Unit 15 15.2 Key concepts Here are some features typical of two approaches. What differences can you see between them? Structural Approach Task-based Learning (TBL) View of Language is a system of Language is a tool for language _| structures used to communicate | communicating meaning through meaning. use of functions, vocabulary, structures, discourse. View of Language is learnt through Language is learnt by using it. language _| controlled practice of simpler learning structures, then more complicated ones. Mistakes should be avoided. Classroom _| Oral skills are learnt before Classroom activities are based practice written skills. around a series of problem-solving Structures are practised in controlled concitions. tasks. To solve the problems, leamers need to communicate. Grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation may or may not be focused on in class after the task is completed You can see that these two approaches differ in their view of language and language learning and in their classroom practices. Approaches involve our beliefs about teaching, language and language learning and how we translate these beliefs into classroom practices. sn The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 ani Cambridge University Press 2011 3 Ontine by Mary ft, Alan Pulvemess and Melanie Willams‘As you can imagine, there are many different approaches to teaching. These reflect people's different views on what language is made up of, how languages are learnt and what classroom practices effectively bring about learning. Certain approaches have had a great influence on English language teaching practices and materials. Let’s look at some of them and their most typical characteristics: Presentation, Practice and Production (PPP) View of language: grammatical structures and functions are the most important aspect of language. View of language learning: language is learnt by first seeing new language in a context which shows its meaning, practising it in controlled and guided conditions, then using it in freer conditions which give the learner less language support. Classroom practices: + The syllabus focuses on grammatical structures or functions, + The syllabus focuses on grammatical structures or functions. + Lessons move from the presentation stage to the practice stage to the production stage. + Leamers should not be allowed to make mistakes during the practice stage. + The teacher inputs language (provides examples and gives information about it), and guides students. + The learners are guided by the teacher and do not make decisions about what or how to learn. + Typical activities are situational presentations and miming at the presentation stage, drills at the controlled practice stage, role-plays and information-gap activities at the production stage. Lexical Approach View of language: 1m The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 and 3 Oni Cambridge University Press 2011 y Mary ft, Alan Pulvemess and Melanie Willamsvocabulary is the most important aspect of language. Vocabulary consists of individual words and different kinds of chunks such as collocations, idioms, fixed expressions. View of language learning: language is learnt by learning chunks as whole and complete units. Chunks need to be noticed by learners in order to be learnt, i.e. leamers need to become aware of chunks and focus on them. Classroom practices: + The syllabus focuses on lexis. + Leamers work with authentic written or spoken texts in the classroom, + Leamers are given activities which encourage them to notice chunks in texts, e.g. noting them down, underlining them, + After noticing chunks, learners are asked to carry out tasks which will involve them in using the chunks. Functional Approach View of language: functions are the most important aspect of language. View of language learning: as for PPP. Classroom practices. + The syllabus focuses on functions usually graded according to their frequency of use in practical daily life and to learners’ communicative needs. + The Functional Approach does not have any typical practices of its own. It often makes use of PPP stages in lessons, or of communic: Communicative approaches View of language: ‘communication is the most important aspect of language. Meaning is communicated through functions, grammar, vocabulary, discourse and skills. 1m The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 and 3 Oni Cambridge University Press 2011 y Mary ft, Alan Pulvemess and Melanie WillamsView of language learning: the best way to learn language is to use teraction, rather than to learn about it. Classroom practices. + The syllabus focuses on tasks, functions and topic areas based on learners’ communicative needs. + Pair and group work enable lots of interaction to take place in the classroom, so they are a key part of classroom activities. + Communicating meaning is very important. + Fluency is more important than accuracy. Classroom aotivities focus on fluency much more than accuracy. + Authentic materials (examples of real language used for real communication) provide useful input for learners and are therefore often used in the classroom. + Inthe classroom, learners become active users of the language; the teacher's role focuses particularly on setting up communicative activities, providing correction after fluency activities, and inputting language when needed. Grammar-Transiation View of language: language is made up of grammatical rules. View of language learning: language is learnt by analysing and applying grammatical rules. Classroom practices: + Studying grammatical rules presented through