This document discusses using audio-lingual teaching methods as an alternative for teaching speaking skills to junior high school students. It describes audio-lingualism as an oral-based approach that emphasizes vocabulary acquisition through dialog repetition and drills without translation. The document outlines principles of this method, such as learning through imitation and drilling grammatical patterns, and provides examples of techniques like dialog memorization, substitution drills, and question-and-answer practice. It argues that audio-lingualism can make English classes more engaging for junior high students by encouraging active participation through spoken repetition and drills.

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Audio-Lingual Teaching as an Alternative Method in Teaching Speaking
for Junior High School Grade
by Siti Purwaningsih
(11.321.159/ 4E)
In teaching English as a foreign language, speaking is one of four main skills to be
taught beside listening, reading, and writing. Anggraeni stated that English is taught as a
foreign language for practical necessary uses of communication (2007: 2). This statement
means that the purpose of teaching and learning English is communication, so speaking
becomes important elements of communication. The students have to think hard and more
often if they want to speak English well because they have different native language.
Although speaking has been taught since the students entered Elementary School, it
is difficult for them to communicate well using English. However, when they entered
Junior High School, they still felt difficult to communicate well using English. They need
to produce appropriate words to make sentences, even they have to pronounciate correctly.
Therefore, teaching speaking must be focused on teaching English language, like how to
improve the students’ communication skill, rather than teaching them about English
language. The teacher can reach the target of teaching speaking by using audio-lingual
method in teaching speaking for the students of Junior High School (Nita, 2012: 66).
The audio-lingual method can drill students in the use of grammatical sentence
patterns. This method advises that the students are taught a language directly without using
the students’ native language to explain new words in the target language. According to
Larsen-Freeman (2000: 46) we have to use drills if we want the students to be able to speak
English communicatively. Furthermore, they explain that drills, as part of audio-lingual
method, have been used in teaching speaking. Since the primary goal of the audio-lingual
method is to use the target language communicatively, drills are suitable for teaching
speaking.
Based on the explanation above, this paper will explain about the definition and
principles of audio-lingual method, how the audio-lingual can be an alternative method in
teaching speaking, especially for the students of Junior High School grade, and how the
implementation of audio-lingual in teaching speaking for students of Junior High School.
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Audio-Lingual Method
The audio-lingual method is an oral-based approach which is emphasized vocabulary
acquisition through exposure to its use in situation (Larseen-Freeman, 2000: 35). It is
introduced to prepare people to master foreign language orally in a short time. It is
emphasized oral forms of language. This method considers that the oral forms, speaking
and listening, should come first, and reading and writing come later.
Ningsih and Styati believe that successful of language learners are those who finally
become spontaneous in communication and the rules have been forgotten (2012: 25).
Therefore, audio-lingual method is essentially the process of change in mental and physic
behavior induced by experience. Formal experience can be gained at formal school and the
aim of learning is habit. Learning a new language means to acquire another set of habits.
The speech habit can be formulated through the observance of rules.
In audio-lingual method, the language learners are equpped with the knowledge and
skill required for effective communication in a foreign language. They also require to
understand the foreign people whose language they are learned. They have to understand
the everyday life, history and social life of the people.
Principles of Audio-Lingual Method
Audio-lingual method is a kind of method for teaching foreign language through
dialogues which emphasizes on the students’ habit formation by repeating, memorizing
grammatical structures, and using the target language and the culture where the language is
spoken communicatively.
Ningsih & Setyati (2012: 25) describe the principles of audio-lingual method as
follows: 1) The dialogs are learned through imitation and repetition. 2) New vocabulary
and structural patterns are presented through dialogs. 3) Drills are conducted based upon
the patterns present in the dialog. 4) Students successful responses are positively
reinforced. 5) Grammar is induced from the examples given. 6) Cultural information is
contextualized in the dialogs or presented by the teacher. 7) Students reading and writing
work is based upon the oral work they did earlier.
Meanwhile, Larsen-Freeman (2000: 43) enumerates the principles of audio-lingual
method as follows: 1) The view of language in the audio-lingual method has been
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influenced by descriptive linguistists 2) Most of the interaction between teacher and
students or student to students are initiated by the teacher. 3) The target language is used in
the classroom, not the students’ native language. 4) The teacher is a director and controller
who responsible for providing a good model, meanwhile the students are imitators who
follow and respon the teacher’s direction.
