Language Teaching Methods: Audio-Lingual Method

Summary

In this video, Diane Larson Freeman, a teacher educator, introduces various language teaching methodologies, including the Audiolingual Method, Community Language Learning, Suggestopedia, and others. Filmed at a Washington DC studio, the video features experienced teachers demonstrating these methods with volunteer students. The lessons focus on language practice around a common theme, using interactive dialogues and drills. Freeman emphasizes the importance of adapting techniques to individual teaching contexts and encourages open-mindedness in evaluating their applicability. The video aims to provide viewers with a hands-on understanding of different approaches to language teaching.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video series is designed to give teachers a direct experience with various language teaching methodologies.
• 🎓 The focus is on methods such as audiolingual, community language learning, comprehension approach, suggestopedia, silent way, and the communicative approach.
• 🎥 The lessons in the video were filmed at USIA studios in Washington, D.C., and feature volunteers studying English.
• 👨‍🏫 Experienced instructors demonstrate each teaching method, adapting lessons to their own interpretations and experiences.
• 🏡 All the lessons revolve around a common theme—'a house'—to maintain coherence across demonstrations.
• ✂️ The lessons are condensed to save time, though all steps of each method are preserved.
• 📖 Viewers are encouraged to consult Diane Larson Freeman's book for a deeper understanding of these methodologies.
• 🤔 Teachers are urged to remain open-minded and find ways to adapt these techniques to their own classrooms, regardless of class size.
• 🗣️ The audiolingual method (ALM) focuses on habit formation through repetition and drilling, where the teacher acts as a model for students to emulate.
• 💬 Error prevention and positive reinforcement are key principles of ALM, with a strong emphasis on speech over written language.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the videotape series introduced by Diane Larson Freeman?

The purpose of the videotape series is to provide viewers with a vicarious experience of common language teaching methods, similar to what teacher trainees receive at the School for International Training (SIT).

What language teaching methods are demonstrated in the video series?

The methods demonstrated include the Audiolingual Method, Community Language Learning, the Comprehension Approach, Suggestopedia, the Silent Way, and the Communicative Approach.

What is the common theme around which the language lessons are designed?

The common theme around which the language lessons are designed is 'a house.'

How does the teacher introduce and demonstrate the audiolingual method (ALM)?

The teacher introduces the ALM by modeling a dialogue between a vacuum cleaner salesman and a housewife. The teacher plays both roles and asks the students to listen carefully and repeat the dialogue to practice.

What is the teacher's role in the audiolingual method?

In the audiolingual method, the teacher acts as a model of the target language. The students' role is to repeat the language accurately, forming correct habits through repetition and drills.

How does the teacher handle errors made by the students during the lesson?

The teacher corrects errors by modeling the correct form for the students to repeat, using drills like the backward build-up drill, where the students practice smaller parts of the sentence until they can say the whole sentence smoothly.

Why does the teacher avoid introducing the written version of the dialogue until the end of the lesson?

The teacher avoids introducing the written version of the dialogue until the end because, according to ALM principles, speech is considered more basic to language than its written form. Students focus on oral repetition before seeing the written text.

What kind of drills does the teacher use to reinforce grammar patterns in the lesson?

The teacher uses grammar drills such as a single-slot substitution drill and a question-and-answer drill to help students overlearn sentence patterns and achieve automaticity in the target language.

Why is positive reinforcement important in the audiolingual method?

Positive reinforcement, like saying 'good' or 'very good,' helps students develop correct habits by encouraging and reinforcing accurate language use, which is key to the habit-formation process in the audiolingual method.

What is the homework assigned to the students at the end of the lesson?

The homework includes memorizing the dialogue perfectly and practicing selling the vacuum cleaner to someone, as part of reinforcing what was learned in the class.