Introduction to Methods of

Teaching Foreign Languages

Prof BOUYA
 Methodology & Definitions
• Methodology – a system of principles, practices, and procedures
applied to any specific branch of knowledge
• Pedagogy – the art or profession of teaching
• Approach – a set of principles linked to a theory
• Method – a procedural plan for presenting and teaching the
language; it is the level at which theory is put into practice and at
which choices are made about the particular skills to be taught,
the content to be taught and the order in which the content will
be presented
• Technique – strategies for implementing the methodological plan
What is THE BEST METHOD?
A question that baffles both educationalists and
teachers because if such a method does exist; it
should be appropriate to all contexts !
And what do we mean by ‘a method’?

• A coursebook?

• An approach to teaching language?

There is a conflation here !

In corpus the words that collocate with the word method are
positive :

❖ New
❖ Scientific
❖ Best
❖ Effective
❖ Simple POSITIVE ASSOCIATIONS
❖ Other
❖ Only
❖ Different
❖ Alternative
❖ Common
❖ Direct
❖ Traditionnal
Lets review the history of method in the literature of
language teaching.

The study of approaches and methods provides teachers

with a view of how the field of language teaching has
evolved.

There are more than 30 methods. Recently, there is a talk

about beyond method/ post method; that is to say, going
beyond a single method and adapting a proliferation of
methods.
Some Traditional Language Teaching Methods
 Some Modern Language Teaching Methods

experiential
Task based Differentiated Project based
skill- based
learning instruction learning
learning

Humanistic
Place based Active Personalized
progressive
Education learning learning
learning
``During the sixties and the seventies, several developments
indicate a shift in language pedagogy away from the simple
method concept as the main approach to language teaching.``
Stern,H.h. 1983 Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching. Oxford University Press, p.477.

• No single method is going to satisfy all types of contexts!

• There is also a resistance for top-down prescriptive methods!

``The wide spread dissatisfaction with the conventional concept
of method has produced what I have called a post method
condition.``
Kumaravadiveler, B. 1994: Merging strategies for second/Foreign Language
Teaching. TESOL Quaterely, 28, P43.

➢ Moving beyond individual methods but instead using principles and

parameters that cross all methodologies
• The concept of method has not been
replaced by the concept of post method
but rather by an era of textbook defined
practice . What the majority of teachers
teach and how they teach are now
determined by textbooks.``
• Akbari, R. 2008.

• Do all teachers have the luxury of a post

method?
ACTIVITY

Do you agree or disagree

with the following
quotes?
``Language is not a sterile subject confined to
the classroom. One of two things must be
done: either life must be brought to the
classroom, or the class must be taken to life.``
Strevens, P. 1956

➢ Authenticating the learning experience and

making it relevant.

➢ How can you do it?

The student should never be called upon to say anything that he
hasn’t already learned through imitation of his teacher.
English Language services. 1964

➢ Mistakes are not allowed!

``The teacher must really be himself…, talking to real people about real things
and then training his pupils to talk to one another about real things.``
Billows, L. 1961

➢ student centered learning

➢ student driven content

``A command of structure is more easily
acquired by reading, speaking and writing the
language than by hearing and studying
explanations.``
Gurrey, P. 1955

➢ Experiential skill-based learning

➢ Task based /project-based learning

Experiencing the language rather than learning

about the language
``The key to language learning is well planned and
lively drill, drill, drill…``
Cooper, J. H
``The language must not be imprisoned between
the pages of a book.``
BILLOWS, l. 1961

➢ THEME DEVELOPPING!
• ``They should feel that each
lesson is their lesson and not the
teacher’s…In an English class
which is well run, the teacher is
only a guide.``
• French, F. 1949

• Progressive humanistic
education
• The development of the teaching
methods through history has not
been linear (rather in a dynamic
rotation), but ``these changes have
represented different configurations
of the same basic options…``
• Pennycock, A. 1989
``Different methods of language teaching result from different
views of:

❑The nature of language

❑The nature of second language learning
❑Goals and objectives in teaching
❑The type of syllabus to use
❑The role of teachers, learners, instructional materials
❑The activities, technicques and procedures
The nature of language

FORM --------------------- FUNCTION

The nature of second language learning
ANALYTIC ------------ EXPERIENTIAL
Goals and objectives in teaching
Accuracy --------------------- communication
The type of syllabus to use
SYSTEMS --------------------- SKILLS
 The type of syllabus to use
SEGREGATED---------------------INTEGRATED
The role of teachers, learners, instructional materials

COGNITIVE --------------------- AFFECTIVE

TRANSMITIVE---------------------DIALOGIC
The activities, technicques and procedures

DEDUCTIVE--------------------- INDUCTIVE
BILINGUAL--------------------- MONOLINGUAL
Dimensions of methodology

FORM FUNCTION
ANALYTIC EXPERIENTIAL
ACCURACY COMMUNICATION
SYSTEM SKILLS
SEGREGATED INTEGRATED
COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE
TRANSMITIVE DIALOGIC
DEDUCTIVE INDUCTIVE
BILINGUAL MONOLINGUAL
• ``The methods are not dead .
Teachers seem to be aware of both the
usefulness of methods and the need
to go beyond them.``
• Bell. D. 2007

• Teachers are interested in the

systematic features of a method, but
we mustn't t be trapped in one single
method; blind to other possibilities!
• Teachers need a structure, a
framework and routines, but they
can continuously change and
adapt their methods.
``The critical factor in success is the
An example of a teacher’s beliefs:
commitment and belief of the
teacher in the methods he or she is
using and the continuing reflection
of the teacher as to whether of
these methods are making a
positive influence.``
Spiro, J. 2013

The teacher should be convinced,

and the learner will follow…
• A bad curriculum well taught is
invariably a better experience for
students than a good curriculum
badly taught : pedagogy trumps
curriculum. Or more precisely,
pedagogy is curriculum because what
matters is how things are taught,
rather than what is taught.
• William, D. 2011.

• IT IS ALL ABOUT BETTER LEARNING

AND BETTER TEACHING AND THE
RELATION BETWEEN THE TWO AND
NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT A BETTER
METHOD!