Language teaching methods: a timeline

Summary

This language teaching methodology course introduces various historical methods of language instruction, from the 17th-century inductive approach of Comenius to the 20th-century's audiolingualism and communicative language teaching. It also covers innovative methods like Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), highlighting the evolution from grammar translation to a focus on communication and real-world application.

Takeaways

• 📚 Language teaching became a formal profession in the 20th century, with many methods developed to enhance teaching effectiveness.
• 👨‍🏫 Johan Comenius, a Czech scholar, introduced an inductive approach to language teaching in the 17th century, focusing on imitation and practical language use over grammar rules.
• 📖 The 19th century saw a return to the grammar-translation method, emphasizing grammar study and text translation for reading classical literature.
• 🗣️ The direct method emerged in the late 19th century, focusing on teaching in the target language through listening and speaking practice.
• 🔊 The audiolingual method of the 1950s was based on behaviorism, using drills and repetition to form new language habits.
• 💬 Communicative language teaching arose in the 1970s-80s, prioritizing language use for communication over grammatical accuracy.
• 🧠 Total Physical Response (TPR) appeared in the 1970s, using body movements to reinforce language learning through physical response.
• 🫶 Humanistic language teaching in the 1970s-80s, with methods like the Silent Way, Suggestopedia, and Community Language Learning, emphasized emotional well-being and learner autonomy.
• 📝 Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) focuses on language learning through task completion, emphasizing functional success over language accuracy.
• 🗨️ Innovative methods like Dogme (teaching without textbooks) and CLIL (integrating content and language learning) have gained popularity in recent years.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the language teaching methodology course?

The course focuses on discussing various methods in language teaching and provides a historical timeline of these methods.

When did language teaching become established as a profession?

Language teaching became established as a profession in the 20th century.

Who was a key influence in language teaching before the 20th century?

Johann Comenius, a Czech scholar and teacher, was a key influence in language teaching before the 20th century.

What was Comenius' approach to language teaching?

Comenius introduced an inductive approach, focusing on teaching students to use the language through imitation and association, rather than teaching rules and analysis.

What characterized language teaching in the 19th century?

The 19th century was characterized by the grammar-translation approach, which focused on studying grammar and translating texts to learn to read literature.

What was the direct method in language teaching?

The direct method, introduced in the late 19th century, involved teaching exclusively in the foreign language, focusing on speaking and listening to make learning more naturalistic.

What is the audiolingual method and when was it introduced?

The audiolingual method, introduced in the 1950s, was based on behaviorism and involved repetitive drills to form new habits in language use.

What is communicative language teaching and when did it emerge?

Communicative language teaching emerged in the 1970s and 80s, focusing on actual communication in the target language to achieve the goal of language teaching.

What is Total Physical Response (TPR) and how does it work?

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a method where the teacher gives commands with body movements, and students respond by imitating these movements.

What are the three key methods associated with humanistic language teaching in the 1970s and 80s?

The three key methods associated with humanistic language teaching are The Silent Way, Suggestopedia, and Community Language Learning.

How does Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) differ from other methods?

Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) focuses on students learning language by completing tasks, with assessment based on task completion rather than the language used to do so.

What is the Dogme method and what does it encourage?

The Dogme method encourages teaching without textbooks and focuses on the language that emerges from conversation.

What is CLIL and how does it integrate language learning?

CLIL, or Content and Language Integrated Learning, teaches curriculum content and foreign languages together, integrating language learning with subject matter.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Historical Overview of Language Teaching Methods

The paragraph discusses the evolution of language teaching methods from the 20th century onwards. Initially, language teaching was influenced by Comenius, who advocated for an inductive approach focusing on language use rather than grammar rules. The 19th century saw the dominance of the grammar-translation method, which emphasized the study of grammar and text translation. The direct method was introduced in the late 19th century, aiming for a more naturalistic approach by teaching exclusively in the target language and focusing on speaking and listening skills. The audiolingual method emerged in the 1950s, based on behaviorism, which involved repetitive drills to form new habits. In the 1970s and 80s, communicative language teaching gained prominence, emphasizing active mental processes and the goal of achieving communication in the target language. Other methods like Total Physical Response (TPR) and humanistic approaches such as the Silent Way, Suggestopedia, and Community Language Learning were also introduced during this period.