grammatical terms, then appl them in exercises. + Working out what language means by applying rules. + Learning lists of words by heart. + Translating texts and/or isolated sentences from L1 to L2 or vice versa. sn The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 ani Cambridge University Press 2011 3 Ontine by Mary Spratt, Alan Pulvemess and Melanie Wiliams+ Emphasis on grammatical accuracy. Total Physical Response (TPR) View of language: grammatical structures and vocabulary are the most important aspect of language. View of language learning: + Leamers learn by being exposed to language. Comprehension comes before production, + Leamers often need a silent period (a period of time during which learners hear language rather than produce it, as babies do) to take in language, so they should not be forced to speak before they are ready. + Language is learnt best when it is accompanied by doing things physically. + Leaming takes place when learners are relaxed. Classroom practices: + Used mainly with young learners and beginners. + The syllabus focuses on grammatical structures and vocabulary involved in giving and following instructions. + Lessons involve the teacher giving instructions and the leamers physically carrying out the instructions in the classroom, e.g. ‘Walk to the table’, ‘Open the door’ + Atmore advanced stages and after their silent period, learners give one another instructions. Guided discovery View of language: language has patterns of meaning and use. View of language leaning: sn The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 ani Cambridge University Press 2011 3 Ontine by Mary Spratt, Alan Pulvemess and Melanie Wiliamsleamers lear language best if they work out patterns and rules of language themselves rather than being given them by the teacher. Classroom practices. + The teacher gives learners examples of a target language area, e.g. a text containing several examples of the past tense, a recording containing several sentences each with different patterns of sentence stress. The teacher then asks the learners to work out what the rules of use seem to be for the target language, + The teacher often gives the learners the rules after they have worked them out or asks them to complete gapped rules. + This approach is often used together with PPP, Task-based Learning and the Functional Approach. Content-based learning View of language: grammatical, lexical, functional areas and skills are all important. View of language learning: language is learnt best if presented to learners through interesting topics which help them increase their knowledge of the world. Classroom practices: + The syllabus focuses on grammar, lexis, functions or skills. + Used mainly in primary and secondary schools. + Language is presented through topics related to school subjects or learning about the world. Content and Language Integrated Lear View of language: ing (CLIL) sn The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 ani Cambridge University Press 2011 3 Ontine by Mary ft, Alan Pulvemess and Melanie Willams+ Language serves to communicate meaning, + All aspects of language help communicate meaning, e.g. skills. discourse. lexis, grammar, functions, View of language learning: + Language is learnt mainly through acquisition and through using it. Language does not need to be obviously focused on. + Language is learnt best when you use language to lean something else. Classroom practices: + The syllabus is based round learning about the subject matter and cognitive (thinking and learning) skills related to a school subject, e.g. maths, history, art. + The school subject is taught in the L2 (L3/L4), + The specific kinds of language learnt are the language needed for learning about the subject. + Lessons focus on the subject rather than on language. ‘As you can see, the approaches outlined above vary in how specific they are about views on language and language learning and their typical classroom practices. Some are more developed in some areas than others. While these features are typical of these approaches, they are not always totally accurate descriptions of them, as approaches change and individual teachers use them differently. Many language teachers these days do not use one single approach. They may use ‘one approach one week and a different approach the next, or they may include in one approach practices typical of another. For example, you sometimes see lessons in Which the teacher asks learners to carry out a task before giving a PPP lesson on the same area, or you see a communicative lesson in which the leamers are asked to do a drill on a common mistake. This ‘mix and match’ approach is called an eclectic approach, i.e. an approach which mixes techniques from different approaches. Many teachers, coursebooks and syllabuses use an eclectic approach because they think that it is not clear exactly how languages are leamt, so it may not be helpful for learners from The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 and 3 Online by Mary Spratt, Alan Pulvemess and Melanie Wiliams © Cambridge Unversity Press 201to use only one approach. Also, different learners have different learning styles and different ideas about how language should be learnt. Using an eclectic approach can allow the teacher to teach leamers more appropriately. Experience shows that some approaches work better in some contexts than others. What works in one teaching context may not work in another. from The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 and 3 Online by Mary Sprat Cambridge University Pross 2011 Alan Pulverness and Melanie Williams