She also enumerates the other principles of audio-lingual method as follows: 5)
Language forms occur most naturally within a context. 6) Language learning is a process of
habit formation and learn how to use the language to communicate. 7) Teachers will give
positive reinforcement to help the students to develop correct habits. 8) Speech is more
basic to language than the written form. 9) One of the teachers’ responsibilities is to
present information about culture from which can’t separated the language.
Audio-lingual as an Alternative Method in Teaching Speaking
According to Ningsih & Setyati (2012: 33), speaking is the ways to explain
something in English language teaching and related with aural and oral skill. Meanwhile,
Edge state that speaking is one of language skills that must be presented in English
language teaching (2001: 104). Teaching speaking is sometimes considered as a simple
process of commercial language school around the world, which hires people with no
training to teach conversation (Faridatusolihah, 2008: 2). Although speaking is totally
natural, speaking in a language other than our own is anything but simple (Nunan,
2003:48).
Based on the statement above that teaching conversation to the students in foreign
language is simple because learning spoken language sometimes ignores the grammar rule
and the other hand the students need to form good habit in English speaking practice.
The audio-lingual method has a relatively complete procedure of presenting language
materials which has a set of procedures of teaching each language skill. This procedure is a
set of typical steps in teaching the target language through the audio-lingual method.
By using the audio-lingual method in teaching speaking, the circumstance class will
be more interesting and life. The teacher will present the target language through dialogs,
while the students will follow the direction of the teacher to repeat the dialogs. Therefore,
all of the students will be active in the class. The teacher also drills the target language
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which is conducted based upon the patterns present in the dialog. By this action, the
students will also get new vocabulary by follow the dialogs presented by teacher and know
how to pronounciate it correctly. That’s why the audio-lingual method becomes an
alternative method in teaching speaking.
Techniques of Audio-Lingual Method
Techniques of audio-lingual method are specific activities manifested the classroom
that are consistent audio-lingual method. According to Ningsih & Setyati (2012: 26), there
are some techniques used in audio-lingual method:
1) Dialog memorization. In this technique, the students are given a short dialog to
memorize then they must use mimicry and applied role playing to present the dialog.
2) Backward Build Up. This technique provides the students with the sentence
fragments found in the materials section. The students repeat each part of the
sentence starting at the end of the sentence and expanding backwards through the
sentence adding each part in sequence.
3) Transformation Drill. In this technique, the teacher asks the students to change kinds
of sentences pattern; such as change an affirmative sentence into negative sentence, a
question into statement, etc.
4) Complete the Dialog. This technique provides the students fill in the blanks in the
dialogs. The proper English word must inserted into the text. This activity is much
like a cloze activity.
5) Dictation. This technique uses any piece of literature at the students’ reading level.
The students have to read the piece aloud several times and write down what they
hear. The idea is to write what they have heard as literally as possible.
6) Flashcards.This technique use flashcards with words that are relevant each words on
the card. A new word could be chosen each day.
7) Chain Drill. Chain drill is a chain of conversation forms around the room as the
teacher greets or questions a student and that student responds then turns to the next
student and greets or asks a question of the second student and the chain continue.
8) The Alphabet Game. The alphabet game is an game which is like chain drill activity.
The teacher will give a category, and the first student have to make a sentence which
is included the category and it begins with “A”. The next student have to repeat the
first student’s sentence and make a new related sentence which is included another
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word in category and it begins with “B”. The game continues in this manner with
each consecutive student adding an item beginning with the next letter after repeating
the items named before their own.
Beside the eight techniques stated by Ningsih & Setyati above, Larsen-Freeman
(2000: 48) adds some techniques of audio-lingual method as follow:
1) Single-slot Substitution Drill. This technique give the students practice in finding and
filling in the slots of a sentence. The teacher says a line from a dialog and a word or a
phrase called a cue. Then the students repeat the line the teacher has given them,
substituting the cue into the line in its proper place.
2) Multiple-slot Substitution Drill. This technique is similiar to the single-slot substition
drill. The difference is that the teacher gives cue phrases, one at a time, that fit into
different slots in the dialog line. The students must recognize what part of speech
each cue is, or at least, where it fits into the sentence, and make any other changes,
such as subject-verb agreement. They then say the line, fitting the cue phrase into the
line it belongs.