05:01

🌟 Modern Language Teaching Innovations

This paragraph covers more recent developments in language teaching methods. Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) has become popular, linking language learning to the completion of tasks and focusing on the functionality of language use. Dogma encourages teaching without textbooks and emphasizes the language that emerges from conversation. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is another innovative approach where foreign language learning is integrated with content teaching. The paragraph concludes by mentioning that future lessons will delve deeper into these methods, exploring their theories and practical applications.

Keywords

💡Language Teaching Methodology

Language Teaching Methodology refers to the theoretical frameworks and practical approaches used by educators to facilitate language learning. In the video, this concept is central as it discusses the evolution of various teaching methods and their impact on language acquisition. The historical timeline provided gives context to how methodologies have shifted over time in response to new theories and educational goals.

💡Johann Comenius

Johann Comenius was a Czech scholar and teacher influential in early language teaching methods. The video highlights his focus on spiritual development and the use of association to teach language, emphasizing the importance of context and imitation. His inductive approach, which prioritized language use over grammatical rules, was a precursor to modern methodologies.

💡Grammar Translation Method

The Grammar Translation Method was predominant in the 19th century and focused on the study of grammar and translation of texts to learn literature. This method is mentioned in the video as a contrast to more modern, communicative approaches, illustrating a shift from a rule-based to a usage-based understanding of language learning.

💡Direct Method

The Direct Method, introduced in the late 19th century, emphasized teaching exclusively in the target language with a focus on speaking and listening skills. The video describes this as an attempt to make language learning more naturalistic, akin to how children acquire their first language, by immersing learners in the language environment.

💡Audiolingual Method

The Audiolingual Method, prominent in the 1950s, was based on behaviorist psychology, focusing on habit formation through repetition and drills. The video explains how this method involved a stimulus-response-feedback pattern, aligning with the behaviorist view that language is learned through practice and reinforcement.

💡Behaviorism

Behaviorism is a psychological theory that the video connects to the Audiolingual Method. It posits that behavior is a result of external stimuli and responses, with language learning seen as a process of habit formation. This concept is integral to understanding the repetitive drills characteristic of the Audiolingual Method.

💡Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

Communicative Language Teaching emerged in the 1970s and 1980s, emphasizing active mental processes and the goal of achieving communication in the target language. The video positions CLT as a reaction to grammar-oriented approaches, highlighting a shift towards practical language use and real-world communication skills.

💡Total Physical Response (TPR)

Total Physical Response is a method from the 1970s where the teacher gives commands with body movements, and students respond physically. The video describes TPR as a way to engage the body in language learning, making it a more immersive and interactive experience.

💡Humanistic Language Teaching

Humanistic Language Teaching, discussed in the video, involves the whole person, including their social and emotional aspects, in the language learning process. It is based on the idea that learning is not just cognitive but also involves the affective domain. The video mentions methods like the Silent Way, Suggestopedia, and Community Language Learning as part of this approach.

💡Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT)

Task-Based Language Teaching is a more recent approach where students learn by completing tasks that require use of the target language. The video explains that in TBLT, assessment is based on task completion rather than language accuracy, reflecting a focus on real-world language use and practical outcomes.

💡Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)

Content and Language Integrated Learning, or CLIL, is a method where subject matter and foreign language teaching are integrated. The video mentions CLIL as an innovative approach that has become popular, suggesting a holistic educational strategy that combines language learning with content learning.

Highlights

Language teaching methodology course introduction

Historical timeline of language teaching methods

Establishment of language teaching as a profession in the 20th century

Influence of Johan Comenius on language teaching

Comenius' focus on spiritual development and inductive approach

Introduction of the grammar translation approach in the 19th century

The direct method for naturalistic language learning

Audiolingual method based on behaviorism in the 1950s

Focus on drills and habit formation in audiolingualism

Emergence of communicative language teaching in the 1970s

Total physical response (TPR) method

Humanistic language teaching emphasizing social and emotional involvement

The Silent Way method encouraging learner independence

Suggestopedia and the role of relaxation in learning

Community language learning focusing on non-threatening environments

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) and its connection to second language acquisition

