Modern methods in Language

Teaching
Approaches used
• Communicative Approach
• Lexical Approach
• Task Based Approach
• Blended learning Approach
Methods used
• PPP (Presentation, Practice,
Production)
• Total Physical Response
• Guided Discovery
• Test – Teach – Test
Communicative Approach
• Meaningful and authentic language
use (often information gap)
• Learners interact with each other
(pair and group work, mingles)
• Emphasis on completing task
• Teacher provides feedback
Communicative Approach:
example
• Talk to different people and find out:
Name, Job, one’s interest
• There’s an info gap here. You talked
to different people.
Lexical Approach
• Language isn’t divided into grammar
and vocabulary. It consists of
‘chunks’.
• More attention to: lexis, listening and
reading, L1/L2 comparisons
• Less attention to: sentence grammar,
talking in L2 for sake of it
Lexical Approach: example
• Read the text:
I get up at 7am. I wash my face and
then get dressed. After that I have
breakfast and read the newspaper.

• Find word partnerships in the text.

Task Based Approach
• Focuses on students doing a task –
fluency based
• Students use language for a
particular outcome
• Real life language, meaning is
important
• Students generate language
• Get feedback (for accuracy)
Task Based Approach: example

•Lead-in: listening or reading which uses

possible language students could use in the
task
•Students are given task. Teacher supports.
•Students do task
•Students report back to class
•Language feedback
Blended Learning Approach
• Two facets to learning programme:
1. Face-to-face with teacher
2. Computer-based programme
• The two facets support each other
PPP
• Presentation: language is presented in some
way in context (situation, dialogue,
reading..) and teacher shows form and
meaning
• Practice: students produce the language
through controlled exercises
• Production: freer practice of the language
presented.
• Useful for introducing language at lower
levels or for language you think will be new
PPP: example
PPP: example (continued)
• Andy didn’t take any of these things with him
• What do you think of Andy?
• Elicit ideas
• “He should have taken a map”.
• Elicit more examples
• Controlled practice – gap fill
• Freer practice – Andy talking with rescue team
Total Physical Response
• Students are exposed to language
before they are expected to produce
it.
• Students learn language through
listening and responding
• Limited - useful for ‘action’ verbs
TPR: example
• Teacher asks students to put objects in
different places to teach/reinforce
Prepositions of Place
Guided Discovery
• Students are exposed to language
through a reading or listening text
• Students answer questions about the
text which lead them to ‘discover’ the
rules of the language
• Good for higher levels
Guided Dicovery: example

•Lead-in: to get students interested

•Students listen to song and fill in gaps
•Students answer the questions about
the grammar
•Follow up practice
Test – Teach - Test
• Test: Students are given an
exercise/activity in which they
could produce the Target Language
structure
• Teacher monitors and listens
• Teach: Teacher ‘teaches’ as
necessary
• Test: Students are given another
exercise/activity
Test – Teach – Test: example
An Eclectic Approach
• Most teachers use a combination of
approaches and methods
• Why? To create variety and interest
in the learning programme and to
tailor the programme for the
students.
• How to decide? Level, students’
interests, lesson aim, learning styles