METHODS AND

APPROACHES
OF TEACHING
ENGLISH
MARICHU DG. FERNANDO
 INTRODUCTION
English language : 20th century was century of
science . 21st century is century of science and
information technology . In the world of information
technology , mass – media has become an integral
part of social and individual life . The world has
become a little village due to vast spread up of
mass media . In the world different languages are
spoken, maximum number of people in the world
speak English. For communication of those
people who speak different languages, English is
necessary. On international level, English has
become a link language because no other
language is spoken as widely as English.
 INTRODUCTION
English is necessary to take advance
knowledge in various fields and improve
the life style and standard of living.
English is professional language of doctors,
lawyers and other high professional.
It is used in seminars , workshop and
conferences. It is used by creative writers for
writing novels, stories plays, poems and
essays.
It is a library language. It is the major
window of the world.
 INTRODUCTION
Along the years, many different
teaching methods have been
developed whether to face
pupils’ needs or to match the
requirements of a new
administration, all of them
claiming to be the best option to
teach English. Let’s remember
some of them. . .
 Methods of language teaching
include:
1) Grammar-translation approach
2) Direct approach
3) Reading approach
4) Audiolingual method
 Methods of language teaching
include:
5) Suggestopedia
6) The silent way
7) Total physical response
8) The natural way
9) Communicative language
teaching
 Grammar-Translation Approach
• In this method, classes are taught in the
pupils' mother tongue, with little active
use of the target language.
• Vocabulary is taught in the form of
isolated word lists.
• Elaborate explanations of grammar are
always provided.
• Grammar instruction provides the rules
for putting words together; instruction
focuses on the form and inflection of
words.
 Grammar-Translation Approach
• Little attention is paid to the content of
texts.
• Drills are exercises in translating
disconnected sentences from the target
language into the mother tongue, and
vice versa.
• Little or no attention is given to
pronunciation.
 Direct Approach
• This approach was developed
initially as a reaction to the
grammar-translation approach in an
attempt to integrate more use of the
target language in instruction.
• Lessons begin with a dialogue
using a modern conversational style
in the target language.
 Direct Approach
• Material is first presented orally with
actions or pictures.
• The mother tongue is NEVER used.
There is no translation.
• The preferred type of exercise is a
series of questions in the target
language based on the dialogue or an
anecdotal narrative.
 Direct Approach
• Questions are answered in the target
language.
• Grammar is taught inductively--rules
are generalized from the practice and
experience with the target language.
• Verbs are used first and systematically
conjugated much later after some oral
mastery of the target language.
 Direct Approach
• Advanced students read literature for
comprehension and pleasure.
• Literary texts are not analyzed
grammatically.
• The culture associated with the target
language is also taught inductively.
• Culture is considered an important
aspect of learning the language.
 Reading Approach
• The approach is mostly for people who
do not travel abroad for whom reading
is the one usable skill in a foreign
language.
• The priority in studying the target
language is first, reading ability and
second, current and/or historical
knowledge of the country where the
target language is spoken.
 Reading Approach
• Only the grammar necessary for
reading comprehension and fluency is
taught.
• Minimal attention is paid to
pronunciation or gaining conversational
skills in the target language.
• From the beginning, a great amount of
reading is done in L2.
 Reading Approach
• The vocabulary of the early reading
passages and texts is strictly controlled
for difficulty.
• Vocabulary is expanded as quickly as
possible, since the acquisition of
vocabulary is considered more
important that grammatical skill.
• Translation reappears in this approach
as a respectable classroom procedure
related to comprehension of the written
text.
 Audiolingual Method
• This method is based on the principles
of behavior psychology.
• It adapted many of the principles and
procedures of the Direct Method, in
part as a reaction to the lack of
speaking skills of the Reading
Approach.
• New material is presented in the form
of a dialogue.
 Audiolingual Method
• Based on the principle that language
learning is habit formation, the method
fosters dependence on mimicry,
memorization of set phrases and over-
learning.
• Structures are sequenced and taught one at
a time. Structural patterns are taught using
repetitive drills.
• Little or no grammatical explanations are
provided; grammar is taught inductively.
 Audiolingual Method
• Skills are sequenced: Listening, speaking,
reading and writing are developed in
order.
• Vocabulary is strictly limited and learned
in context.
• Teaching points are determined by
contrastive analysis between L1 and L2.
• There is abundant use of language
laboratories, tapes and visual aids.
• There is an extended pre-reading period
at the beginning of the course.
 Audiolingual Method
• Great importance is given to precise native-
like pronunciation.
• Use of the mother tongue by the teacher is
permitted, but discouraged among and by
the students.
• Successful responses are reinforced; great
care is taken to prevent learner errors.
• There is a tendency to focus on
manipulation of the target language and to
disregard content and meaning.
 Suggestopedia
-This method developed out of believe
that human brain could process great
quantities of material given the right
conditions of learning like relaxation.
- music was central to this method.
 Suggestopedia
-Soft music led to increase in alpha brain
wave and a decrease in blood pressure
and pulse rate resulting in high intake
of large quantities of materials.
- Learners were encouraged to be as
“childlike” as possible.
- Apart from soft, comfortable seats in a
relaxed setting, everything else
remained the same.
 The Natural Approach
• This method emphasized development
of basic personal communication skills
• Delay production until speech emerge
i.e learners don’t say anything until
they are ready to do so
• Learners should be as relaxed a
possible
• Advocate use of TPR at beginning level
• Comprehensible input is essential for
acquisition to take place.
 The Silent Way
• This method begins by using a set of
colored wooden rods and verbal
commands in order to achieve the
following:
1)To avoid the use of the vernacular.
2)To create simple linguistic situations
that remain under the complete control
of the teacher .
 The Silent Way
3)To pass on to the learners the
responsibility for the utterances of the
descriptions of the objects shown or the
actions performed.
4)To let the teacher concentrate on what
the students say and how they are
saying it, drawing their attention to the
differences in pronunciation and the
flow of words.
 The Silent Way
5) To generate a serious game-like
situation in which the rules are
implicitly agreed upon by giving
meaning to the gestures of the teacher
and his mime.
6) To permit almost from the start a
switch from the lone voice of the
teacher using the foreign language to a
number of voices using it.
 The Silent Way
7) To provide the support of perception
and action to the intellectual guess of
what the noises mean, thus bring in the
arsenal of the usual criteria of
experience already developed and
automatic in one's use of the mother
tongue.
8) To provide a duration of spontaneous
speech upon which the teacher and the
students can work to obtain a similarity
of melody to the one heard.
 Total Physical Response (TPR)
Total Physical Response (TPR)
method as one that combines
information and skills through the use
of the kinesthetic sensory system.
• This combination of skills allows the
student to assimilate information and
skills at a rapid rate. The basic tenets
are:
 Total Physical Response (TPR)
1. Understanding the spoken language
before developing the skills of speaking.
2. Imperatives are the main structures to
transfer or communicate information.
3. The student is not forced to speak, but is
allowed an individual readiness period
and allowed to spontaneously begin to
speak when the he/she feels comfortable
and confident in understanding and
producing the utterances.
 Communicative language Teaching
• The method stresses a means of
organizing a language syllabus. The
emphasis is on breaking down the
global concept of language into units of
analysis in terms of communicative
situations in which they are used.
• There is negotiation of meaning.
• A variety of language skills are
involved
 Communicative language Teaching
• Material is presented in context
• It pays attention to registers and styles
in terms of situation and participants.
• Fluency and accuracy (different
competencies)
• Form and functions
• development of autonomous learners