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Language Learning Approaches and Designs

The document outlines various approaches and designs in language teaching, including theories of language and learning, objectives, syllabi, teaching activities, and roles of learners and teachers. It discusses different views on language learning, such as structural, functional, interactional, and sociocultural perspectives, as well as methodologies like behaviorism and constructivism. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of instructional materials and the adaptability of teaching methods to individual styles.

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Huyen Khanh
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10 views8 pages

Language Learning Approaches and Designs

The document outlines various approaches and designs in language teaching, including theories of language and learning, objectives, syllabi, teaching activities, and roles of learners and teachers. It discusses different views on language learning, such as structural, functional, interactional, and sociocultural perspectives, as well as methodologies like behaviorism and constructivism. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of instructional materials and the adaptability of teaching methods to individual styles.

Uploaded by

Huyen Khanh
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

1.

Approach
• Theory of language
• Theory of language learning
2. Design
• Objectives
• Syllabus
• Types of teaching and learning activities
• Learner roles
• Teacher roles
• Roles of instructional materials
3. Procedure
• Specific teaching and learning activities n their sequence
• Classroom interaction patterns
• Assessment practices
• Teaching aids and resources

• A vehicle for establishing and maintaining interpersonal relations and performing social
transactions between individuals
• A communicative activity where the social context is crucial
• A system of structurally related elements for the coding of meaning
• A vehicle for expressing functional meanings and for performing real-world activities

Structural view
• A system of structurally related elements for the coding of meaning
Functional view
• A vehicle for expressing functional meanings and for performing real-world activities
Interactional view
• A vehicle for establishing and maintaining interpersonal relations and performing social
transactions between individuals
Sociocultural view
• A communicative activity where the social context is crucial
Behaviorism
 Language learning consists of stimuli - response - feedback
 Language learning involves habit formation through repetition and reinforcement

Cognitive code-learning
 Language learning is a cognitive process ( deductive, inductive learning, meaningful
practice)
 Language learning depends on cognitive processing and mental effort.
Creative-construction hypothesis
• Language learning is a creative process in which errors are seen as evidence of learning not
faulty learning
Skill learning
 Language learning is the cumulative learning a hierarchy of skills
 Language learning involves development from conscious to automatic processing

Interactional theory
 Language learning an interactive process
 Language learning involves the negotiation of meaning
Constructivism
 Language learning is the result of learners' internal construction of meaning
 Language learning requires learners to actively participate in their own learning process,
teachers as quide and facilitator
Sociocultural learning theory ( Social constructivism)
• Language learning is the result of the interaction within a particular social setting
• Language learning is a process of guided participation ,mediated by a more knowledgeable
other person (scaffolding).
Try this quiz: True or False?
1. An approach provides us with knowledge about what language is and how language is learnt.
2. An approach specifies the goals, contents and activities of a method.
3. An approach can encompass many relevant methods.
4. A design specify roles of the teacher and learners.
5. A design describes the nature of language learning.
6. A design details the teaching aids and resources to be employed.
7. A procedure refers to specific techniques and practices in the language classroom.
8. A procedure consists of a sequence of techniques and activities in a language classroom,
reflecting a certain method.
9. A procedure describes the nature of language and language learning

1. Objectives
• Specification of objectives is the product of the design (NOT approach)
> E.g., Primary focus on oral skills; and reading and writing skills derive from transfer of oral
skills
• E.g., Focus on communication skills than grammatical accuracy or perfect pronunciation
> E.g., Focus on accurate grammar and pronunciation
• Process-oriented objectives
> E.g., Focus more on learning behaviors in the process of learning
• Product-oriented objectives
> E.g., Focus more on vocabulary acquisition, grammatical proficiency, pronunciation accuracy
2. Syllabus - Content Choice and Organization
• The way that teaching and learning content is selected and organized
• Content:
+ subject matter (what to talk about)
+ linguistic matter (how to talk about it)
• Organization of content: arrangement of themes, communicative content, linguistic content,
etc.,
> E.g., Courses for YIs: concrete topics precede abstract ones
> E.g., Courses for adults: topics related to immediate needs precede others
Examples
• ESP and content-based courses: focus on communicative needs.
• Structurally and language-based courses: focus on difficulty levels, frequency, usefulness, etc.,
• Task:
Examine two syllabi (e.g., Market Leader & Grammar Friends)
+ Which focuses on subject matter?
+ Which on linguistic matter?
+ How is the content organized?
Syllabus
• Richards (2001) lists 10 basic syllabus types:
> Grammatical
> Lexical
> Functional
> Situational
• Topical or Content-based
• Competency-based
> Skill-based
> Task-based
• Text-based
> Integrated
3. Types of teaching and learning activities
• The choice of teaching and learning activities reflect a method at Design level.
• Types of teaching and learning activities vary from method to method
> E.g., Grammatical accuracy vs communicative skills
> E.g., Audiolingualism makes extensive use of dialogues and pattern drills
> E.g., CLT makes use of "information-gap" and jigsaw activities
• E.g., Task-based Language Teaching: real-world tasks
> E.g., Text-based approach: authentic texts
> E.g., Silent Way: sound charts and colored rods
• Activity types determine classroom techniques and procedure
4. Learner roles
> Essential part of teaching and learning process
> In teacher-centred approaches: Learners are passive recipients
$ E.g., Audiolingual Method
> In learner-centred approaches: Learners are active participants and they have a say in choosing
what to learn, how to learn and how to be assessed.
Teacher not
- Controllow lear = consultant
model
Determine th
- Create interaction
Learner's role
• Negotiator
• Participant
• Assessor
• Facilitator
• Monitor
• Manager
• Imitator
• Performer
• Etc
5. Teacher's roles
• Related to
> particular views of language and language learning
> the types of functions teachers are expected to fulfill (e.g., practice director, counselor, model)
> the degree of control the teacher influences over learning
> the degree to which the teacher determines linguistic content
> the interactional patterns assumed between teachers and learners.

