Approaches to Language Teaching

Approach Important Aspect Learning View Classroom Practice

Presentation,  Grammatical structure
Practice and  Functions
Production (PPP)
Lexical Approach  Vocabulary
(individual words –
different kinds of chunks)
Functional Approach  Functions
Communicative  Communication
Approaches (through: function,
grammar, vocabulary,
discourse, & skills)
Grammar-  Grammatical rules
translation
(Language is learned by…)
 Seeing language in a context
 Practicing in controlled &
guided conditions
 Learning chunks
(learners need to notice chunks
to learn)
 Seeing language in a context
 Practicing in controlled &
guided conditions
 Interaction
 Analysing & applying rules.
1. Stages: Presentation, Practice, & Production.
2. Mistakes are not allowed.
3. Teachers input language (example &
information).
4. Learners do not make decisions about (what or
how to learn).
5. Stages Activities:
-Presentation: situational & mining.
-Practice: Drilled (controlled practice).
-Production: Information-gap activities.
1. Working with written or spoken texts.
2. Activities to encourage them to notice chunks.
3. Carry out tasks to get them to use chunks.
1. Functions:
-daily life
-communicative needs.
2. No typical practice.
1. Pair or group work enable lots of interaction
2. Fluency is more important than accuracy.
3. Using authentic materials in the classroom.
(print, audio, video)
4. Teacher’s role:
-setting up communicative activities.
- providing correction
1. Studying the rules then applying them.
2. Deducting (working out) the meaning by
applying.
3. Learning list of words.
4. Translating texts.
5. Grammatical Accuracy is very important.
 Approach Important Aspect Learning View Classroom Practice
(Language is learned by…)
Total Physical  Grammar  Exposure 1. Mainly with young learners and beginners.
Response  Vocabulary  Silent period 2. Giving & following instructions (physically)
(TPR) (should not be forced to speak) 3. At an advanced stage, learners give on another
 Doing things physically instructions.
 Relaxed learning
Guided Discovery  Meaning & use  Working out patterns and rules 1. Teacher gives example:
(Often used with: PPP, -examples of past tense.
TBL and Functional -recording (several sentences sentence stress)
Approach) 2. Teacher asks to work out the rule.
3. Teacher gives the rule/exercise after working it
out.
Content-based  Grammar  Presenting through interesting 1. Used mainly in primary and secondary schools.
Learning  Lexical topics. (to increase their 2. Topics are presented related to school subject
 Function knowledge) or the world.
Content & Language  Communication  Acquisitions 1. Learning about subject matter & cognitive
Integrated Learning (through: function,  Learning something else skilled related school subjects (maths, history,
(CLIL) grammar, vocabulary, art).
discourse, & skills) 2. The school subject is taught in L2 (L3/L4).
3. Focus on the subject rather than on language.
Eclectic Approach  Mix lessons  Mix 1. Mix
(mix & match approach)