methods & approaches in teaching

APPROACH, METHOD &

TECHNIQUE
 WARM UP..
WHAT IS AN APPROACH,
METHOD & TECHNIQUE?
 THE NATURE OF
APPROACHES AND
METHODS
THE NATURE OF APPROACHES AND METHODS

When linguists and language specialists ought to improve the quality

of language teaching in the late nineteenth century, they often did so
by referring to general principles and theories concerning how
languages are learned, how knowledge of language is represented
and organized in memory, or how language itself is structured.

In 1963, a scheme was proposed by the American applied linguist

Edward Anthony. He identi ied three levels of conceptualization and
organization, which he termed approach, method, and technique.
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 APPROACH:

“. . . An approach is a set of correlative assumptions dealing with the

nature of language teaching and learning. An approach is axiomatic.
It describes the nature of the subject matter to be taught. . . .”
 METHOD:

“. . . Method is an overall plan for the orderly presentation of

language material, no part of which contradicts, and all of which is
based upon, the selected approach. An approach is axiomatic, a
method is procedural. Within one approach, there can be many
methods . . .”
 TECHNIQUE:

“. . . A technique is implementational – that which actually takes place

in a classroom. It is a particular trick, stratagem, or contrivance used
to accomplish an immediate objective. Techniques must be
consistent with a method, and therefore in harmony with an
approach as well.
 SO…
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
LET’S GET IT SIMPLE!
 APPROACH, METHOD& TECHNIQUE

According to Anthony’s model, approach is the level at which

assumptions and beliefs about language and language learning are
speci ied; method 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 is the level at which classroom procedures are
described.
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 Three different theoretical views of language and the nature of language pro iciency
explicitly or implicitly inform current approaches and methods in language teaching:

Structural view Functional view Interactional view

The view that language is a
system of structurally related
elements for the coding of
meaning. The target of language
learning is seen to be the
mastery of elements of this
system, which are generally
de ined in terms of phonological
units
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The view that language is a vehicle
for the expression of functional
me aning. The communic ative
movement in language teaching
subscribes to this view of language
This theory emphasizes the
s e m a n t i c a n d c o m m u n i c at i ve
dimension rather than merely the
grammatical characteristics of
language,
It sees language as a vehicle for
the realization of interpersonal
relations and for the
performance of social
transactions between
individuals. Language is seen as
a tool for the creation and
maintenance of social relations.
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 Three different theoretical views of language and the nature of language pro iciency
explicitly or implicitly inform current approaches and methods in language teaching:

Structural view Functional view Interactional view

1. phonological units:
phonemes
2. grammatical units:
clauses, phrases, sentences
3. grammatical operations:
adding, shifting, joining, or
transforming elements
4. lexical items:
function words and
structure words
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1. The semantic and 1. Creation and
communicative maintenance of social
dimension relations.
2. Speci ication and 2. Interaction analysis
organization
3. Conversation analysis
3. Language teaching
content by categories 4. patterns of moves, acts,
negotiation, and
4. Meaning and function interaction
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APPROACH
Language Teaching
 REFLECT..

“IS THERE MORE THAN ONE

WAY TO CRACK AN EGG?"
 APPROACH: PERSPECTIVES

The different teaching approaches can be classi ied into four

theoretical orientations or perspectives: structural, cognitive,
psychological and functional.

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 APPROACH
STRUCTURAL:

Structural approaches believe that language can be reduced to a

learnable set of building blocks. There are rules, known as grammar and
syntax, that govern how to combine these basic elements. These rules
can be memorized to achieve a high level of pro iciency in a language.

Grammar textbooks are the most commonly used material in this

category.

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 APPROACH
COGNITIVE:

The cognitive perspective in learning a language puts the learner smack in the
center of everything. Cognitive approaches look to answer questions like:

- How can a language be effectively learned?

- How does one make a set of vocabulary words memorable and get them
embedded in the long-term memory?

Learning a language is a conscious, rational, information-processing event.

