Session 3, English Teaching Methods

Direct Method
• Parallel to the Reform Movement
• A “natural method” based on naturalistic

principles in language learning
Direct method Principles
• Classroom instruction in target language

• Everyday vocabulary & sentences taught
• Graded oral communication for small classes
• Inductive grammar teaching
• New teaching points introduced orally
• Concrete vocabulary: demonstration
• Abstract vocabulary: association of ideas
• Speech & Comprehension taught
• Correct pronunciation & grammar emphasized
Direct method
Strategy
• Never translate: demonstrate
• Never explain: act
• Never make a speech: ask questions
• Never imitate mistakes: correct
• Never speak with single words: use sentences
• Never speak too much: make students speak much
• Never use the book: use your lesson plan
• Never jump around: follow your plan
• Never go too fast: keep the pace of the
student
• Never speak too slowly: speak normally
• Never speak too quickly: speak normally
• Never speak too loudly: speak naturally
• Never be impatient: take it easy
• Limitation of the method: Teacher should be
very competent
Direct method
Goal:
Key skills:
Unit of learning:
Focus:
Language of instruction:
View on learners:
View on teacher:
View on mistakes:
Teaching procedure:
Communicative Language Teaching
(CLT)
• Theory of language
• Language as communication
• Linguistic theory must incorporate
communication & culture (Hymes in contrast to
Chomsky’s theory on competence)
• Competences: Grammatical; Sociolinguistic;
Discourse; & Strategic
(Henry Widdowson)
• Theory of Learning
• 1. Communication principle: Activities that

involve real communication promote learning
• 2. Task principle: Activities in which language

is used for carrying out meaningful tasks
promote learning
• 3. Meaningfulness principle:
Language that is meaningful to the
learner supports the learning
process
• Note: Language activities are consequently

selected according to how well they engage
the learner in meaningful & authentic language
use (rather than merely mechanical practice of
language pattern)
• The cognitive aspect [of learning] involves the
internalisation of plans for creating
appropriate behaviour. (From grammatical
rules; vocabulary; & social conventions
governing speech)
• The behavioural aspect [of learning] involves

the automation of these plans to be converted
into fluent performance in real time. This
occurs mainly through practice in converting
plans into performance
• Design
• Objectives
• To reflect specific aspects of communicative
competence according to the learner’s
proficiency level & communicative needs
• The Syllabus
• A purely procedural syllabus which lists, in

more or less detail, the types of tasks to be
attempted in the classroom and suggests an
order of complexity for tasks of the same
kind
• Types of learning & teaching activities
• Focus on interaction/negotiation of meaning
• Functional communication activities
• (comparing, sequencing, discovering, solving
problems from shared clues)
• Information-gap/Opinion-gap
• Social interaction activities
(conversation/discussion sessions; dialogues/role
plays; simulations; skits; improvisations & debates)
• Learner roles
• Should acknowledge cooperative approach;

successful communication is an accomplishment
jointly achieved & acknowledged
• Teacher roles
• Facilitator
• Organizer
• Guide
• Researcher
• Needs analyst
• Counselor
• Group process manager
• The role of instructional materials
• Text-based materials: theme, task oriented

thematic development, practice situation,
stimulus presentation, comprehension &
paraphrase
• Task-based materials: games, role plays,
simulations
• Realia : signs, magazines, advertisements,
newspapers, maps, pictures, symbols, graphs &
charts
• Procedure 1
• Presentation of brief dialogue
• Oral practice of the dialogue
• Questions & answers on the dialogue
• Question & answer on related personal
experiences
• Study of one communicative structure
• Learner discovery of rules
• Oral production
• Written homework assignment
• Evaluation: oral
• Procedure 2 (T-T-T)
• Ss are asked to do an untaught activity
• T observes and plans the next learning
• Ss develop understanding
• Ss practice new target language
• Ss are asked to do a similar activity
• Oral production
• Written homework assignment
• Evaluation: oral
• Procedure 3 (pre-Task –task
cycle – language focus)
• Ss are asked to do a pre-task
• Ss go through task cycle
• Ss focus on language
• Authentic homework assignment
• Evaluation: oral + written
Willis, 1996
Task-Based Language Teaching
(TBLT)
Assumptions
• Activities that involve real communication are essential for
language learning
• Activities in which language is used for carrying out
meaningful tasks promote learning
• Language that is meaningful to the learner supports the
learning process
Approach
• Theory of language
• Language is primarily a means of making

