UNAM–FES ACATLÁN

LIC. ÁUREAN. ANGUIANOSÁNCHEZ SUAYED - LICEL

APRIL 2019 PEDAGOGICAL GRAMMAR

METHODOLOGIES IN TEACHING
LANGUAGES (L2/LE)
Below is a summary of the texts by Larsen-Freeman, D. (2008), Richards, J. (2001)
and Sánchez, A. (2000), who have compiled the main characteristics of the most methods
transcendental aspects of language teaching, so that you have a general overview and can choose a
method or the combination of these for the development of your pedagogical grammar1Remember also that, so
As you had already reviewed the theories of L2/FL learning in the subject of Psycholinguistics, in the course
History of Language Teaching Methodology studied the methods for teaching.
of languages. It's time for you to apply that knowledge.

GRAMMAR AND TRANSLATION METHOD

It appears in the mid-19th century in Prussia. The objective of this method is to learn a language with the
end of reading its literature. Reading and writing are the main focuses, which is why the ability to communicate
orally in the target language is not a teaching objective. The mother tongue is used as a means of
teaching, while the target language is used in the classroom only as an aid for translation, which is a
important goal for the student, being even a main issue in the evaluation.
Grammar is taught deductively since the learning of grammar develops the
mental and intellectual capacity of the human being. Errors are not tolerated and must be corrected immediately.
The student must memorize vocabulary, verb conjugations, and other grammatical points. The selection of
vocabulary is based solely on the reading texts used and words are taught through lists
bilinguals. Most of the interaction in the classroom is between the teacher and the students. There is little initiative.
student departure and rarely does student–student interaction occur. The teacher is the protagonist and the
authority in class.
The main techniques are:
• Deductive application of rules;
• Search for synonyms and antonyms;
• Written composition on a topic given by the teacher.

1The methods presented here are just a sample of the most representative ones; it does not mean that they are the only ones, as
there are other methods on which you can base your pedagogical grammar, such astask-based approach, the method based
in contents, the participatory approach, cooperative learning, the neuro-linguistic approach , othe based on the
multiple intelligences; el AICLE/CLIL, etc. You can also adopt a combination of two or more methods, as long as
when you justify in your theoretical framework the reason for your choice and it is appropriate for the purposes of your GP.

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 • Exercises to fill in the blanks with missing words in the text;
• Sentence formation with newly learned words;
• Identification of cognates;
• Word memorization;
• Reading comprehension test;
• Translation of literary fragments from the target language to the native language.

DIRECT METHOD

It appears at the end of the 19th century in Europe (France and Germany). The natural principles of learning.
Languages are the foundations of the direct method, it has that name due to the way of approaching the target language.
directly without translation to the mother tongue. The classes are conducted entirely in the target language
from the beginning, through everyday situations based on real life.
Concrete vocabulary is introduced by the teacher through real objects or pictures.
photos, gestures, so that the student associates the meaning of the foreign language directly. The student participates
in the class responding to stimuli and the interaction provoked by the teacher. Grammar is never
explicitly presented, it is taught inductively so that it must be intuited by the students
through practice.
The main techniques are:
• Written composition on selected topics in the room.
• Drawing induced by dictation from the teacher or colleagues;
• Dictation of texts in the target language;
• Question and answer exercise conducted in the target language;
• Exercises to fill in the blanks to assess intuition of rules or vocabulary;
• Reading aloud excerpts from literary works, plays, or dialogues;
• Conversation practice about real situations.

AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD

The Audio-Lingual method emerged during World War II (1945) in the United States, starting from
from the ideas generated by structuralist descriptive linguistics and behaviorist psychology. Its goal is
to enable students to use the target language communicatively, so pronunciation is
taught from the beginning, both in the classroom and in the language lab. If the teacher is not
Native speakers can refer to recordings as models of pronunciation.
Linguistic content is a set of hierarchically organized structures that aims to
purpose the transmission of meanings, presented in initial dialogues. These dialogues are learned with
memorization, imitation, and repetition. Based on these, exercises are conducted to reinforce the content
and the vocabulary. Such exercises generally include a lot of repetition and question-answer games. The
students' correct answers are positively reinforced with rewards or praise. The exercises go
aimed at having students learn to respond automatically without stopping to think. Learning
It consists of the formation of habits resulting from repetition.