 APPROACH
PSYCHOLOGICAL:

Here, language learning is seen through issues like learner

motivation and predisposition, a location’s conduciveness to
learning, teacher-student dynamics, stress levels, etc.

- Is the teacher supportive enough to the students?

- Is the classroom dynamic facilitating or inhibiting the acquisition

of the language?
 APPROACH
FUNCTIONAL / COMMUNICATIVE:

Functional approaches often emphasize spoken language over written

language, and profess that language isn’t a set of grammar rules but
rather a tool for communication. This has tremendous implications for the
types of activities or the materials employed.

Communicative approaches often eschew grammar textbooks in exchange

for speaking drills and question-and-answer interactions where students
get a feel for what speaking the language in conversation is really like.
 APPROACH: ASSUMPTIONS
1. Language is a group of sounds with speci ic meaning and organized by
gramatical rules (The Silent Way)

2. Language is the everyday spoken utterance of the average person at the

normal speed (Audio lingual method)

3. Language is a system for the expression of meaning (communicative

language teaching)

4. Language is a set of gramatical rules and language consist of language

chunks ( Total Physical Responses) f
APPROACH: THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE LEARNING

Behaviorism:

stimulus - response - reinforcement drilling, exercise, repetition.

Nativism:

A child naturally has a language acquisition device. (Kodrati)

Constructivism:

A child acquired a language through interaction between the child and the
environment (Piaget)
METHOD
Language Teaching
 METHOD
The plan of language teaching which consistent with the theories. (Edward
Anthony, 1963).

Method may mean different things to different people(Mackey, 1975):

- A set of teaching procedures

- The avoidance of teaching procedures.

- The primary of a language skill.

- The type and amount of vocabulary and structure.

 METHOD
According to Mackey (1975:157) all teaching (whether good or bad)
must include some sort of selection, gradation, presentation and
repetition. Therefore all methods should include the four steps of
teaching language. (Selection, gradation, presentation and repetition)

According to Richards and Rodgers (2001) a method is theoretically

related to an approach, organized by design , and practically realized
in procedure.
TECHNIQUE
Language Teaching
 TECHNIQUE

Carry out a method, it’s implementational, meaning that the

technique is something that actually takes place in language
teaching or learning in the classroom.
 TECHNIQUE

Technique (H.D. Brown 2007: 180):

A task: task that usually refers to a specialized form of techniques

closely allied with communicative curricula, and as such must
minimally have communicative goals. It is focused on the authentic
use of the language for meaningful communicative purpose beyond
the language classroom.
 TECHNIQUE
Technique (H.D. Brown 2007: 180):

An activity: May refer to virtually anything that learners do in the classroom. We usually
refer to a reasonable uni ied set of students behaviour, limited time, preceded by some
direction from the teacher, with a particular objective.

Activities include role plays , drills, games, peer - editing, small group information-gap
exercise, and ,much more.

Because the activity implies some sort of activity performance on the part of the
learners, it is generally not used to refer to certain teaching behaviors, like saying “good
morning”, maintaining eye contact, with the students, explaining a grammar point or
writing a list of words on the board.
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 TECHNIQUE
Technique (Richards and Rodgers (2001):

Procedure: ”The actual moment to moment techniques, practices,

and behaviour that operate in teaching a language according to a
particular method.”

Procedures from this de inition, include techniques. Thus , for

Richard and Rodgers, this appears to be a catchall term, a thing for
holding many small objects or a group or description that includes
different things and does not state clearly what is include or not.
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 TECHNIQUE
Technique (Richards and Rodgers (2001):

Practice: behaviour, exercise, strategy, etc…

In language - teaching literature, these terms, and perhaps some others, all
appear to refer, in varying degrees of intensity, to what is de ined as technique.

The language teaching literature generally accepted technique as a

superordinate term to refer various activities that either teacher or learner
perform in the classroom, in other words, technique include all tasks and
activities.

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 APPROACH
• Theory of language
• Theory of learning
Edwards
Anthony’s METHOD
• An overall plan for the orderly presentation of language material, no part or
which contradictions, and all of which is based upon , the selected approach.
Model
TECHNIQUE • The actual implementation in the language classroom.

