4. The Coleman Report in
1929 recommended a
reading-based approach to
foreign language teaching
for use in American schools
and colleges.
5. With World War II, America
became aware that it needed
people to learn foreign
languages very quickly as
part of its overall military
operations. The "Army
Method" was suddenly
developed to build
communicative competence
in translators through very
intensive language courses
focusing on aural/oral skills.
7. The objective of the
army programs was for
students to attain
conversational
proficiency in a variety
of foreign languages
8. In 1939 the University of
Michigan developed the first
English Language Institute in
the Unite States; it specialized
in the training of teachers of
English as a foreign language
and in teaching English as a
second or foreign language.
9. The guidelines were
published as Structural
Notes and Corpus: A Basis
for the Preparation of
Materials to Teach English
as a Foreign Language
(American Council of
Learned Societies 1952).
10. Theory
Learning
Behaviorism posits that all learning occurs as humans respond to external stimuli and their
response is either rewarded or punished, which serves to increase or decrease the behavior.
Psychologist B. F. Skinner.
APLICATION
Behaviorist theory was to be applied in the classroom, with teachers
providing linguistic stimuli in the form of dialogues and drills,"
reinforcing students" correct responses, and correcting
their errors.
"The single paramount fact about language learning is that it concerns, not problem solving,
but the formation and performance of habits"
14. Foreign language learning is a
mechanical process.
Memorization and repetition of
dialogues or other drill patterns
minimize the risk of making a
mistake and increase the
chances of giving a correct
answer that leads to
reinforcement of good habits.
15. Foreign language can be
learned and taught more
effectively if it is presented in
spoken form before students
will see written form. “Aural-
oral training is needed to
provide the foundation for the
development of other
language skills” (Richards &
Rodgers, 1987).
16. The meaning of words and
phrases of a second language
should be learned and taught
in a linguistic and cultural
context. “Teaching a
language thus involves
teaching aspects of the
cultural system of the people
who speak the language”
17. Learners are viewed as organisms
that can be directed by skilled
training techniques to produce
correct responses.
Teaching focuses on the
external manifestations of
learning rather than on the
internal processes.
Learners play a reactive role by
responding to stimuli, and thus
have little control over the
content, pace, or style of learning.
They are not encouraged
to initiate interaction.
Roles
Central and active
Models the target language,
controls the direction and pace
of learning.
Monitors and corrects the
learners’ performance.
Learning is seen to result from
active verbal interaction
between the teacher and the
learners.
Failure to learn results only
from the improper application
of the method.
20. References
Lanser-Freeman, D. (1986). Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. United
Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Taber, J (2008). A Brief History of ESL Instruction: Theories, Methodologies, and
Upheavals. Retrieved from:
http://seattlecentral.edu/faculty/jgeorg/TESLSCCC/ABriefHistory.htm
Vieira de Bem, I & Flores N (2014). Improving Listening Improving Listening
Comprehension In The Comprehension In The Audiolingual Method. Revista Textura.
Richards, J. C. & Rodgers, T.S. (1987). The Audiolingual Method. United Kingdom:
Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and methods in language
teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.