meaning
• Multiple models of language inform TBI
• Lexical units are central in language use and
language learning
• “Conversation” is the central focus of language
& the keystone of language acquisition
• Theory of learning
• Tasks provide both the input and output

processing necessary for language acquisition
• Task activity & achievement are motivational
• Learning difficulty can be negotiated and fine-
tuned for particular pedagogical purposes
Design
• Objective
• To give the learner the ability to communicate

accurately & effectively in the most common
English-language activities they may be
involved in
Syllabus
• Course content includes:

• Language structures
• Functions
• Topics & themes
• Macro-skills: lsrw
• Competencies
• Text types
• Vocabulary targets
Two types of tasks
• Real-world tasks, which are designed to

practice or rehearse those tasks that are
found to be important in a needs analysis and
turn out to be important & useful in the real
world
• Pedagogical tasks, which have a
psycholinguistic basis in SLA theory &
research but do not necessarily reflect real-
world tasks
Task type
• Diagram & formations

• Naming parts of a diagram with numbers & letters
of the alphabets as instructed
• Drawing
• Drawing geometrical figures/formations from sets of
verbal instructions
• Theme: planning a vacation
• Decide where you can go
• Booking a flight
• Choosing a hotel
• Booking a room
• Theme: application to a university
• Applying to the university
• Corresponding with the department
• Inquiring about financial support
• Selecting the courses
• Registering by phone
• Calculating paying your fees
Types of learning & teaching activities
• Tasks to generate types of interaction
• Jigsaw tasks
• Information-gap tasks
• Problem-solving tasks
• Decision-making tasks
• Opinion exchange tasks
• Characteristics of tasks
• One-way or two-way
• Convergent or divergent
• Collaborative or competitive
• Single or multiple outcomes
• Concrete or abstract language
• Simple or complex processing
• Simple or complex language
• Reality based or not reality based
Learner roles
• Group participant
• Monitor
• Risk-taker & innovator
Teacher roles
• Selector & sequence of tasks
• Preparing learner for tasks
• Consciousness-raising
The role of instructional materials
• Pedagogic materials: teacher resource books

• Realia: Newspapers, Television, Internet,
Procedure
• Pretask activity
• Task activity
• Posttask activity
Willis model
• Introduction to topic & task

• The task cycle: Task, Planning, Report,
Posttask listening
• Language focus: Analysis, Practice
Task-based
Goal:
Key skills:
Unit of learning:
Focus:
Language of instruction:
View on learners:
View on teacher:
View on mistakes:
Teaching procedure:
In Conclusion
The Learner/The Teacher
The learner needs:
• expectations of success;
• the confidence to take risks and make mistakes;
• a willingness to share and engage;
• the confidence to ask for help; and
• an acceptance of the need to readjust.
The teacher needs:

• respect for and interest in the learner’s language, culture, thought and
intentions;
• the ability to recognize growth points, strengths and potential;
• the appreciation that mistakes are necessary to learning;
• the confidence to maintain breadth, richness and variety, and to match
these to the learner’s interests and direction;
• to stimulate and challenge; and
• a sensitive awareness of when to intervene and when to leave alone.
MATCHING
Which teaching method/techniques is mentioned in each

description?
Grammar-Translation (G)
Audiolingual (A)
Inquiry-based (I)
Task-based (T)
1. The teacher moves from providing models of language use to monitoring
learners’ use of language
MATCHING
2. First, the learners complete a communicative task: they are encouraged to
use any English they know and they do not have to use any particular language
item.
3. The written form of the language is more important than the spoken form.
4. The learners read the text, notice on form and meaning and work out the
rules for the language focus.
5. The language focus is at the start of the teaching sequence, with fluency
activities coming later
6. The language focus comes after a communicative activity, so that learners
notice gaps in their language.
7. Learners acquire language by trying to use it in real communicative
situations
8. The learners’ first language plays a central role in the teaching
1. The teacher moves from providing models of language use to monitoring A
learners’ use of language MATCHING
2. First, the learners complete a communicative task: they are encouraged to T
use any English they know and they do not have to use any particular language
item.
3. The written form of the language is more important than the spoken form. G
4. The learners read the text, notice on form and meaning and work out the I
rules for the language focus.
5. The language focus is at the start of the teaching sequence, with fluency A/I
activities coming later
6. The language focus comes after a communicative activity, so that learners T
notice gaps in their language.
7. Learners acquire language by trying to use it in real communicative T
situations
8. The learners’ first language plays a central role in the teaching G
BEST TEACHING = IMITATING FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
• Learning-centered: motivate learning through games and songs:

