The Audio-Lingual Method (ALM) was developed in the 1950s-1960s based on principles of structural linguistics and behaviorism. It aimed to teach communicative competence through an intensive focus on oral skills using repetition and drills. Language was taught via memorization and imitation of dialogs. Grammar was induced from examples, not explicitly taught. The teacher led strict pattern practice drills while students played a passive role as imitators. Evaluation focused on discrete points and errors were avoided. Oral skills were emphasized over other skills.

1. THE AUDIO-LINGUAL
METHOD

2. BACKGROUND
• First called, the "Army Method" (during
World War II)
• AIM to develop communicative
competence in translators
through very intensive language courses
focusing on audio/oral skills.

3. BACKGROUND
This in combination with structural linguistics
and behavioral psychology
Become into the Audiolingual Method
(ALM).

4. BACKGROUND
• Founded around 1950’s and 1960’s
• ALM the way to acquire the
sentence patterns of the target
language by repetition of dialogues
about every day situations that are
imitated and drilled to make the
response automatic.

5. BACKGROUND
• 1939: University of Michigan
developed the first English
Language Institute in the USA
• They applied the principles of
structural linguistics.

6. THEORY OF LEARNING
• Stimulus organism
Response behaviour
Reinforcement
• HABIT FORMATION
BEHAVIOURISM

7. GOALS
Forming new habits through
overcoming the old habit.
students have to use the target language
communicatively
students need to overlearn the target language
to use it automatically without stopping to
think.

8. Teacher Role/Student Role
• The teacher is like an orchestra leader.
• Providing students with a good model for
imitation.

9. Learner Roles
• Students are imitators of the teacher´s
model.
• They follow the teacher´s direction as
accurately as possible.
• They are learning
a new form of verbal behaviour.

10. Teaching/learning process
• New vocabulary and structural patterns are
presented through dialogues.
• Dialogues– learning through
imitation and repetition
• Positively reinforced
• Grammar is induced from the eg.

11. Teacher – students interaction
• There is student- student
interaction in chain drills or when
students take different roles in
dialogs, but this interaction is
teacher – directed.

12. Teacher – students interaction
• Most of the interaction is
between teacher and students
and is initiated by the teacher.

13. TYPESOFLEARNINGANDTEACHING
ACTIVITIES
Dialogs: means of
contextualizing key
structures and cultural
aspects.
Used for repetition and
memorization.
For correct
pronunciation, stress,
rhythm and intonation
Drills: practice of
grammatical patterns
Repetition – Inflection –
Replacement –
Restatement .
Completion.

14. The Role of Materials
• Not used at beginner levels.
• Only a teacher has access to it.
• They provide the texts of dialogues and
cues needed for drills and exercises.
Textbooks
• Pictures. Tape recorders. Language
laboratory.
Audiovisual equipment

15. The view of language/ the view of
culture
• The view of language → influenced by
descriptive linguists.
• Each level( phonological, morphological…)has
its own distinctive patterns.

16. The view of language/ the view of
culture
• Everyday speech is emphasized.
• The level of complexity of the speech is
graded.

17. What areas of language are emphasized?
• Vocabulary is kept to a minimum while the
students are mastering the sound system
and grammatical patterns.

18. What language skills are emphasized?
• The natural order of skills presentation :
listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
• The oral/aural skills receive
most of the attention .

19. The role of native language
• The habits of the students’ native language
are thought to interfere with the students’
attempts to master the target language.
• The target language is mostly
used in the classroom.

20. EVALUATION
• The evaluation is discrete – point in nature
Each question on the test would focus on only
one point of the language at the time.
e.g. distinction between words
in a minimal pair or supply
an appropriate verb form in a sentence.

21. ERRORS
• Students errors should be avoided
• Teacher´s awareness of where the
students will have difficulty and
restriction of what they are taught to
say.

22. PROCEDURE
1. Students first hear a model dialogue containing
key structures.
2. Students repeat each line of the dialogue,
individually and in chorus.
3. Sts memorize the dialogue.
4. A line is broken into parts to avoid mistakes.
5. The dialog is adapted to students' interests or
situations by changing key words.
6. Sts can refer to textbooks, follow-up reading,
writing or vocabulary activities.

23. TECHNIQUES
• Dialog memorization
• Backward build – up (expansion) drill
• Repetition drill
• Chain drill
• Single – slot substitution drill

24. TECHNIQUES
• Multiple – slot substitution drill
• Transformation drill
• Question and answer drill
• Use of minimal pairs
• Complete the dialog
• Grammar game

25. Bibliography
• Larsen-Freeman, Diane. Techniques and
Principles in Language Teaching. Oxford.
2000