TESL 0100: Unit 5 Reflection - Favourite Approaches to Language Teaching

TESL 0100 Unit 5 Reflection: Favourite Approaches to Language Teaching

                                                                       (Source: https://videnskab.dk/kultur-samfund/saadan-kan-indvandrere-faa-langt-stoerre-viden-om-sundhedsvaesnet) 

After having read about all the various methods and approaches that are out there for ESL education, I’d like to go over three of them that I quite like for this week’s blogpost.

Task-Based Language Teaching:

This is one variant of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) that is built around learning language in order to accomplish a goal or a task (Brown & Lee, 2015). These goals can range from something simple like learning how to fill out a form with personal information all the way to planning a complex itinerary for an overseas trip. What I like about this approach is that it equips learners with relevant language skills that they can use outside of the classroom. It also exposes students to authentic language that they will encounter in their day-to-day lives. Lastly, Task-Based Language Teaching encourages students to use their L2 for communicative purposes. The language they learn comes to life as they use it in a productive way to accomplish an end-goal, thus also making it a rewarding experience. From my own personal experience as an L2 learner, it was the task-based learning activities that really helped solidify my understanding of certain language structures. I found that when I learned vocabulary and grammar in isolation (I’m looking at you Grammar Translation Method!), I ended up forgetting them soon after, or ended up struggling to use them when communicating in my L2.

Total Physical Response (TPR):

This method was first introduced in the late 1970’s and was based around the idea that L2 acquisition should be accompanied with physical responses, just as children do when acquiring their L1 (Brown & Lee, 2015). Another point that defined this method was creating a stress-free environment for students to learn in, where they would not feel self-conscious and defensive (Brown & Lee, 2015). While I don’t think I would follow every aspect of this method, nor would I follow this method solely, what I do like about it is it promotes an environment where students can feel comfortable taking risks and making mistakes. I also like how it ties physical responses to language. I think that adding a dynamic element to language learning will help students to better acquire vocabulary and grammar. The same goes for associating new information with other senses (taste, touch, smell, etc.)

Direct Method:

Pioneered by Maximilian Berlitz at the end of the 19^th century, this method puts an emphasis on eliminating the need to translate from L1 to L2 and vice versa (Brown & Lee, 2015). The belief is that L2 acquisition should happen the same way L1 acquisition takes place, that is “…lots of oral interaction, spontaneous use of the language…and little or no analysis of grammatical rules.” (Brown & Lee, 2015). What I like about this method is that it encourages learners to immerse themselves in the L2 entirely, without relying on the use of their L1. I think this method is especially effective teaching things like concrete nouns, and verbs.

So, there you have it! What are some of your favourite approaches to language teaching?

References

H. Brown, H. L. (2015). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, Inc. .