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Lecture # 9
Textbook:
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques and Principles in
Language Teaching. (2th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Which method is this?
The Silent Way
• Review of the last lecture
Try again…
Sound Chart
INTRODUCTION
•
The universal opinion of learning languages

People learn languages by means of the Audio-Lingual Method.

Learning a language means forming a set of habits.

This idea “habit formation” was challenged in 1960

Cognitive Psychologists and transformational-generative linguists argued that
Language learning does not take place through mimicry; people cannot create
utterances they have never heard before.
Introduction
•
The different opinion of linguist Noam
Chomsky
 Speakers have a knowledge of underlying abstract
rules, which allow them to understand and create
novel utterances.
 Language is a product of rule formation.
 Language acquisition is a procedure whereby
people use their own thinking processes, or
cognition, to discover the language they are
acquiring.
How to point a sound chart?
Challenging the Audio-Lingual
Method
 Students’ inability to transfer the mastered habits to the
real world communication
 Noam Chomsky – Universal Grammar
Language learning should not be a product of
habit formation but rule formation
Because people can create and understand novel
utterances by applying their knowledge of
underlying abstract rule of a language
Language acquisition should be a procedure
where people use their own thinking processes, or
cognition, to discover the rules of the language
INTRODUCTION
•
The Cognitive Approach
Language learners were seen to be much more actively
responsible for their own learning, and engaged in
formulating hypotheses to discover the rules of the target
language.
• Caleb Gattegno’s Silent Way
 Teaching should be subordinated to learning.
 Learner’s natural learning pace need not be ignored
 Advantage of learner oriented classes/ democratic
classes
 Learning outcome can be better
How learning takes place?
 Learning is a process which we initiate by
ourselves by mobilizing our inner resources
(perception, awareness, cognition,
imagination, intuition, creativity) to meet
challenge at hand.
Use of Rods
Use of gestures
Teaching Methods & Principles -1
• The teacher starts with something the
students already know and build from that
to the unknown. Languages share number
of features, sound being the basic.
What is going on here?
Teaching Methods & Principles -2
The teacher helps students; students work
on language.
All learning is self learning.
Teaching does not ensure learning.
Learning is a natural self motivated process.
Teaching Methods & Principles -3
1. The teacher remains silent and points to five
blocks of color, which represent the sounds of
five English vowels (/a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/) close
to the five simple vowels of Portuguese.
• Principle1: Students are intelligent and learn the new
language with their experience. The teacher should give
help when necessary.
Teaching Methods & Principles -4
2. The teacher does not model the new sounds,
but uses gestures to show the students how to
modify the sounds. e.g. /e//ey/
Principle 2: Language is not learned by repeating a model.
Students have to develop their inner criteria for correctness.
Teaching Methods & Principles -5
3.When some students cannot tap out and
pronounce sounds correctly, the teacher just
remains silent. The students have to help one
another by themselves.
Concept of self correction/ peer correction
Principle 3: Students can learn from one another. The teacher’s
silence encourages group cooperation.
Teaching Methods & Principles -6
4. In the English class, the students have to learn
actively. The teachers only remains silent and
listens attentively.
•
learning is an active process, not passive
reception of what teacher offers.
•
learners are not recipients of knowledge,
they are explorers of knowledge.
Principle 4: Teachers’ silence free them to closely observe the
students’ behavior. And silence also helps foster autonomy.
Teaching Methods & Principles -7
• Silence is a tool. It helps to foster
autonomy, or the exercise of initiative. It
also removes the teacher from the center
of attention so he can listen to and work
with students.
– Teacher Silence ensures more student
participation time.
How silent foster autonomy?
Teaching Methods & Principles -8
5.When the students have trouble pronouncing
new sounds and phrases, the teacher only uses
gestures to point out students’ errors.
Teacher correction acts as psychological
barrier in learning.
Principle 5: If teachers praise or criticize students, they will be
less self-reliant. Using gestures, teachers help point out the
error for students.
Teaching Methods & Principles -9
6. After learning new sounds and phrases, some
students choose to tap out simple commands;
others tap out more complex ones.
Every learner has a unique route to learning
because every learner has a different cognitive
level.
Principle 6: Language is for self-expression.
Teaching Methods & Principles -10
7. In the end of the class, the teacher asks the
students for their reactions and comments to
the lesson.
Principle 7: The teacher can gain valuable information from the
students’ feedback.
Teaching Methods & Principles -11
• 8. There is no homework assigned.
Principle 8: Some learning takes place naturally as we sleep.
Students will naturally work on the day’s lesson.
Ten Very Important Questions:
TIQ
• What are the goals of teachers who use
the method?
• What is the role of the teacher? What is
the role of the students?
• What are some of the characteristics of
the teaching/learning process?
TIQ
• What is the nature of student-teacher
interaction? What is the nature of studentstudent interactions?
• How are the feelings of the students dealt
with?
• How is language viewed? How is culture
viewed?
TIQ
• What areas of language are emphasized?
What language skills are emphasized?
• What is the role of students’ native
language?
• How is evaluation accomplished?
• How does the teacher respond to student
errors?
Mnemonics for TIQ
• GRCIFLCASNEE
Summary