Lesson 1: the comprehensive approach

 Asher created a teaching method based on the comprehension approach called Total Physical
Response. This focus on comprehension and giving learners time to process language before having to
speak,Makes the comprehension approach somewhat similar to the direct approach.

 However, for the comprehension approach there is a stronger focus on actual language input. And
lowering the effective filter that sometimes inhibits students acquiring language.

 Question 1: why should we teach English?

 we want students to be able to understand what they hear in the target language. They need to feel
confident in their language ability and increase in their knowledge of vocabulary, grammar,
pronunciation and so on by listening. Listening to real language input and really understanding it.
Eventually, they'll be confident enough that they will begin to speak and produce language, as well as
understand it.
 Question 2: who should we teach?
 Well, ideally we should teach whoever wants to learn a language. However, our main goal is to help
learners develop the desire to learn the language for the joy of learning and not for external
motivations. Also, those who learn languages faster will generally do better in this approach.
 Question 3: what materials are needed to teach a language?

 To teach effectively, we need lots of physical objects and realia. Things that students already know and
are familiar with, like objects in a classroom. We also use observable actions to teach verbs such as
jump, sit or open your book.
 Sometimes these verbs or objects are combined with chunks of language such as common phrases or
greetings. So that learners can begin to understand all aspects of verbal communication in the target
language.
 Question 4: How does a learner learn a language?
 Just like children learn their first language, students should be allowed to just listen.And begin to
understand it before they are asked to produce any language. We call this, a silent period, and
depending on the learner, a silent period can be short or long. During the silent period we help
students gain confidence. By giving them language input that is just above their current level of
understanding. And using physical actions to make connections between what they are hearing and
what they already know.
 Question 5: How should a teacher teach?
 A teacher teaches language by combining commands, such as sit down or open your book. In the
target language with physical actions that the students can observe and therefore, follow. We may
combine these into sequences of actions. Sometimes we will have students take on the role of
teacher and have them work with students at a lower level of understanding. This helps students
use the language they know and provide comprehensible input for those they are mentoring.
 Question 6: How do we help students remember a language?
 Students remember the language by connecting what they are already familiar with to what they are
learning. They then have opportunities to hear and use the language they know in very specific
situations. Which helps reinforce what they've learned and makes their language knowledge more
automatic. Thanks for visiting.
What Have We Learned?: The Comprehension Approach
 The silent period refers to the time when a learner is either not confident enough in their speaking
ability or doesn't know enough of the language to begin speaking, and so is mostly silent. During
this time, learners are exposed to as much comprehensible input as possible. And are forming
connections in their minds about grammar rules and vocabulary of the target language. As they
learn more and begin to understand basic grammar and vocabulary, they will begin speaking and
trying to communicat in the language.

 The theorist behind the comprehension approach hypothesized that learning a second language is
much like learning a first language. And the silent way, was essential for the learners to form their
own concepts of the language and make those connections before they began speaking.

 another important concept is the idea of the effective filter. Stephen Krashen put forth the idea that
students' emotional state can severely affect their ability to make the necessary connections in their
minds, and keep them from learning a language as fast as they would like. Situations where the
students feel high amounts of anxiety or stress or where the effective filter is high, make it difficult
for students to focus on the language because they are more focused on their inadequacies. And
limitations than they are on the language itself.

 Using only the target language in the classroom. Today, many teachers feel that you should not use
students native language in the classroom. And many programs have English only policy, requiring
their students to speak only English in the classroom, if that is the language they are learning. In
some situations, where classrooms are heterogeneous, using the native language of the student is
impractical, because most teachers don't speak that many languages, to the fluency needed.

 However, it is common in non-English speaking countries to find classes where all the students
speak the same native language. In those situations, it is much more common to find use of the
native language in the classroom. By using only the target language in the class room, teachers can
expose their students to more comprehensible input. And provide more opportunities for their
students to practice in the target language. But you must be careful, strict enforcement of such
policies can raise students effective filters, and actually make it harder for them to learn the
language.

 Find a happy balance between using the target language in the classroom and allowing occasional
use of the native language, where necessary and appropriate.
 Use of Visual Aids to Convey Meaning. In the comprehension approach, emphasis is placed on
understanding meaning by connecting physical actions and situations represented in pictures. To
the language input the students are hearing in the classroom. For example, if the teacher says, sit
down, in the target language while also sitting down, the students learn the word for sit down.
Similarly, they can learn the words for common household objects by looking at pictures of the
objects, while hearing the teacher say the corresponding vocabulary. Sometimes real objects, also
called realia, are brought into the classroom. For example, if you were teaching a unit on food
names, you might bring in real foods, such as fruits and vegetables to use during the lesson.

 Or you may have plastic fruits and vegetables you can use instead. By combining physical actions,
real objects, and pictures of objects or situations with comprehensible input, you can help learners
make the connection between these objects or actions, and their corresponding vocabulary in the
target language. This is the very purpose of the total physical response technique we witnessed, on
our visit to 1980.

 Role Reversal. Once students have learned enough during their silent period and are ready to begin
speaking, you can have those students assume the role of the teacher. By having them give
commands to the other students and the teacher. This gives them an opportunity to speak using
language they already know, and to feel successful when their classmates execute the commands
they were given as expected.

 Use of Simple Questions and Dialogues. Another way to help encourage students to begin speaking,
is to use simple questions. And other situations, where the responses the students need to give are
limited. For example, you can use simple yes, no questions. Or questions where the answer is
chosen from a list. You can ask questions about a situation in a picture. Where the responses are
limited to what the students see in the picture. By limiting the possible responses and vocabulary
choices, the students do not need to think as much about what to say which perhaps, lowers the
effective filter and lets them focus on what their currently learning. As students gain confidence in
language skills, you can move on to more advanced language situations.