Applied linguistics

1. APPROACHES TO LANGUAGE
TEACHING
TOPICS IN APPLIED LINGUISTICS

2. OUTLINE
1. Introduction
2. Definition of terms
3. Major approaches
4. Major methods
5. Summary and
6. Conclusion
7. References

3. 1. INTRODUCTION
Theories about the teaching of languages have been proposed by many scholars.
These theories, normally influenced by developments in the fields of linguistics –
structuralists and psychology - behaviourists, have inspired many approaches to the
teaching of second and/or foreign languages.
This work surveys the major approaches and methods in language teaching. It
examines each approach and method in terms of its theory of language and language
learning, goals, syllabus, teaching activities, teacher and learner roles, materials, and
classroom techniques.
This work will not only aid teachers and student-teachers benefit a lot from the
discovery of different approaches to language teaching, but also to help teachers
explore their own beliefs and practices in language teaching.

4. 2. DEFINITION OF THE TERMS
• Approach: Harmer (2001) describes ‘approach’ as the way people
acquire their knowledge of the target language and make statements
about the conditions which will promote successful language
learning. The term ‘approach’ is related to the word ‘method’.
Edward (2011) defines it as “a set of correlative assumptions
dealing with the nature of language teaching and learning”.
• Method: This is the practical realization of an approach (Harmer,
2001). Richards and Rodgers (1984) define it as “the specification
and interrelation between theory and practice”.

5. 3. MAJOR APPROACHES TO LANGUAGE
TEACHING
o Grammar-Translation Approach
o The Communicative Language Approach
o Situational Presentation Approach
o Lexical Approach
APPROACHES METHODS
(leads to)

6. GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION APPROACH
This was the traditional 19th
century approach of the Greek
and Latin. This method has principles guiding it:
• Focus is on reading and writing and is taught deductively.
• All languages are the same;
• Learning of rules and rule application;
• Translation from L1 to L2 and vice versa.
• Role memorization of rules and paradigms.
• Accuracy is emphasized during translation.
• The learner’s native language is the medium of instruction.
• Texts and words are taught through bilingual word lists

7. GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION APPROACH

8. LIMITATIONS OF GT APPROACH
• They omitted the fundamental form of teaching and
learning.
• All languages are not the same because the way
language is formed in English is not the same as Igbo.
This causes language to be erroneous.
• Memorization is not a good form of learning. The
students deduct the rules based on the activities
introduced by the teacher and in so doing, the students
learn how to use the language.

9. COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE APPROACH
• Language needs are from learners’ needs.
• This method is learner-centered.
• Communicative language forms are not taught.
• Emphasizes on communication rather than accuracy or
correction of mistakes.
• Sharpens students’ proficiency in the communication of
the language.

10. COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE APPROACH
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11. BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS OF CL.
APPROACH
Benefits
• Propels the child and adult to fluency.
• Learners are highly motivated.
• It is highly interactive. It takes care of the able and disabled learners
• Removes the barrier between the classroom and real situation language.
• It makes the learner to be sensitive to the appropriateness (rules) of the language.
Limitations
• The child is not exposed to rules governing language use.
• It is difficult to organize the communicative language use.
• It cannot be in the fundamental stages of language learning.

12. SITUATIONAL PRESENTATION APPROACH
The principles guiding this approach are that:
• Language learning should be habit-formation
• Language teaching begins with the spoken language.
• The target language is the language of the classroom.
• New language items are presented and practiced situationally.
• Items and vocabulary of grammar are graded. Simple forms
are taught before complex ones.
• Reading and writing are introduced as soon as a sufficient
lexical and grammatical foundation is established.
• Real objects, pictures and actions like gesture should be used.

13. SITUATIONAL PRESENTATION APPROACH

14. BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS OF SPAPPROACH
Benefits:
• It does not require many resource materials.
• It is suitable for introducing a language.
• It is easy to understand because of the involvement of a real situation.
• It is effective in teaching pronunciation or vocabulary.
• It requires an active teacher.
• Even the slowest learners get involved in the activities of the lessons.
• It encourages learners cooperation with one another
Limitations
• Does not account for the basic characteristic of language – the creativity and
uniqueness of individual sentences.
• The learner does not have control over the content.

