What is an approach? What is a method? What is a technique?

1. APPROACHES
METHODS
TECHNIQUES

2. TASK 1
a) Work in groups of four: think about
the reasons why you should study
teaching methods.
b) Make a list of positive and negative
aspects of learning teaching methods.

3. REASONS FOR
STUDYING PAST
AND PRESENT
TEACHING
METHODS:

4. • View of HOW the field of language has
evolved.
• Source of well-used practices, that
teachers can adapt or implement based
on their own needs.
• Experience in using different
approaches and methods can provide
teachers with basic teaching skills.

5. WHY STUDYING METHODS?
1-Methods serve as a soil for reflection
because:
• They provide conscious awareness of
the thinking that underlines their actions.
• They make teachers becoming clearer of
WHY they do WHAT they do.
• Teachers become aware of their own
fundamental assumptions, values and
beliefs.

6. WHY STUDYING METHODS?
2- By becoming clear on where they
stand TEACHERS:
• Can choose to teach differently from
the way they were taught.
• Are able to see why they are attracted
to certain methods and repelled by
others.

7. WHY STUDYING METHODS?
• Are able to make choices that are
informed, not conditioned.
• May be able to resist, or at least argue
against, the imposition of a particular
method by authorities
• They offer teachers alternatives to
what they currently think and do.

8. WHY STUDYING METHODS?
3- A knowledge of methods is part of the
KNOWLEDGE BASE OF TEACHING.
• Teachers join a community of practice.
• Teachers learn the professional discourse that
community members use so that professional
dialog can take place.
• It confers teachers a professional identity and
connects each other so they are not so isolated in
their practice.

9. WHY STUDYING METHODS?
4- A knowledge of methods helps
expand a teacher's repertoire of
techniques.

10. «Teaching is more than following a recipe.»
(Larsen-Freeman)
• Any method shapes teachers’ own
understanding, beliefs, styles, level
of experience.
• Teachers are PROFESSIONALS,
who can make their OWN
decisions.

11. «The issue is not about methods,
but HOW they are used»
• They can help teachers articulate,
transform, etc., their understanding of
the teaching and learning process.
• They can serve as integration of
theory and practice.
• It can encourage continuing
education.
• (From Larsen-Freeman, Diane. Techniques and Principles in Language
Teaching. Oxford. 2nd Ed. 2000)

12. METHOD
Theoretically
related to an
Organizationally
determined by
Practically
realized in a
APPROACH DESIGN PROCEDURE

13. APPROACH
• Assumptions, theories dealing with the
nature of language teaching and learning.
• It is axiomatic
METHOD
• An overall plan for the orderly
presentation of language material.
• It is based on the selected approach
• It is procedural
TECHNIQUE
• It is what actually happens in the
classroom.
• It is implementational

14. APPROACH
• It is the level at which assumptions and
beliefs about the language are specified.
METHOD
• It is the level at which theory is put into
practice.
• Choices are made about what particular
skills and content are going to be taught.
TECHNIQUE
• It is the level at which classroom
procedures are described.

15. APPROACH
NATURE OF
LANGUAGE
NATURE OF
TEACHING
NATURE OF
LEARNING
Set of
assumptions
and beliefs
dealing with

16. APPROACH
the nature of
language
Refers to
theories about
language
learning
source of practices and principles
in language teaching.

17. What links theory with
practice
(or approach with procedure)
is DESIGN

18. DESIGN
Determines
OBJECTIVES
SYLLABUSES
Specifies
ROLE OF
TEACHERS
CONTENT
ROLE OF
LEARNERS
ROLE OF
MATERIALS

19. TECHNIQUE
Carries out a
METHOD
Which is consisted with and
APPROACH

20. PROCEDURE
It is the last level of conceptualization
and organization within a method.
It encompasses the actual techniques,
practices and behaviours that
operate in teaching a language
according to a particular method.

21. PROCEDURE
A description of HOW
method realizes its
approach and design
on classroom
behaviours
TECHNIQUES/
PRACTICES/
BEHAVIOURS
That operates in teaching a
language according to a
particular method

22. PROCEDURE
The use of
teaching
activities: (drills,
dialogues,
information gap)
The WAYS
teaching
activities are
USED for
practicing
language
The procedures
and techniques
used for giving
feedback to
learners
3 DIMENSIONS

23. APPROACH: General Conclusions
• Principles may or may not lead to “a”
method.
• Teachers may develop their own
teaching procedures, informed by a
particular view of language and a
particular theory of learning.
• It DOES NOT specify procedure.
• It DOES NOT dictate a particular set
of teaching techniques and activities

24. 1) What are the goals of the
teachers who use this method?
• Process oriented objectives: eg,
becoming a more proficient learner in
whatever one is engaged.
• Product oriented objectives:
• grammatical accuracy
• perfect pronunciation.
• general communication skills,
• ability to express oneself meaningfully

25. 2) What is the role of the teacher?
• Their roles are related to the following
issues:
• a) degree of control over HOW learning
takes place.
• b) determining the content to be
taught.
• c) types of interaction between
teachers and learners

26. 2) What is the role of the teacher?
TEACHERAS
• CONTROLLER
• ASSESSOR
• PROMPTER
• PARTICIPANT
• ORGANIZER
• TUTOR
• RESOURCE

27. Teacher’s roles
“The role of the teacher will ultimately
reflect both the objectives of the method
and the learning theory on which the
method is predicated, since the success
of a method may depend on the degree
to which the teacher can provide the
content or create the conditions for
successful language learning”
(Richards and Rodgers, 2001)

28. 2) What is the role of the
students?
• processor
• performer
• imitator
• problem
solver
Learner
as

29. 3) What are some characteristics
of the teaching/learning process?
Teaching process can focus on:
• Grammatical accuracy
• Communicative skills
Learning process can focus on:
• Development of specific
psycholinguistic process in language
acquisition
• Mastery of particular features of
grammar

30. 4) What is the role of instructional
materials?
They will reflect decisions concerning:
a) the primary goal of material:
• to present content,
• to practice content,
• to facilitate communication between
learners,
• to enable learners to practice content
without the teacher’s help.

31. 4) What is the role of instructional
materials?
• b) the form of material: texts,
audiovisuals, computer software)
• c) the relation of materials to other
sources of input: if the serve as
major source of input or not.)
• d) the abilities of teachers ( their
competence in the language or
degree of training experience)

32. 5) What is the nature of
student/teacher interaction?
6) What is the nature of
student/student interaction?
7) How are the feelings of students
dealt with?
8) How is language viewed? How is
culture view?

33. 9) What areas of language are
emphasized?
Grammatical, phonological, sound
system, etc.
What language skills are emphasized?
Listening, speaking, reading, writing?

34. 10) What is the role of the students´
native language?
11) How is evaluation accomplished?
12) How does teacher respond to
errors?