The Audio – Lingual Method
The audio lingual method first appeared during World War One when soldiers needed to acquire the language of the country they were going to, which during this time the overall results of this approach proved to be very successful. The main focus of this approach was not on the meaning or understanding of the words that were produced, but rather on the structures and patterns that are used in everyday life.
The main method used is by providing sentences in the target language which are then repeated and tested until the students are able to answer the questions automatically. As such what once would have been the foundation of a class in its own right is now used as part of an individual lesson, as they are considered a simple method that everyone is able to comprehend. However, one weakness associated with this approach was that the continuous repetition of certain phrases “ignored the role that context and knowledge played in language learning” (Taylor, 2018)
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
CLT has been seen as a “meaning based, learner centred approach to L2 teaching where fluency is given priority over accuracy and the emphasis is on the comprehension and production of messages.” CLT is also characterised as a broad approach to teaching and not to be seen as a teaching method with a clear set of classroom practices (Banciu and Jireghie, 2012). There are a lot of debated meanings of CLT with differences often found in meaning between second language instructors and foreign language teachers. Although, all of these definitions focus on fluency over accuracy.
Total Physical Response (TPR) Approach
TPR focuses on the use of an individuals mother tongue. It is considered the same as when an parent has a “language body conversation” with their child. Essentially the parent gives instructions and the child will physically respond to them. When this method is implemented in the classroom the teacher will begin by saying a word and performing an action to accompany it. The teacher then repeats the word and the students perform the action. The teacher will then get the students to repeat the word whilst they perform the action.
Direct Method Approach
This method focuses on immersing a learner in the L2 much in the same way that they learnt their L1.Therefore excluding L1 use in the classroom. All of the teaching is done in the target language (L2) and there is a focus on speaking and listening, as well as only teaching useful ‘everyday’ language. The main disadvantage of this method is that it is assumed that the L2 can be learnt the same as the L1, however is harder to accomplish as the conditions for learning an L2 are different to when the L1 was learnt.This method was developed in contrast to the Grammar Translation Method
Grammar Translation Method
This method is seen as “the traditional academic style of teaching, which places heavy emphasis on grammar explanation and translation as a teaching technique.” As such the students are given a current text and they go through it with the teacher with any words that cause problems being translated into the students first language by either the teacher or a bilingual dictionary. Although, what do you do if you have a diverse range of L1’s in the classroom?