15. LEXICALAPPROACH
• The principles guiding this approach are:
• Emphasis is mainly on reading and listening. (Krashen’s opinion)
• The teacher should make the language class a laboratory
• The teacher teaches lexical units that have no equivalent in the learner’s mother
tongue.
• Massive amounts of language input through reading.
• Teacher’s talk is the major source of learner’s input.
• No direct translational equivalence for teaching of lexical items. (Bahn’s opinion)

16. LEXICALAPPROACH

17. PROCEDURES AND LIMITATIONS
Procedures
• Teaching involves class activities.
• Learners pay attention to lexical collocations.
• Activities should be captivating.
• The teacher encourages the learners to keep lexical notebooks.
• Materials is got from corpora and analysed by the teacher.
• Teacher repeats and recycles activities. Learners guess
meanings of vocabulary items from contexts.
• Teachers and learners use dictionaries and reference tools.
• Limitations

18. 4. MAJOR METHODS OF LANGUAGE
TEACHING
• Direct Method
• Audio-Lingual Method
• Total Physical Response Method
• Bilingual Method
• Eclectic Method
METHODS APPROACHES
(carry out)

19. DIRECT METHOD
• Language is taught orally. The learner’s mother tongue is
NEVER used in teaching.
• Encourages analyzing sentences and not memorizing the rules.
• Demonstration rather than explanation or translation is used.
• Teaching of speech is more emphasized before reading.
• It focuses on a straight association of words and structures with
objects and actions.
• The practice of speaking is very important.
• It requires expert teachers who use communicative input.
• A lot of vocabulary and activities are exposed to the learners.

20. DIRECT METHOD

21. AUDIO LINGUAL METHOD
• It focuses on sentence and sound patterns of target language.
Dialogues, drills and immediate error correction are used.
• It emphasizes on the listening and spelling skills.
• The use of language can be facilitated by this method by
using the systematic attention of pronunciation and practice
of the basic patterns of the target language.
• It focuses on teaching the language, not about the language.
• Language is made up of systems and sub-systems. Each
system is learnt in a carefully controlled structure and
practiced repeatedly.

22. AUDIO LINGUAL METHOD

23. TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE METHOD
• Uses psychomotor systems to teach vocabulary / sentence forms.
• Learners are not forced to speak until they are ready.
• Command forms are used to convey information.
• Teaching pace is adjusted to the learner’s pace of learning.
• This method supports kinesthetic learning style..
• The learners listen and do the movements to understand the
concepts. Sentences are repeated every time.
• The learners do the movements or actions on their own.
• The teacher introduces the sentences one after the other and
repeats them before introducing a new one.

24. TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE METHOD

25. BILINGUAL METHOD
• This method is used to engage the learners in patterned practice.
• It is less stressful to the teachers.
• The learners must have acquired the use of language habits before the use of the
bilingual method.
• Learners understand ideas and concepts easily.
• It is interested in the enhancing the fluency of speech of the learners.
• This method can be suitable for teaching the Grammar-translation approach.

26. BILINGUAL METHOD

27. ECLECTIC METHOD
• The learners are not fit to the method; rather, the method to be used is randomly
selected by the teacher to fit the learners.
• It is learner-centered because it is made up of the good aspects of all methods of
Language teaching.
• Its implementation is flexible.
• The teacher can freely change the teaching methods. The teaching method to use
in class is determined by the teacher.
• Any aspect of language can be taught depending on the choice of the teacher.
• It does not require extra source materials.
• It requires a skilled teacher.

28. 5. SUMMARY
This work has clearly differentiated between the concepts ‘approach’ and
‘method’. It has gone further to introduce us to the major approaches to language
teaching and various methods that can be used to explore these approaches. These
methods and approaches have also been explicitly illustrated. The presentation have
pointed out some benefits and limitations of the various approaches and methods of
language teaching.
At the end, this work suggests that the “Eclectic method” can only be the
best method for language teaching, if and only if the teacher is a skilled and
experienced teacher.

29. 6. CONCLUSION

30. 7. REFERENCES
• Book DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667305
• Coady, James & Huckin Thomas. 1997. “L2 vocabulary acquisition: A synthesis of the
research.” Second language vocabulary acquisition: A rationale for pedagogy.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Edward M. A. and William E.. N. “Methods come and go” in readings on English as a
second language. (p. 40)
• Jack C. Richards & Theodore S. Rodgers. 2001. Approaches and Methods in
Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge Language Teaching Library.
ISBN: 9780521803656
• Willis, D. 1990. The Lexical Syllabus. Collins Cobuild Publishers.

31. THANK YOU!