Innovative methods like Dogma and CLIL

Dogma method encouraging teaching without textbooks

CLIL method integrating content and language teaching

Upcoming detailed discussion on language teaching methods in future lessons

Transcripts

[Music]

hi

and welcome to the first lesson of the

language teaching methodology course

in this first session we're going to

talk about methods in language teaching

and we're going to give a historical

timeline of the main language teaching

methods

first language teaching became

established as a profession

in the 20th century ever since

several methods have been proposed and

each one tried to be more effective and

theoretically sound

before the 20th century a key influence

in language teaching was that of johan

comenius

a czech scholar and teacher who

published books on teaching in the 17th

century

comenus focused on the spiritual

development of children and he claimed

that the way they learned was through

association to the world around them

caminos was the first to introduce an

inductive approach to language teaching

in which the goal was to teach students

to use the language

rather than teach them rules and

analysis of the language

he used imitation instead of rules

claiming that students

should repeat after the teacher he also

encouraged language to be taught through

pictures and the practice of reading and

speaking

comenus was quite revolutionary however

by the beginning of the 19th century the

systematic study of the grammar of

classical latin and classical texts

had once again taken over in schools and

universities in europe

the 19th century was characterized by

the so-called grammar translation

approach

which explicitly focused on studying

grammar and translating texts

to learn to read literature this was

followed by attempts to make language

learning more naturalistic

more similar to the ways children learn

their languages

the direct method was introduced in the

late 19th century

teaching exclusively in the foreign

language and focusing on speaking and

listening

in an attempt to give a more scientific

foundation to language teaching

other methods such as situational

language teaching were created

although the real change emerged with

the audiolingual method in the 1950s

the audiolingual method or

audiolingualism

was based on psychological theories of

behaviorism

according to behaviorism people's

behavior depended on a pattern of

stimulus

response and feedback and learning a

language meant using the language

communicatively to form new habits

and get rid of old habits from the first

language

lessons in audiolingualism focused on

drills

in which students repeated the same

target language items again and again

this was in line with behaviorism

because it involved a stimulus

provided by the teacher or by a tape a

response

provided by the learner and feedback

provided again by the teacher

in the 1970s and 80s communicative

language teaching emerged as a method

this was thanks to the emergence of

cognitive psychology

which claimed that language learning

involved active mental processes

and conscious learning and not just

getting rid of old habits

communicative language teaching is an

influential teaching method to this day

it started as a reaction to

grammar-oriented approaches

focusing on accuracy and it argued that

the goal of language teaching is

communication

which is achieved by actually

communicating in the target language in

class

another method that originated in the

1970s was called

total physical response or tpr

in tpr the teacher gives commands to the

students with body movements

and the students respond by imitating

these movements

in the 1970s another new orientation to

language teaching emerged

called humanistic language teaching

humanistic language teaching is based on

the idea that the whole social

and emotional human being and not just

the mind

should be involved in learning a

language

three key methods between the 1970s and

80s were associated with humanism

the silent way suggestopedia and

community language learning

the silent way as the name suggests is a

method based on the idea that the

teacher should be silent as much as

possible

and the learners should be encouraged to

speak

suggestopedia is based on the idea that

learning is fostered by reaching an

optimal state of alert relaxation

in this state of relaxation learning is

meant to happen accidentally and

naturally

the third humanistic method community

language learning

assumes that students are people with

feelings

and that learning happens when they

don't feel threatened

the teacher takes on a role similar to a

counselor and gradually encourages

students to become

more independent and collaborative

more recently a teaching method that has

become more and more popular

is task-based language teaching or tblt

which has strong connections to theories

of second language acquisition

tblt is based on the idea that students

can learn language by doing tasks

students are assessed in terms of

whether they manage to complete the task

rather than the language they used to do

so

finally more recently other innovative

methods have

written such as dogma which encourages

to teach without textbooks

and to focus on the language that

emerges from conversation

another method that has become quite

popular is clil

or content and language integrated

learning

in clil curriculum content and foreign

languages are taught

together in our next lessons

we will talk in more details about the

main language teaching methods

looking at their theory and practice