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LESSON 2
THE NATURE OF
APPROACHES AND METHODS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
ELT METHODOLOGY I
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Aims
To help students distinguish the basic terms:
“Approach”
“Method”
“Technique”
To help students develop their ideas about teaching and learning English as a foreign language
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Content
The definition of “approach”, “method” and “technique”
Theory of language
Theory of language learning
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I will buy her a diamond ring
Compose poem, buy flowers, send poems and flowers to her
Choose a ring, invite her out to a restaurant, give her the ring
Your view?
Your plans?
Specific activities?
How to win her heart?
I will write poems, send flowers to her.
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I will buy her a diamond ring
Compose poem, buy flowers, send poems and flowers to her
Choose a ring, invite her out to a restaurant, give her the ring
Approach
Method
Techniques
How to win her heart?
I will write poems, send flowers to her.
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How to learn/ teach a language?
Method?
Techniques?
APPROACH?
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…theories about the nature of language and language learning “that underline (nhan manh)the principles and practices of language learning and teaching”
(Richards and Rogers, 1986, p.16)
APPROACH?
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3 main components of an approach
VIEWS of the nature of language
BELIEFS about the nature of language learning
IDEAS about how these views and beliefs should be applied to the practice of language learning and teaching
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Eg.: Communicative Approach (CLT)
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Practical plan for teaching an L2 based on
a selected approach
(Richards and Rogers, 1986)
Method?
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Syllabus
(content choice and organization)
Teaching and learning objectives
Teaching and learning activities
Teachers and learners
role & behaviors
Components of a method
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Grammar- translation method
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Communicative language teaching
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Technique???
An explicit procedure employed to achieve a particular teaching and learning objective or set of objectives
(Richards & Rogers, 1986)
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Techniques
Teaching pronunciation:
Phonetic training:
Tongue twister: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Teaching vocabulary:
Realia: T: Look- this is a watch (pointing to his or her watch). A watch. What is it?
Translation: T: “forget” means “quen” in Vietnamese
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Approach
Views of
the nature of language
Beliefs about
the nature of language learning
Ideas about how to apply these in the practice of language learning and teaching
Method
Technique
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THEORY OF LANGUAGE
Structural
Functional
Interactional
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Silent Way
CLT
Natural Approach
CLT
An approach is normally formed by one or more of the above theoretical views of language
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THEORY OF
LANGUAGE LEARNING
Process- oriented theory
Condition- oriented theory
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Process- oriented theory:

Describe the psycholinguistic (ngon ngu tam ly) and cognitive (dua tren nhan thuc / hieu biet, kinh nghiem) process involved in language learning:
habit- formation, (hinh thanh thoi quen)
generalization, (tong quat hoa)
induction, the process of introducing sb to a new job, skill, organization, quy nap
inferencing, (ket luan)
hypothesis testing, etc.
People basically learn a language through imitation
Audio-lingual method: Learning a second language is the process
of forming habits in the new language
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Condition- oriented theory:
Describes the conditions that need to be met for learning to take place

Curran’s Counseling Learning: Warm and encouraging atmosphere
Of the classroom is a crucial factor for successful language learning
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Krashen’s Monitor Model:
Emphasizes both the process and the condition dimensions of learning
At process level: Acquisition (subconscious process of rule internalization (tiep thu) through natural language use for communication) vs. Learning (conscious process of formal study)

At condition level:
Learners must be provided with comprehensible and relevant language input
The input must be slightly above their present level of competence
It must be provided in sufficient (du) quantity
It must be experienced in low- anxiety context
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Review
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Review
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Theories of language

Theories of language learning