involvement, engagement, scaffolding, zpd; motivation,
• Understand learners’ learning styles, MIs
• Create a learning environment
• Activate previous knowledge
• Differentiate learning
• Adapt/Design learning materials
• Facilitate collaboration and autonomy
• Scaffold & monitor student progress
BEST METHODS DEPEND ON CONTEXT

SCENERIO 1
We started off talking about families. I told the class about my family with my
family tree on the board. I then wrote 'I’ve got a brother’ on the board and
marked brother in the family tree. I asked them to repeat after me until they
could say the sentence and the words fluently and accurately. Next, they told
me words could replace 'brother’ from the family tree. We practised the
pronunciation, too. We then did a little gap fill that focused on the difference
between 'have' and 'has’. I then swapped the groups round and they told each
other about their families again and this time the listeners tried to draw the
family tree of the speaker.
SCENARIO 2
I introduced the idea of “Air pollution". Learners then worked in small groups to
produce a draft of a poster entitled ‘Tips to reduce air pollution at school’. I told the
learners that they had to report back on what they have included and also give
reasons for their choices. I gave them a few minutes to prepare and then the learners
delivered their reports. After listening and looking at some reports, I put a model
sentence on the board and focused on the form and meaning of 'should' to convey
(mild) obligation and duty. The learners then completed sentences about actions to
prevent air pollution. The learners then worked in groups to produce a poster
entitled ‘Tips to reduce air pollution at home'. They later displayed their posters on
the wall and did a gallery walk.
SCENERIO 3
We started the lesson by reading a newspaper column called “Mary’s
advice”. “Mary’s advice” is where readers send letters telling about their
problems in order to seek advice from ‘Mary’. I told the class to read
and underline all Mary’s advices. I asked the learners to formulate the
advice structure and emphasized the key points of the language focus.
The students then identified their personal problems and sought for
advice from their peers. I then swapped the pairs round and they told
each other about their problems again and this time the listeners tried to
give good advice to the speaker.
Scenario 1: TEACHING PROCEDURE
• Teacher models the language- Learners repeat the sentence pattern+
new words – Learners substitute the words – Learners use the target
language to talk about themselves.
• Presentation – Practice – Production
• Mechanical drills – Meaningful practice
GROUP PRESENTAION
GRAMMAR- AUDIOLINGUAL INQUIRY- TASK-BASED
TRANSLATION BASED/DISCOVERY
CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT
GRAMMAR
LISTENING
SPEAKING
READING
WRITING
GROUP PRESENTATION
• Quiz: 1-2 games to summarize key features
• Lesson plan: Make a lesson plan: objectives, procedure. Briefly
point out the steps and explain how each step is influenced by four
different methods.
• Demo: Select one method/ one activity
Microteaching: Pay attention to
- Procedure
- Feedback: error/mistake correction
- Teacher’s role
- Student’s role
- Motivation
- Techniques

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Direct Method

• Parallel to the Reform Movement

• A “natural method” based on naturalistic

• Classroom instruction in target language

• 1. Communication principle: Activities that

• 2. Task principle: Activities in which language

• Note: Language activities are consequently

• The behavioural aspect [of learning] involves

• A purely procedural syllabus which lists, in

• Should acknowledge cooperative approach;

• Text-based materials: theme, task oriented

• Language is primarily a means of making

• Tasks provide both the input and output

• To give the learner the ability to communicate

• Course content includes:

• Real-world tasks, which are designed to

• Diagram & formations

• Pedagogic materials: teacher resource books

• Introduction to topic & task

The teacher needs:

Which teaching method/techniques is mentioned in each

• Learning-centered: motivate learning through games and songs:

BEST METHODS DEPEND ON CONTEXT

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