Language Teaching Methods and Practices

Comprehensive practice questions covering language teaching methods (GTM, DM, ALM, TPR, CLT) and core teaching skills (Speaking, Vocabulary, Reading, and Listening) derived from pedagogy lecture notes.

According to Richards and Rodgers ($1986$), what does an approach refer to?

The general assumptions about what language is and about how learning a language occurs.

How is a 'method' distinguished from an 'approach' in the transcript?

A method is the practical implementation of an approach; it is where a theory is put into practice.

How does Jeremy Harmer ($2001$) define 'procedures' in language teaching?

An ordered set of techniques or step-by-step measures to execute a method.

According to Harmer, how does a procedure compare in size to a method and a technique?

A procedure is smaller than a method and larger than a technique.

What are 'techniques' in the classroom context?

Actual moment-to-moment classroom steps that lead to a specified outcome.

When did the Grammar Translation Method (GTM) originate and what was its original purpose?

It dates back to the late $19\text{th}$ and early $20\text{th}$ centuries and was originally used to teach dead languages such as Latin and Greek.

What is the primary goal of foreign language study according to GTM?

To learn a language to read its literature or benefit from mental discipline and intellectual development.

In GTM, which form of language is considered superior to the spoken form?

Literary language.

Which two language skills are the primary focus for improvement in GTM?

Reading and Writing.

In GTM, does instruction focus more on accuracy or fluency?

Accuracy.

Who holds the authority in a GTM classroom?

The teacher.

How is grammar traditionally taught within GTM?

Deductively, where explicit grammar rules are presented with examples.

What are 'cognates' in the context of GTM techniques?

Words that share spelling or sound patterns that correspond between two languages.

What is one major merit of GTM concerning teacher labor?

It makes few demands on teachers and saves their labor.

Why is GTM considered an 'unnatural method' in its approach to learning order?

It does not follow the natural order of learning, which is LSRW (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing).

What is the very basic rule of the Direct Method?

No translation is allowed.

How is meaning conveyed to students in the Direct Method?

Directly in the target language through demonstration, visual aids, and objects called realia.

How should grammar be taught according to Direct Method principles?

Inductively, meaning students figure out the rules from examples rather than being given explicit rules.

What is the teacher's role in the Direct Method classroom?

The teacher directs classroom activities but acts more like a partner with the students in the learning process.

In the Direct Method, what is the purpose of the 'Map Drawing' technique?

To provide listening comprehension practice where students follow directions to label geographical features.

Why was the Audio-Lingual Method (ALM) developed in the United States during World War II?

To supply personnel fluent in various languages to work as interpreters and translators.

What was the name of the special training program started in $1942$ that led to ALM?

The Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP).

Why is the Audio-Lingual Method sometimes referred to as the 'Michigan Method'?

Because Charles Fries ($1945$) of the University of Michigan led the way in applying principles from structural linguistics to the method.

Which psychological theory was incorporated into ALM to facilitate habit formation?

Behavioral psychology, specifically principles from Skinner ($1957$).

In ALM, what is foreign language learning defined as?

A process of mechanical habit formation.

What is the 'natural order' of skill acquisition followed by ALM?

Listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

How is the teacher's role metaphorically described in the Audio-Lingual Method?

Like an orchestra leader, directing and controlling the language behavior of students.

In ALM, what is the purpose of 'overlearning'?

To train students to answer automatically without stopping to think.

What is a 'Backward Build-up' or 'Expansion' drill in ALM?

Breaking a long dialogue line into parts and working backward from the final phrase to maintain natural intonation.

What occurs during a 'Chain Drill' in an ALM lesson?

Students ask and answer questions of each other one by one around the room.

What is the primary difference between ALM's single-slot and multiple-slot substitution drills?

Single-slot changes one word; multiple-slot fits cue phrases into different sentence slots, requiring changes like subject-verb agreement.

What are 'minimal pairs' used for in the Audio-Lingual Method?

To train students to hear and produce the difference between words that differ by only one sound, such as 'ship' and 'sheep'.

Who developed the Total Physical Response (TPR) method?

James Asher.

TPR is built around the coordination of which two elements?

Speech and action (motor activity).

In TPR, what is 'trace theory'?

The idea that the more often or intensively a memory connection is traced via verbal and motor activity, the stronger the recall.

According to James Asher, what parallel exists in successful adult second language learning?

It is a parallel process to a child's first language acquisition, focusing on comprehension before production.

Which hemisphere of the brain should beginning TPR instruction target?

The right hemisphere, which controls nonverbal behavior.

In the TPR method, when are students typically expected to show readiness to speak?

After $10$ to $20$ hours of instruction.

What is 'Role Reversal' in a TPR lesson?

The point in the lesson where individual students direct the teacher and classmates by issuing commands.

What goal did educators shift toward in the late $1970s$, leading to Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)?

Communicative competence, or knowing when and how to say what to whom.

What are the three common features of truly communicative activities in CLT?

Information gap, choice, and feedback.

What is an 'information gap' in the context of CLT?

A situation where one person in an exchange knows something the other person does not.

In CLT, how is the teacher's role described during classroom activities?

As a facilitator of communication and an advisor.

What is 'jigsaw reading' in an integrated skills lesson?

A communicative activity where a text is cut into mixed-up paragraphs and students must share information to piece together the gist.

In the teaching of Speaking, what are the three stages of a lesson?

Eliciting, restricted oral practice (drilling), and developing oral fluency.

In Vocabulary instruction, what is the difference between 'denotation' and 'connotation'?

Denotation is the literal reference (e.g., cat refers to an animal); connotation is the emotional association or attitude (e.g., calling someone a 'pig').

What are the three main reading strategies used by skilled readers?

Reading for detail, Scanning (for specific points), and Skimming (for a general idea).

What is the difference between intensive and extensive reading?

Intensive reading focuses on detail and understanding specific features; extensive reading is fluent reading for general understanding or pleasure.

According to the transcript, why is listening important in the language classroom?

It provides input for the learner, and without understanding input at the right level, learning cannot begin.

What percentage of time do adults spend communicating by listening compared to reading?

Listening accounts for $45\%$ of communication time, while reading accounts for $16\%$.