Methods and Approaches in ELT

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Over the years, the objective of many teachers has changed from
trying to find an ultimate "best method" to identifying compatible
approaches and then deciding on strategies for actually doing what
needs to be done in the classroom.

The teacher has a spectrum of roles in these methodologies ranging

from language model and commander of classroom activities in
systems like Grammar Translation and Total Physical Response to
background facilitator and classroom colleague in Communicative
Language Teaching and Dogme all the way to minimally present in
the Silent Way. In a similar manner the role of the student may vary
from that of passive recipient in Grammar Translation, childlike
follower in Total Physical Response to active driver and decider
in Dogme.
It is likely that, over time, experienced teachers select whatever
elements of these methodologies work for them and adapt them to
their particular teaching style or students' learning style. It also seems
highly probable that something which works well for one teacher (or
with one student) will not work for another.
There is also the question of how seriously we should take
methodologies anyway; Scott Thornbury has suggested the idea of
discrete methodologies may be an oversimplification as they all tend
to have good and bad elements, or perhaps good and bad
practitioners.
But before we try or attempt anything, we should first understand what
we mean by Method and an Approach and what methods and
approaches are out there.
Generally speaking, approaches are general in nature. They involve the belief
and principle underlying our methods, but are less about prescribing the
specific methods. An approach comes from Second Language Acquisition is
based on research on how people are supposed to learn languages. Methods,
on the other hand, are the way we teach, approaches explain why we teach
that way. A method is a set of procedures that we use to teach a language.
Over the year, many different methods and approaches have emerged. In this
task, we will explore some of them.
For this task, you will research these Methods or Approaches in GROUPS. I
need 3 - 4 people per group. YOU DECIDE YOUR GROUP!!!
The groups are:
Group 1: Grammar Translation,
Group 2: Direct Methods
Group 3: TPR
Group 4: Audiolingual method
Group 5: The Silent way
Group 6: Suggestopedia
Group 7: Community Language Learning
For this task, there are different parts.
PART 1:
You need to:
1) Work in your group as listed above and organise in your groups how you
will research the method/approach given. You need to find the following
information:
* What the method/appraoch proposes, a description of it
* main principles and procedures in use of the approach/method
* brainstorm and explain possible application of the methods/appraoch in
the classroom (at least two possible applications)
Feel free to get in contact with your group via email.
2) Once you´ve done this, share your information on the forum. For this,
create a NEW THREAD PER GROUP (e.g. Group 1- Grammar Translation)
and share your findings.
PART 2:z
When all the groups have shared their findings, visit all the other group´s
threads and ask that group follow up questions and discuss their findings.
Focus on what they suggest as possible applications for the classroom. Do
you agree, disagree, have more ideas? Share them and discuss.
Your Tutor will monitor the conversations.
Some links to research on this:
http://www.kendallhunt.com/uploadedFiles/Kendall_Hunt/Content/Higher_
Education/Uploads/CH11_Zainuddin_3e.pdf

https://aguswuryanto.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/approaches-and-
methods-in-language-teaching.pdf

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED497389.pdf

http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in:8080/jspui/bitstream/10603/20567/10/10_
chapter%203.pdf