Review Of Diane Larson-Freeman's 'Towards The End Of Chapter 4'
Engl 5010
23 February 2014
The Audio-Lingual Method
Towards the end of Chapter 4 by Diane Larson-Freeman, she urges readers to “…make the bridge between this book and your teaching situation” (50). This book is a constant reminder for pedagogues and developing teachers to reflect and evaluate their own teaching habits to determine if they are offering students the best possible education. The goal of this method is to increase communicative competence in the second language. This is accomplished through memorization, repetition, and a series of drills that build up and add different skills as student’s progress. In my teaching situations, I use aspects of the Audio-Lingual method, especially in an English Conversation Club I facilitate.
In preparation to teach Conversational English to international graduate students at UPRM, I read Communicative Language Teaching Today by Jack C Richards. Communicative language teaching progressed from the more controlled and traditional second language teaching methods such as the Audio-Lingual Method. Instead of focusing on controlled, grammar specific, individualistic drills, communicative language teaching works with small groups and pair, practicing the skills of speaking and thinking collaboratively by interacting with peers. I can see the correlation between the audio lingual method and communicative language teaching, as language teaching methods and approaches are constantly developing in order to encompass different types of learners, teachers, and situations learning second and foreign languages throughout the world. The use of dialogues and the process of progressively adding new vocabulary and grammar constructions has proved very useful within the second language classroom at UPRM. From this lesson, Dr. Roman created a Who, What, Why, Where, and When Activity that follows the same approaches and styles as the Audio-Lingual Method. That activity has proved extremely useful in my university English classroom.
Works Cited
Larson-Freeman, Diane. Techniques and Principles of Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print.
Richards, Jack Croft. Communicative language teaching today. SEAMEO Regional Language Centre, 2006. Print.
23 February 2014
The Audio-Lingual Method
Towards the end of Chapter 4 by Diane Larson-Freeman, she urges readers to “…make the bridge between this book and your teaching situation” (50). This book is a constant reminder for pedagogues and developing teachers to reflect and evaluate their own teaching habits to determine if they are offering students the best possible education. The goal of this method is to increase communicative competence in the second language. This is accomplished through memorization, repetition, and a series of drills that build up and add different skills as student’s progress. In my teaching situations, I use aspects of the Audio-Lingual method, especially in an English Conversation Club I facilitate.
In preparation to teach Conversational English to international graduate students at UPRM, I read Communicative Language Teaching Today by Jack C Richards. Communicative language teaching progressed from the more controlled and traditional second language teaching methods such as the Audio-Lingual Method. Instead of focusing on controlled, grammar specific, individualistic drills, communicative language teaching works with small groups and pair, practicing the skills of speaking and thinking collaboratively by interacting with peers. I can see the correlation between the audio lingual method and communicative language teaching, as language teaching methods and approaches are constantly developing in order to encompass different types of learners, teachers, and situations learning second and foreign languages throughout the world. The use of dialogues and the process of progressively adding new vocabulary and grammar constructions has proved very useful within the second language classroom at UPRM. From this lesson, Dr. Roman created a Who, What, Why, Where, and When Activity that follows the same approaches and styles as the Audio-Lingual Method. That activity has proved extremely useful in my university English classroom.
Works Cited
Larson-Freeman, Diane. Techniques and Principles of Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print.
Richards, Jack Croft. Communicative language teaching today. SEAMEO Regional Language Centre, 2006. Print.