APPROACH
• Theory of language
• Theory of learning

• Objectives
• Syllabus type
• Activity Types
DESIGN
Richards &
METHOD • Learner Roles
Rodgers Model • Teacher Roles
• Role of materials

• Techniques
PROCEDURE • Practices
• Behaviors
 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE
TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)
CONTROLLED TECHNIQUES
 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)

CONTROLLED TECHNIQUES

1. Warm Up: This activity gets the students stimulated, relaxed,

motivated, attentive, or otherwise engage and ready for the lesson. It
does not necessarily involves the target language.

ex.: Mimes, dance, songs, jokes, play.

 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)
CONTROLLED TECHNIQUES

2. Setting: Focusing on lesson topic. Teacher directs attention to the topic

by verbal or non verbal evocation of the context relevant to the lesson by
questioning or miming or picture presentation, possibly by recording of
situations and people.

3. Organizational: Structuring of lesson or class activities includes

disciplinary action, organization of class furniture and seating, general
procedures for class interaction and performance, structure and purpose of
the lesson, etc.
 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)
CONTROLLED TECHNIQUES

4. Content explanation: Grammatical, phonological, lexical

(vocabulary), sociolinguistic, pragmatic, or any other aspect of the
language.

5. Role - play Demonstration: Selected students or teacher illustrate

the procedure(s) to be applied in the lesson segment to follow.
Includes brief illustration of language or other content to be
incorporated.
 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)

CONTROLLED TECHNIQUES

6. Dialogue/Narrative presentation: Reading or listening passage

presented for passive reception. No implication of student
production or other identi ication of speci ic target forms or
functions (students may be asked to "understand")

7. Dialogue/Narrative recitation: Reciting a previously known or

prepared text, either in unison or individually.
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 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)
CONTROLLED TECHNIQUES

8. Reading aloud: Reading directly from a given text.

9. Checking: Teacher either circulating or guiding the correction of students' work,

providing feedback as an activity rather than within another activity.

10. Question-answer display: Activity involving prompting of students responses by

means of display questions. Distinguished from referential questions by the likelihood
of the questioner's knowledge of the response and the speaker's awareness of that fact.

(i.e. teacher or questioner already knows the response or has a very limited set of
expectations for the appropriate response).
 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)
CONTROLLED TECHNIQUES

11. Drill: Typical language activity involving ixed patterns of teacher prompting and
student responding, usually with repetition, substitution, and other mechanical
alterations. Typically with little meaning attached.

12. Translation: Student or teacher provision of L1 or L2 translation of given text.

13. Dictation: Student writing down orally presented text.

14. Copying: Student writing down text presented visually.

15. Identi ication: Student picking out and producing /labeling or otherwise identifying a
speci ic target form, function, de inition, or other lesson-related item.
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 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)
CONTROLLED TECHNIQUES

16. Recognition: Student identifying forms, as in identi ication, but without a verbal
responses. (i.e., checking off items, drawing symbols, rearranging pictures)

17. Review: Teacher-led review of previous week/month/or other period as a formal

summary and type of test of student recall performance.

18. Testing: Formal testing procedures to evaluate student progress.

19. Meaningful drill: Drill activity involving responses with meaningful choices, as in
reference to different information. Distinguished from information exchange by the
regulated sequence and general form of responses.

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SEMI - CONTROLLED
TECHNIQUES
 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)
SEMI - CONTROLLED TECHNIQUES

20. Brainstorming: A form of preparation for the lesson, like Setting, which involves free,
undirected contributions by the students and teacher on a given topic, to generate multiple
associations without linking them; no explicit analysis or interpretation by the teacher.

21. Storytelling (especially when student-generated): Not necessarily lesson-based, a

lengthy presentation of story by teacher or student (may overlap with Warm-up or
Narrative recitation), May be used to maintain attention, motivate, or as lengthy practice.

