Week IV

 

To start the week, we made a quick recap of the methods we that were reviewed in class so far. By creating a list of the things that represent each method, we were able to truly appreciate what makes each method so different and unique in their own way. After the recap, we were able to learn about a new method, “The audio lingual method.” 

The Audio lingual Method

This method had is origins in WWII, it became known as the Army method. This method emphasizes the teaching of listening and speaking before reading and writing. It uses dialogues as the main form of language presentation and drills as the main training techniques.

Its basic principles are:

• Separation of language skills into listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
• Use of dialogues as the chief means of representing the language.
• Emphasis on certain practice techniques: mimicry, memorization, and pattern drills.
• Discouraging the usage of the mother tongue in the classroom.

Based on Skinner's Behaviorism theory, it assumed that a human being can be trained using a system of reinforcement. Correct behavior receives positive feedback, while errors receive negative feedback.

Techniques that can be applied to this method:

• Repetition drill: used to have students memorized the lines to a dialogue. The students are asked to repeat the teacher's model as accurately and as quickly as possible.
• Substitution drill: the students repeat the line from the dialogue which the teacher has given them, substituting the cue into the line on its proper place.
• Question-and-answer drill: it gives practice to the students by answering questions, the teaches asks questions to the students very quickly. And the teacher may also cue the students to ask the questions.

After reviewing what the audio lingual method was about, we then moved on to the last part of the theory where we do a SWOT analysis of this method just like in previous classes.