This document discusses different theories and conceptions of teaching. It describes the shift from a focus on methods in the 20th century to a more complex view of language pedagogy in the 21st century. It outlines three main conceptions of teaching: 1) science-research conceptions which view teaching as applying principles from research, 2) theory-philosophy conceptions which are based on educational theories, and 3) art-craft conceptions which treat each teaching situation uniquely based on its characteristics. The document advocates for an approach to teaching that involves diagnosis of learners' needs, treatment through appropriate activities and techniques, and assessment to evaluate learning.

1. Theories of Teaching
Presenter: Sara
Tehrani
TEFL, M.A, Tehran,
“Methodology in Language Teaching” by Richards & Renan
Section 1 ; Approaches to Teaching
Ch.1: English Lg. Teaching in the “Post-Method
Ch.2: Theories of Teaching in Lg. Teaching

2. 20th Centaury 21st
Centaury
( primary concern was (more
complex view
to find more effective
of lg. teaching )
Methods of lg. teaching)
Brown traces this movement from a preoccupation with
“methods” to a focus on “pedagogy”.
The 1970s & 1980s were the years of greatest enthusiasm
for methods. In “post-method era”, the attention has shifted

3. -methods: top-down impositions of experts’
views.
-minimized role of the teachers.
- methods are hence perspective.
The problems of
“designer methods”
as cited by Brown
- methods focus on only small part of a
more complex set of elements.
- “ Curriculum Development” (begins with
diagnosis, moves to treatment &
involves assessment.

4. For Brown, the term method is best replaced by the
term pedagogy :
Method
implies a static set
of procedures.
Pedagogy
suggests the
dynamic interplay
between teachers
& learners.

5. Approach
Method
Technique
Edward Anthony (1963)
Set of assumptions dealing with the nature of
lg., learning & teaching.
An overall plan for systematic presentation of
lg. based on a selected approach.
Specific classroom activities consistent with a
method, and therefore in harmony with an
approach as well.

6. Method
Approach Design Procedure
Richards & Rodgers (1986)

7. Prabhu (1990) thought of method as both:
classroom activities & the theory that informs
them.
For most researchers, a method is a set of
theoretically unified classroom techniques thought to
be generalizable across a wide variety of contexts
& audiences.

8. Gouin’s
Series
Method
(1880)
DM
(Berlitz)
ALM
(Late
1940s)
Cognitive -
Code learning
method
(early 1960s)
Designer
Methods
(1989)

9. Why are methods no longer the milestones of our
lg. teaching journey through time?
1- Methods are too perspective/ Assuming too much
about
a context./ They are overgeneralized.
2- At the early stages of a lg. course, methods are
distinctive
but later, they become indistinguishable from each
other.
3- It was though that methods could be tested to
determine
which one is the “best”.

10. Therefore we did not need a method. We needed to unifying our
approach to lg. teaching & of designing effective tasks &
techniques informed by the approach.
1) An approach is dynamic & therefore subject to
“tinkering” as a result of experience & observation.
2) Research in SLA almost always yields findings that are
subject to interpretation rather than giving evidence.
There are
two
reasons
for
variation
at the
approach
level

11. Twelve widely accepted theoretical principles about SLA
Communicative
Competence
Automaticity
The
anticipation of
Reward
Strategic
Investment Self- confidence
The lg-culture
Connection
Meaningful
Learning
Intrinsic
Motivation
Language
Ego
Risk Taking
The Native Lg.
Effect Interlanguage

12. A principled approach to lg. teaching encourages the lg. teacher
to engage in a carefully created process of :
treatment

13. diagnosis
First phase  “ situational needs” or the context of
teaching.
- country of the institution.
- educational background of the students.
- students’ purpose for learning the lg.
Second phase  “ communicative needs”
- The specific lg. forms & functions that
should be programmed into a course of
study.

14. treatment
The appropriate stage for the application of methods.
Language “treatment” may be thought of as coursed of study,
or sets of learning experiences, design to target learners’
needs exposed by diagnostic assessments.
controlled
semicontrolled
free

15. 1- Lower inhibitions.
2- Encourage risk taking.
3- Build students’ self- confidence.
4- Help students develop intrinsic motivation.
5- Promote cooperative learning.
6- Encourage students to use right-brain processing.
7- Promote ambiguity tolerance.
8- Help students use their intuition.
9- Get students to make their mistakes work for them.
10- Get students to set their own goals.

16. assessment
Finally it is the time for assessing accomplishment of
curricular objectives, which can be done through:
 Formative evaluation (ongoing assessment of students’
performance as a course
progresses.)
Summative evaluation ( end-of-term or end-of-unit tests)

17. Conceptions of teaching
(Zahorik, 1986)
1) Science-Research Conceptions
2) Theory-Philosophy Conceptions
3) Art-Craft Conceptions

18. 1) Science-Research Conceptions
These see the essential skills in teaching as following: Examples
 Understand the learning principles. ALM
 Develop task & activities based on learning principles. TBLT
 Monitor students’ performance. Learner Training
Zahorik includes the followings as the examples:
 Operationalizing learning principles.
(Developing a teaching methodology from learning research.)
 Following a tested model.
( applying the results of empirical or experimental research to teaching)
 Doing what effective teachers do.

19. 2) Theory-Philosophy Conceptions
These see the essential skills in teaching as :
 Understand the theory and the principles.
 Select syllabi, materials & tasks based on the theory.
 Monitor your teaching to see that it conforms to theory.
Teaching conceptions which are derived from what ought to work are
essentially Theory-Based or Rationalist Approaches. Examples : CLT / SW
On the other hand, lies the “Value-Based Approach” which is derived from
beliefs about what viewed as morally right.
Examples : Humanistic Approaches, CLL, learner-centered curriculum,
Reflective teaching , Team Teaching

20. 3) Art- Craft Conceptions
The essential skills of teaching in this approach are:
 Treat each teaching situation as unique.
 Identify the particular characteristics of each situation.
 Try out different teaching strategies.
Develop personal approaches to teaching.
Examples: There are no general methods of teaching ! Teachers should do
what they feel the best ! (teachers’ decision making)
 In contrast to the “science-research conception” which is
“top-down”, this approach is “bottom-up.