22. Question-answer, referential: Activity involving prompting of responses by means of

referential questions (i.e., the questioner does not know beforehand the responses
information). Distinguished from Question-answer, display.
 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)
SEMI - CONTROLLED TECHNIQUES

23. Cued narrative/Dialogue: Cued narrative/Dialogue: Student production of narrative or dialogue

following cues from miming, cue cards, pictures, or other stimuli related to narrative/dialogue (e.g.,
metalanguage requesting functional acts).

24. Information transfer: Application from one mode (e.g., visual) to another (e.g., writing), which
involves some transformation of the information (e.g., student ills out diagram while listening to
description). Distinguished from Identi ication in that the student is expected to transform and
reinterpret the language or information.

25. Information exchange: Task involving two-way communication as in information-gap exercise,

when one or both parties (or a larger group) must share information to achieve some goal.
Distinguished from Question-answer, referential in that sharing of information is critical for the task.
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 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)

SEMI - CONTROLLED TECHNIQUES

26. Wrap-up: Brief teacher- or student-produced summary of point and/or

items that have been practiced or learned.

27. Narration/Exposition: Presentation of a story or explanation derived

from prior stimuli. Distinguished from Cued narrative because of lack of
immediate stimulus.

28. Preparation: Student study, silent reading, pair planning and rehearsing,
preparing for later activity. Usually a student- directed or -oriented project.
FREE TECHNIQUES
 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)
FREE TECHNIQUES

29. Role play: Relatively free acting out of speci ied roles and functions.
Distinguished from Cued dialogues by the fact that cueing is provided only
minimally at the beginning, and not during the activity.

30. Games: Various kinds of language game activity not like other previously
de ined activities (e.g., board and dice games making words).

31. Report: Report of student-prepared exposition on books, experiences, project

work, without immediate stimulus, and elaborated on according to student
interests. Akin to Composition in writing mode.
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 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)
FREE TECHNIQUES

32. Problem solving: Activity involving speci ied problem and limitations of means to
resolve it; requires cooperation on part of participants in small or large group.

33. Drama: Planned dramatic rendition of play, skit, story, etc.

34. Simulation: Activity involving complex interaction between groups and individuals
based on simulation of real-life actions and experiences.

35. Interview: A student is directed to get information from another student or students.

36. Discussion: Debate or other form of grouped discussion of speci ied topic, with or
without speci ied sides/positions prearranged.
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 TAXONOMY OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TECHNIQUES
(CROOKES & CHAUDRON, 1991)

FREE TECHNIQUES

37. Composition: As in Report (verbal), written development of ideas,

story, or other exposition.

38.A propos: Conversation or other socially oriented interaction/

speech by teacher, students, or even visitors, on general real-life
topics. Typically authentic and genuine.
 ACTIVITY #2
Remember your last practices and give an example of…

1. …a controlled activity applied

2. …a semi - controlled activity applied

3. …a free activity applied

Related to the practices and the taxonomy of language teaching techniques, make the next analysis:

• Name of the activity & type of technique (relate it to the taxonomy)

• Selection of the activity (justify the selection)

• Objective of the activity (what was the intention to this activity?)

• Description of the activity (procedure)

• Analysis of the activity ( problems, successes, improvements)

 APPROACH THEORIES

Theories of Language:

1. Behavioral Theory (SKINNER)

2. Cognitive Theory (PIAGET)

3. Nativist Theory (CHOMSKY)

4. Interactionist Theory (BRUNER)

 APPROACH THEORIES

Theories of learning (second-language acquisition):

1. The Acquisition-Learning hypothesis

2. The Monitor hypothesis

3. he Natural Order hypothesis, The Input hypothesis

4. The Affective Filter hypothesis

 ACTIVITY #3
According to Richards & Rodgers Model and the information for your practices, complete the chart

RICHARDS & RODGERS MODEL

APPROACH Theory of language & Theory of learning:

- Objectives: - Learner Roles:

METHOD DESIGN - Syllabus type: - Teacher Roles:
- Activity Types: - Role of materials:

Techniques:
PROCEDURES Practices:
Behaviors: