Techniques and principles in language teaching

As a language teacher you must make decisions all of the time. Some of your decisions are relatively minor ones—should homework be assigned that particular day, for instance. Other decisions have more profound implications. What should be the goal oflanguage instruction? Which language teaching method will be the most effective in reaching it? What is the best means of evaluation to see if it has been reached? There is no single correct answer to questions like these. Each of you has to answer them for yourself. We believe, however, that a teacher informed about some of the possibilities will make better decisions. Making informed choices is, after all, what teaching is all about (Stevick 1982; Larsen-Freeman 1983a, 1983b). One purpose of this book, therefore, is to provide information to teachers and teacher trainees about eight methods of foreign language teaching. By reading this book you will gain an understanding of the principles on which these methods are based and of the techniques associated with each method. These eight were chosen because they are all currently practiced today. It is not our purpose to convince you of the superiority of any one of them; indeed, the inclusion of a method in this book should not be construed as an endorsement of that method. What is being recommended is that, in the interest of becoming informed about existing choices, you investigate each method. A second purpose for this book is to encourage you to examine your own beliefs about teaching and learning and about how you put these into practice. Even those of you with a great deal of teaching experience stand to benefit from considering the principles of these methods. Perhaps such consideration will help you to understand better why you do what you do. We do not expect that you will abandon the way you teach now in order to wholly adopt one of these methods. We do think, however, that there will be some new techniques here worthy of your attention. Although certain techniques are associated with particular methods and are derivable from particular principles, most techniques can be adapted to any teaching style and situation. It is not so much the technique itself as the way a teacher works with it that makes the difference. Therefore do not be quick to dismiss a technique because, at first glance, it appears to be at odds with your own beliefs or to be impossible to apply to your own situation. For instance, in one of the methods we will consider, teachers frequently make use of a tape recorder to record students speaking the language they are studying. If you reject this technique as impractical because you do not have a tape recorder, you may be missing out on something valuable. You should first ask what the purpose of the tape recorder is: Is there a principle behind its use in which you believe and which you can provide in another way, say, by writing down the students’ sentences on the blackboard rather than recording them? So try, then, as you read this book, to imagine how to adapt these techniques creatively to your own situation. You are limited only by your imagination.