Summary of Teaching Methods - Sally Khalil

Each teaching method is based on a particular vision of understanding the language or the learning process, often using specific techniques and materials used in a set sequence. Each method has a different focus or priority.

Method: The Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)

Summary: ALM is based on the idea that language learning is similar to habit formation. Students develop fluency through imitation and repetition drills. The drills are repetition, backward build-up, chain, substitution, transformation, and question-and-answer. The students follow the teacher’s directions and respond as accurately as possible. There is an emphasis on everyday speech, but vocabulary is kept to a minimum. Grammar rules are often implied through examples rather than explicitly taught.

Method	Advantages	Disadvantages	Historical Context	Example	Role of the teacher
Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)	Focus on oral skills	Limited creativity/ form takes precedence over meaning	Charles Fries of the University of Michigan developed the method. Later, principles from Skinner’s behavioral psychology were incorporated. Developed during the Cold War due the need for rapid language learning in the military	The students repeat each line of the dialogue several times	A good model for imitation and directing behavior like an orchestra leader

Method: Desuggestopedia

Summary: Desuggestopedia aims to eliminate psychological barriers to learning and focuses on the student’s feelings and well-being. The classroom is bright and cheerful, with music playing in the background to suggest to the subconscious that learning is easy and pleasant. Posters hanging around the room are part of the peripheral learning. Students take on different roles and identities to immerse themselves in the language. Infantilization - an exaggerated intonation and simplified language- can be used to make students more open to learning.

Method	Advantages	Disadvantages	Historical Context	Example	Role of the teacher
Desuggestopedia	Increased motivation and confidence	Requires significant preparation/ difficulty in assessment	Developed in the 1960s by Georgi Lozanov	Students take on new identities when they read and role-play the dialogue.	The authority in the classroom

Method: The Grammar Translation Method

Summary: The Grammar Translation Method aims to teach students to read literature. To do this, students learn the grammar rules and vocabulary of the target language. Thus, the emphasis is on the written language rather than the spoken one. Translation from their native language to the target language is another goal. The focus is on deductive grammar, where students are presented with examples and expected to apply them to language use. The most common activities are reading comprehension, translating paragraphs, and writing composition. Instruction and communication are conducted in the student's native language.

Method	Advantages	Disadvantages	Historical Context	Example	Role of the teacher
Grammar-Translation Method	Building a solid foundation in grammar/ Engaging in translation and text analysis enhances critical thinking and problem-solving abilities	Little attention is given to speaking and listening and almost none to pronunciation	Initially used to teach Latin and Greek, then extended to modern languages in the 20^th century	Students translate sentences or paragraphs from the target language into their native language and vice versa.	Traditional role: He is the authority in the classroom

Method: Total Physical Response (TPR)

Summary: When using Total Physical Response, language acquisition is enhanced when students respond physically to verbal commands. Thus, spoken language is emphasized over written language. TPR advocates believe that acquisition comes naturally, which is unconscious acquisition. Creating a low affective filter in the classroom is also another condition for acquisition. The lesson is usually introduced in the student’s native language. Understanding the spoken word should precede its production; students can speak when ready. Vocabulary and grammatical structures are emphasized but embedded within imperatives. This method reduces anxiety and makes learning fun and engaging.

Method	Advantages	Disadvantages	Historical Context	Example	Role of the teacher
TPR	Engaging and fun/low affective filter/ effective for beginners	Limited to physical actions, which does not help to explain abstract concepts or grammar rules	Developed by James Asher in the 1960s	The teacher gives a command and acts it out with the students; the teacher and all the students stand up and sit down several times according to the teacher’s command.	Director of all student behavior

Method: The Silent Way

Summary: The teacher uses silence as a teaching method. Charts rods and pointers are used. The teacher uses gestures to show the students. The teacher is mostly silent. It is based on the methodology that the teacher should be mostly silent. The learners are encouraged to speak and interact. There are three basic principles: The learner needs to discover and create. Learning is made easier by using objects such as rods. Learning is easier when problem solving is involved.

Method	Advantages	Disadvantages	Historical Context	Example	Role of the teacher
The Silent Way	Student centered	Time Consuming / Possibly boring	Developed in 1970’s by Caleb Gattegno	The students take turns tapping out the sentences on the word charts	Facilitator