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 Explicit grammar learning is not considered, as it should be acquired inductively.
through practice, not by explaining rules. There is a constant student-student interaction,
especially in repeated exercises or 'drills', when they alternate in different roles of the
dialogue. But, that interaction is led by the teacher, who is responsible for providing the students with a
speech model, as well as directing and controlling their linguistic learning in a facilitative manner. The competence
oral receives greater attention with pair activities.
The main techniques are:
• Conversation in pairs;
• Dramatization of memorized dialogues;
• Phrase construction game based on given clues (words);
• Game of transforming negative sentences into affirmative ones, etc.;
• Dialogue completion games;
• Question-and-answer games (to practice structures);
• Repetition games (to memorize structures or vocabulary);
• Games to differentiate similar words (sheep / ship).
• Memorization of dialogues;
• Memorization of long sentences part by part.

SILENT METHOD

It arose in 1972 in the United States. Language acquisition is viewed here as a process in which the
people, through reasoning, discover and formulate rules about the learned language. This learning seeks
the expression of students' thinking, perception, and feelings. For that, they need to develop
self-confidence and independence. It is the student who builds their learning, while the teacher can
incite their perception, provoke their reasoning. The 'silence' is a tool for that purpose.
The teacher presents a situation, proposes a structure, for example, 'Take a red...'
red card) and then he remains silent (the students must perceive that he asked for the color red). In all
At the moment, students are encouraged to think and the silence of the teacher compels them to help each other. They are
constantly use chips with colors or signals that represent sounds. The students begin their
learning through the sounds of the language, watching the teacher manipulate those cards. Each color represents a
sound. Little by little, the students are forming words by associating those cards. The teacher creates
situations that focus students' attention on the structure of the language. With minimal cues.
spoken, students are led to produce the structure. The four skills reinforce each other.
The main techniques are:
• Autocorrection;
• Peer correction;
• Word chart;
• The silence of the teacher;
• Evaluation of the lesson at the end of the class by the students.
• Use of colored cards associated with sounds or words;
• Use of gestures.

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SUGGESTOPEDIA
It appeared in 1976 in Bulgaria. This method is based on the principle that language learning is
normally 'delayed' due to the 'barriers' that the learner imposes on themselves, out of fear or autosuggestion.
The reconciliation of the study of "suggestion" and pedagogy, which gives name to the method, seeks to help the
students to overcome those barriers. That is why there is a strong emphasis here on the feelings of the students and
in the need to activate their brain potentials.
For them, the study environment must be relaxing and comfortable, and the student needs to trust in it.
a teacher so that he can activate his imagination and help him in learning. Posters with information
grammatical ones are arranged around the room and changed periodically to encourage peripheral learning of the
student, that is, their ability to learn through external stimuli, from the things that surround them in the
school environment and that are not sometimes objectively explained in a lesson.
The presentation of the content is done in two stages. In the first phase (receptive), the teacher reads
a dialogue in rhythm with background music. This procedure would not only help to maintain the atmosphere
relaxing as it would also activate both sides of the students' brains. They accompany the reading of
teacher and check the translation. Then, the teacher repeats the reading while the students listen and
They relax. They are asked to reread the same text at home before sleeping in order to fix its content.
second phase (active), aims to practice the new structures. At that moment, the students
They organize activities such as dramatization, games, music, and question-answer exercises.
The main techniques are:
• Preparation of the room with appropriate lights, seats, and decoration;
• Listening to the readings with eyes closed;
• Creation of a new identity described by the students;
• Dramatization of improvised situation;
• Reading to the rhythm of music;
• Dramatic reading of small texts (students read laughing, crying, singing, etc.).
• Use of posters or banners on walls with grammatical information;
• Visualization with closed eyes of imaginary scenes.

COMMUNITY LEARNING
It appears in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States. One of its main
Beliefs are that the teacher must regard students as whole people, where not only the
The feelings and intellect of each one count, but mainly the way they relate their reactions.
physical, instinctive, and their desire to learn from each other. The teacher must always be alert in case the students
they need support regarding their fears and insecurities in learning. For that, it is essential to build
a good community relationship in the class; where the teacher responds calmly and without making judgments
value without having an authoritarian and threatening position, sitting in the same position as the students. These
they need to be always well informed about what will happen in each activity, and their individual limitations
must be taken into account when demanding. This way, they feel more secure. It is important that the
students sit in a certain way with control of the interaction so that they can be more responsible for
their own learning.