Teacher - Learner Relationship


• Varied by method.
• Traditional methods: Asymmetrical relationships:
+ conductor to orchestra member, + therapist to patient, + coach to player.
• Some contemporary methodologies: more symmetrical relationships:
+ friend to friend, + colleague to colleague, + teammate to teammate,
6. The role of Instructional materials
• Specify subject matter content and suggest the coverage for syllabus items
• Define day-to-day learning objectives, thus contributing to the goals of the syllabus
• Reflect the decisions concerning
> the primary goal of materials
» e.g., to present content, to practice content, to facilitate communication between learners, to
enable the learners to practice content without the teacher
> the form of materials
* e.g., textbook, audiovisual, computer software, etc.
> the relation materials hold to other sources of input
* i.e., whether they serve as the major source of input, or only as a minor component of input
Activity 6:
• In groups, discuss the relationship between Approach and Design. Make at least three claims
about the above relationship. Use the material from the above readings to support your claims.
• Suggested answers:
> (a) the design needs to operationalize the key tenets of the approach;
> (b) the design should be relevant to the selected/overarching approach;
> (c) one approach might encompass more than one design;
> (d) the key features of the design needs to be more specific than those of the approach;
> (e) the design needs to allow some room for flexibility and creativity as the approach is subject
to change over time
Important note!
Teachers do not necessarily follow rigidly the procedure a method describes. Over time, they
adapt the procedure to their own preferred teaching style.
leacher noles
- Controllow loaring actividies tal
- consultant v
Quick Check
1. What is the gap between what a learner can do by themselves without support and what they
can do with support from a person with more knowledge and proficiency?
> Zone of Proximal Development
> Scaffolding
2. What does social constructivism emphasize?
> social interaction
> Individual learning
3. Both Communicative Language Teaching and Task-Based Language Teaching reflect aspects
of this theory.
> Behaviorism
> Interactional
4. According to behaviorism, how do individuals learn new languages?
> Through habit formation
> Through imitation, practice, feedback on success, and habit

What is Lev Vygotsky's concept highlighting the range of tasks learners can perform with
assistance?
2. What is known as providing support or guidance to learners to help them reach higher levels
of understanding?
3. What role does the teacher play in a constructivism classroom?
4. Who is developed the theory of social constructivism?

Common questions

Powered by AI

Instructional materials specify subject matter content and suggest syllabus item coverage, reflecting decisions on their primary goals such as content presentation or communication facilitation. They also define day-to-day learning objectives, contributing to achieving syllabus goals, and serve as major or minor input sources for learners .

Design phase objectives consider the primary focus, such as emphasizing oral or communicative skills over grammatical accuracy, shaping the course's goals towards either process-oriented learning behaviors or product-oriented outcomes like vocabulary acquisition and grammatical precision .

Teacher-learner relationships vary significantly; traditional methods often feature asymmetrical relationships, where teachers direct learning akin to a conductor or therapist. Contemporary methodologies might establish more symmetrical dynamics, equating the relationship to equals like teammates or colleagues, emphasizing collaboration and mutual learning .

Constructivism suggests that language learning is an internal process where learners construct meaning actively. It requires teachers to serve as guides and facilitators rather than information deliverers, promoting environments where learners engage actively with content and practice autonomy. This approach encourages learning through discovery and real-life application .

Cognitive code-learning views language acquisition as a mental process involving deduction, induction, and meaningful practice, focusing on cognitive processing and understanding rules. In contrast, behaviorism sees language learning as habit formation through stimuli, responses, reinforcement, and repetition, emphasizing external stimuli and rote learning .

Selecting a syllabus type, such as grammatical, lexical, or task-based, directly affects learning outcomes by determining the focus and methods used. For example, a grammatical syllabus might prioritize syntax and accuracy, leading to proficiency in structured language use, while a task-based syllabus emphasizes communication skills and real-world application, potentially leading to fluency and practical language use .

Sociocultural learning theory incorporates scaffolding by emphasizing guided participation, where more knowledgeable individuals provide support to learners as they progress through tasks within their Zone of Proximal Development. This assistance facilitates learners' development of independent problem-solving skills, crucial for language acquisition in a social context .

In teacher-centered approaches, learners often passively receive information and mimic teacher-directed activities. In contrast, learner-centered approaches empower learners to be active participants, involved in decision-making about their learning process, promoting autonomy and responsibility, and often involving roles like negotiators, managers, and facilitators .

Classroom interaction patterns significantly influence language learning by determining how students engage, communicate, and negotiate meaning. Interaction patterns, whether teacher-led or collaborative, affect learners' opportunities to practice language actively and build communicative competence through real-time language use in context .

The interactional theory posits that language learning is an interactive process involving negotiation of meaning between individuals. This theory emphasizes the importance of social context and communication, adapting and reacting to inputs to construct meaning through interactions with others .

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