Chapter Overview

1. The Subject Matter of Language Teaching 2. First Lessons hints and strategies

3. Method? What method?

The Subject Matter of Language Teaching

Typically classified under two main headings

Language Systems

Language Skills

Language Systems
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) I went to London; Ive been to London. Lend me $5. Could you possibly lend me $5? Library; bookstore Foot; foots Id rather not; no way Hit; heat Photograph; photographer Should; must Grammar Function Lexis Grammar Function Phonology Lexis Function

Language System - a system of linguistic units or elements used in a particular language

Language Skills

Grammar
Refers to how the words interact with each other within the sentence

Phonology
Refers to the study of phonemes, intonation, word stress, sentence stress, rhythm and aspects of connected speech

Lexis Refers to the meaning of the individual words or groups of words

Language Systems

Discourse
Refers to a unit of language, especially spoken language that is longer than the sentence

Functions
Refers to the things people do through language, e.g., apologizing, complaining, etc.

LANGUAGE SKILLS
WHAT WE DO WITH THE LANGUAGE

Receptive Skills

Productive Skills

Listening Reading

Speaking Writing

Changes of Emphasis in Language Teaching through History

Grammatical Syllabus (language taught according to structure) 60s Functional Syllabus (language taught according to purpose)
Interest in all language skills, especially listening and speaking Grammar with an emphasis on communication of meaning rather than purely mechanical practice

late 70s & 80s

Nowadays

Concentrated on grammar and vocabulary

Reading and writing used to reinforce grammar and vocabulary

More lexically oriented view of language

Growing influence of CEF (Real-World Tasks)

The Communicative Purpose of Language Learning

Neither skills nor language systems exist in isolation The purpose of learning a language is usually to enable Ss to take part in exchanges of information

Traditional teaching methods have seemed to: emphasize the learning of language systems as a goal in its own right fail to give learners an opportunity to gain realistic experience in using the language knowledge gained

Other Areas that are Part of Language Learning

Students may be learning
new ways of learning (specific study skills and techniques) about the other students in their class, and exploring ways of interacting and working with them about themselves and how they work, learn, get on with other people, cope with stress a lot about the culture of the countries whose language they are studying (target culture) how to achieve some specific goal (passing an exam, making a business presentation at an upcoming conference,etc)

Key Hints when Planning your First Lessons

1. Use the coursebook (if theres one) 2. A lesson is a sequence of activities 3. Learn something about your students 4. Plan student-focused activities
lead in set up the activity students do the activity close the activity

5. Make a written plan of the running order of your activities 6. Consider aims 7. Fluency or accuracy? 8. Get the room ready; get yourself ready 9. Have at least one emergency activity

Key Hints when Teaching your First Lessons

1. Talk to the students as they come into the room 2. Learn names as soon as possible 3. Be yourself 4. Teaching doesnt mean talking all the time 5. Teaching doesnt mean teaching all the time 6. Slow down

Key Hints for Starting to Teach Better

(once youve gotten past the first few classes)

Start to tune in more to the students, and be less self-focused (ask for
comments and feedback on things you do)

Dont teach and teach instead teach then check Teach the class, not one person

A Method is. a way of teaching. Your

choice of method is dependent on what you believe about:
what language is how people learn how teaching helps people learn

Based on such beliefs, you will then make methodological decisions about:
the aims of a course what to teach

teaching techniques
activity types ways of relating with students ways of assessing

Some Well-known Methods & Approaches

1. The GrammarTranslation Method 2. The Audio-Lingual Method 3. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) 4. Total Physical Response (TPR) 5. Community Language Learning (CLL) 6. The Natural Approach 7. Task-Based Learning (TBL) 8. The Silent Way 9. Person-Centered Approaches 10. Lexical Approaches 11. Dogme

Designed as a companion for Learning Teaching Methodology I by C. Moscoso Office of Academic Research - ICPNA