3) Question-and-answer Drill. This technique asks the students to practice with
answering questions. The students should answer the teacher’s questions very
quickly.
4) Use of Minimal Pairs. In this technique, the teacher works with pairs of words which
differ in only one sound. The students are asked to perceive the difference of these
words, say, compare, and analyse the words.
Applying The Audio-Lingual Method in Teaching Speaking for Junior High School
Grade
As mentioned above, there are many techniques of audio-lingual method which can
be applied to teach foreign language in classroom. Those techniques can be chosen and
appropriated by the teacher to teach the target language, like in teaching speaking for the
students of Junior High School grade.
Ningsih & Setyati (2012: 27) give an example of teaching procedures by using the
dialog memorization technique as follow:
1) The teacher gives a brief summary of the content of the dialogue which isn’t
translated but equivalent translation of key phrases.
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2) The language learners listen attentively while the teacher reads or recites the dialogue
at normal speed several times. Gestures and facial expressions or dramatized actions
should accompany the presentation.
3) Repetition of each line by the language learners in chorus is the next steps. Each
sentence may be repeated a half dozens of times, depending on its length and on the
alertness of the language learners. If the teacher detecs an error, the offending learner
is corrected and is asked to repeat the sentence. If many learners make the same
errors, chorus repetition and drill will be necessary
4) Repetition is continued with groups decreasing in size, that is, first the two halves of
the class, then the thirds, and then single rows ar smaller groups. Groups can assume
the speaker’s role.
5) Pairs of individual learners now go to the front of the classroom to act out of the
dialogue. By this time, they should have memorized the text.
These teaching procedures are related to listening and speaking ability. It make the
students listen the dialogs, and repeat it many times over, so they will be able to memorize
it. Therefore, these procedures appropriate to teach speaking for the students of Junior
High School grade.
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Conclusion
Speaking activity for the students of Junior High School needs an interesting activity
in order to motivate students in speaking. The teacher should not only create fun and active
learning but also use an appropriate method to make the students actively involved in the
classroom.
The effective ways in order to make the students involved actively is through audio-lingual
method. Audio-lingual method is a method that focuses in teaching pronunciation.
In this method, the teacher drills the students’ pronunciation. The teacher asks students to
repeat and memorize what the teacher says. The teacher should give more chances to the
students to be more active, and let the students to do several practices. The teacher should
trust the students that they are able to do those activities by themselves. Here, the teacher
only observes and helps the students when they meet difficulties.
By using the audio-lingual method in teaching speaking, the circumstance class will
be more interesting and life. All of the students who are thaught by this metod will be
active in the class, get new vocabulary by follow the dialogs presented by teacher, and
know how to pronounciate it correctly.
This audio-lingual method also has other good impact on the students’ speaking
skills. It derives from the fact that the students become more confident and motivated in
learning the language because of the teaching aids and materials used in the class along
with the provision at the teacher’s positive reinforcement.
As a result, audio-lingual is an alternative method that can be used to improve the
students’ ability, especially in speaking ability, so they can use the target language
communicatively.
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REFERENCES
Anggraeni, P. 2007. Audio Lingual Teaching as an Alternative Method in Teaching
Speaking: An Action Research Given to the First Year Students of SMP Negeri 2
Pemalang in the Academic Year 2006/2007. A Final Project Submitted in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements for Degree of Sarjana Pendidikan in English
Department. 1-73
Edge Julian. 2001. Essential of English Language teaching. New York: Longman
Faridatusolihah, N. F. 2008. Teaching English Speaking Using Audio Lingual Method at
The Second Grade Students Of Junior High School 1 Cisalak Kab.Subang. 1-6
Larsen-Freeman, Diane. 2000. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. New
York: Oxford University Press
Ningsih, N. A., & Styati, E. W. 2012. Teaching English as a Foreign Language (1st ed).
Maospati-Magetan: Javas Gravika
Ningsih, N. A., & Styati, E. W. 2012. Teaching English as a Foreign Language (2nd ed).
Maospati-Magetan: Javas Gravika
Nunan, David. 2003. Practical English Language Teaching. New York: McGraw-Hill
Nita, S. A. 2012. Involving Audio-Lingual Method (ALM) and Communicative Language
Teaching (CLT) in Teaching Speaking Skill at Junior High School. Journal of
English Language Teaching. 1(01) 65-73
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