
4. Picture Strip Story
- Described is an example of using a problem-solving task as a communicative
technique.
- They can be structured so that students share information or work together to
arrive at a solution. This gives students practice in negotiating meaning.
5. Role-Play
- Give students an opportunity to practice communicating in different social
contexts and in different social roles.
- Role-plays can be set up so that they are very structured.
❖ Conclusion

- The greatest contribution of CLT is asking teachers to look closely at what

is involved in communication.
- If teachers intend students to use the target language, then they must truly
understand more than grammar rules and target language vocabulary.
03
Current situation and issues
of the second/foreign
language teaching in
Vietnam
a. Current situation of teaching English in Vietnam
● English at General Education Level in VN
- General education in Vietnam: 3 levels and 12 grades
- 1982 - 2002: English was compulsory in upper secondary
level but elective in lower secondary level with mainly
grammar-based textbooks.
+ The 3-year textbook set
+ The 7-year textbook set
+ The final upper secondary exam is based on the 3-year
set
- Early 1990s - now: English is compulsory in lower secondary and upper
secondary level but elective in primary level.
+ Background: At the beginning of 2002, the Vietnamese Ministry of
Education and Training (MOET) organized the design of the new
curriculum and the writing of new textbooks of all subjects => This
project end in 2008 and the new textbook were put into use
+ New set of English textbooks: 1 set for lower secondary level, 2 sets
for upper secondary level (standard and advanced)
+ The number of English periods taught each week:
- The aims of Vietnam's ELT at general education expressed in the new
curriculum: At the end of upper secondary level, students will be able
to:
+ Communicate in English in four skills (certain level)
+ Read materials at the same level of their textbook
+ Have mastered basic English phonetics and grammar
+ Have acquired the minimum of around 2500 vocabulary items of
English
+ Attain a certain level of understanding of English and American
cultures , become aware of cross-cultural differences , better
inform the world of the Vietnamese people, their history and
culture (MOET 2007)
- The 10-year National plan for “ Teaching and Learning Foreign
Languages in the National Formal Educational System in Period of
2008-2020” (approved by the Vietnamese Prime Minister on September
30th 2008)
+ The first phase (2008-2010): developing and perfecting the 10-year
foreign language curriculum (focusing on English), preparing
conditions for exercising the pilot program (form grade 3).
+ The second phase : introducing the program
+ The third phase : developing intensive foreign language programs
for vocational schools, colleges and universities.
+ English standards : 6-level testing system (the Common European
Framework of Reference for Language)
● English at Tertiary Level in VN: a discipline, a subject
- The first category: English major
+ Students study English to get a degree in English
+ 3 tertiary institutions which offer undergraduate and graduate programs
in English:
The University of Hanoi
The College of Foreign Languages - Da Nang University
The College of Foreign Languages - Hue University
+ 1 institution which offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral
programs in English:
The University of Languages and International studies -
Vietnam National University, Hanoi
- The second category: English subject
+ English is a compulsory subject applied across the whole higher
educational system in Vietnam
+ Undergraduate programme: 10% of total credits
+ Graduate programme: 12% of total credits
+ Doctoral program: 3 credit hours (self study)
+ Around 94% undergraduates and 92% graduates are studying
English as a subject.
- Advanced programmes in tertiary institutions
+ English => Medium of instruction
+ Teach English fundamental science subjects and some specialized
subjects
+ Start at the 2 national universities (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh) and 3 regional
universities (Thai Nguyen, Hue, Da Nang) and others pivotal universities
with 20% of students being involved.
- The contents of English teaching in Vietnamese higher education
+ The contents are decided by each particular institution (not
imposed by the Government like general education) => create
diversity and chaos
+ 3 different views on what should be taught at tertiary level:
- The GR (general register) view: learn the phonological system of
English and grammatical structures
- The GR-and-AR view: start with GR and then AR will be taught
as a follow-up.
- The AR (academic register) view: teach AR to tertiary students
from the beginning so they are able to learn what she really
needs such as reading and translating books and specialized
materials or writing term papers.
 ● English outside the Formal Educational System
- Public and private English centers
- Teaching and testing syndicates such as BC, IELTS,
TOEIC, …
=> Various English courses are provided to meet different
needs of different types of learners which lead to the rapid
development of English teaching and learning in Vietnam.
b. Problems experienced in teaching English in Vietnam
● Disproportionate demand-supply : the demand for English
language teaching outstrips the supply of native and competent
non-native speaker teachers.
● Difficulty in textbook writing and teacher retraining : this process
would demand manpower and logistic resources beyond the
capacity of the current system
b. Problems experienced in teaching English in Vietnam
● English teaching in Vietnam has not met the demand for competent
English-speaking people due to some reasons:
- Most of English teachers in primary and lower secondary levels are
disqualified
- Most teachers have not had a chance to study in an
English-speaking country
- Many teachers do not normally communicate in English and
cannot sustain teaching that mainly depends on communicative
interactions
b. Problems experienced in teaching English in Vietnam
- Classroom and material constraints: schools are often located in
noisy places with poor facilities and learning materials and poorly paid
staff
- Old teaching methods are still in use : Instead of practical
communication skills, the emphasis at the classroom level is on the
development of reading comprehension, vocabulary and structural
patterns for the purposes of passing exams
- Unequal Access to Education : Students in rural areas often have
limited access to qualified teachers and resources like textbooks,
internet access, or technology for language learning
b. Problems experienced in teaching English in Vietnam
● Mismatch between testing and teaching:
- While teaching follows the communicative approach, testing seems to
focus on measuring students' lexicogrammar knowledge
- At tertiary level, Vietnamese institutions tend to adopt either TOEFL or
IELTS as the main yardstick to test students’ English knowledge and
skills. However these instruments are suitable for those going to study
in English-speaking countries.
● Negative effects on national identity : Introducing English into primary
schools makes some people express their concern about the negative effects
thay early introduction of English is having on national identity
Thanks for
your
attention!
Do you have any questions?