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 Cooperation, and not competition, should be encouraged. Language learning is directed towards the
communication and the expression of ideas. The native language can be used as support by the students, who
Many times they build sentences from blocks of words translated by the teacher. It is customary that
the students record these sentences in pieces and then transcribe them in full into texts. New sentences can
to be created from those initials and grammatical points, of pronunciation or vocabulary can be
extracted from there. Students are constantly invited to say how they feel and the teacher must be able
to understand their reactions and guide them towards an ever-improving learning experience.

The main techniques are:

• Formulation of new sentences from those already recorded;
• Recording of the students' conversation;
• Open reflection on the activities in the room.
• Tasks in pairs or in small groups;
• Transcription of the recordings;
• Use of recordings to correct or reinforce pronunciation

TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

This method was developed in 1977 in the United States, within the framework of developmental psychology and
humanistic approach. The basic principle of the method is that psychomotor activity facilitates learning of the
target language. That method begins with the development of listening comprehension, then it moves on to the
oral expression and finally to written language. This position is due to the observation that children spend a
certain time exposed to the mother tongue through listening and only after a certain period is that
they begin, then, to outline the first forms of oral conversation.
In many ways, this approach is similar to the direct method; however, the basic difference is that
here the mother tongue can be used at the beginning to facilitate students' learning.
One of the premises of this approach is the enjoyable learning of the language. It is expected that the
students really feel happy while learning. For that, many fun activities are used and, the
body movement is a great resource to aid in understanding.
Many of the structures are learned and practiced through commands. The teacher gives an order,
for example, 'hands up' and show the gesture so that the students assimilate the command and the correct movement.
When the students have repeated a series of commands, they then show it to the rest of the group.
After mastering a series of them, students learn to read and write them, and only after
From a certain exposure to the new structures, one begins to speak and give other orders.
The main techniques are:
• Sequential action (the teacher dictates a series of actions at once and the student executes them, for
example, 'walk to the board, take the chalk, write a message, turn around, return to your place and
sit down
• Use of orders given by the teacher to dictate behavior to the students;
• Use of commands given by the students for the teacher to execute.

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COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH
The goal of this approach, which emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, is
to make students communicatively competent. Thus, linguistic learning is seen as
a communication process in which the simple knowledge of the forms of the target language, its meaning and
functions, it is insufficient.

It is necessary to be able to use the language appropriately within a social context. The speaker has
that knowing how to choose among different structures the one that best applies to the circumstances of the interaction between
he and the listener or, between the writer and the reader.

For example, the speaker must develop different ways to greet, accept, or reject a ...
invitation, asking for something, etc. This entails the mastery not only of grammatical or linguistic competence, but also
also of sociolinguistic, discursive, and strategic skills.
The most distinctive feature of that method is the practice of activities that involve the
real communication. Such communication occurs when students are free to exchange knowledge.
a question-answer game in which students are required to repeat predetermined structures
where both know the answer, there is no real communication, there is only a mechanical practice of structures.

To truly use communicative functions, students solve problems, discuss ideas and
positions, play, do dramatizations, etc. The use of authentic material such as magazine articles,
newspapers, fragments of radio and TV programs, is also very important for students to have
access to the language as it is effectively used by its speakers. Many activities are used.
conversation in small groups, this way, the time of language use by the students is maximized.
The main techniques are:
• Dramatization of scenes proposed by the students or the teacher.
• Games with cards with instructions for students to ask authentic questions and obtain
personal answers as well;
• Text with jumbled sentences for students to arrange;
• Use of figures in sequence, suggesting stories that students try to anticipate;
• Use of authentic material.

Sources of consultation

Larsen-Freeman, D. (2008), Techniques and principles in language teaching, Second Edition, New
York: Oxford University Press.

Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Sánchez, A. (1997), Methods in Language Teaching. Historical Evolution and Analysis

didactic, Madrid: SGEL.