TOPIC 4
STRUCTURALIST
APPROACH
Approaches, methods,
procedures, and
techniques
• Approach : this refers to “theories about
the nature of language and language learning
that serve as the source of practices and
principles in language teaching”.
• It offers a model of language competence.
• An approach describes how people
acquire their knowledge of the language
and makes statements about conditions
which will promote successful language
learning.
Approaches, methods,
procedures, and techniques
Method : a method is the practical realization of an approach.
Methods include various procedures and techniques as part of their
standard fare.
Procedure : a procedure is an ordered sequence of
techniques. A procedure is a sequence which can be
described in terms such as first you do this, then you do
that… Smaller than a method and bigger than technique.
• Technique :
• Is a classroom device or activity and thus represents the narrowest
of the four concepts
• Some examples: dictation, imitation , and repetition
• a common technique when using video material is called “silent
viewing”. This is where the teacher plays the video with no sound.
Silent viewing is a single activity rather than a sequence, and as such
is a technique rather than a whole procedure.
Relationship
between
Approaches,
Methods,
Strategies and
Techniques
• A term that is also used in discussions about teaching is
“model” – used to describe typical procedures, usually for
teachers in training. Such models offer abstractions of these
procedures, designed to guide teaching practice.
The Structuralist Approach
Principle 1
• Language as a complex group of grammatical rules
• Language learning as the acquisition of language forms
Principle 2
• Attends to structure and form more than meaning
• Grammatical accuracy is more important, and errors are
not tolerated
• Drilling is being practiced
Principle Characteristics of
Grammar Translation Method
• Goal of foreign language study is to read its literature
• Reading & writing major focus; speaking & listening
generally ignored
• Vocabulary based on reading text
• Sentence is the basic unit of teaching & learning practice
• Accuracy emphasized
• Grammar taught deductively (usually the
terminology used for studying Latin Grammar)
• Student’s native language medium of instruction
Grammar-Translation Method
In this method, classes are taught in the students' 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.
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.
Grammar Translation Method
• [Link]
Audio-Lingual
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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
Audio lingual method
• [Link]
Q
Backward build-up
drill
T: Repeat after me: post office.
C: Post office.
T: To the post office.
C: To the post office.
T: Going to the post office.
C: Going to the post office.
T: I’m going to the post office.
C: I’m going to the post office.
Substitute drill- Use the
cue.
• Reciting the line from the dialogue,
‘I’m going to the post office.’
1. single-slot substitution drill:
T shows the picture of the bank and says, ‘the bank’ (cue), pause, then
says, ‘I’m going to the bank.’
2. multiple-slot substitution drill:
T: ‘she’
S: ‘She is going to the post office.’
T: ‘ to the park’
S: ‘She is going to the park.’
Transformation drill
T: ‘They are going to the bank.’
C: ‘Are they going to the bank?’
T: ‘Are you going to the library?’ (show the picture)
C: ‘Yes, I’m going to the library.’