Background to language teaching metodology.

1. BACKGROUND
TO LANGUAGE
TEACHING
METODOLOGY
Cristina Martín Redondo

2. HOW PEOPLE LEARN LANGUAGES
 ACQUISITION & LEARNING
COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT: Exposed to language above their own
level.
INPUT HYPOTHESIS, Stephen Krashen
EXPOSURE
Subconscious process
More than one language in
childhool
Age  Important factor
We do it
CONSCIOUSLY
Grammar – functions -
vocabulary
The language we learn
consciously is different from de
language we acquire through
comprehensible input
Learnt language could
not become acquired
anguage.

3. PROBLEMS
 Not have the opportunity to live in a foreign country.
 Children are not ready to learn language (STUDY)
because their age.
 Effort to acquire a new language.
 Activities of language-learning lessons: focused on
acquisition/on learning.

4. 4 METHODS
TO LEARN
LANGUAGES
GRAMMAR-
TRANSLATION
AUDIO-LINGUAL
METHODOLOGY
TASK-BASED
LEARNING
(TBL)
THE
COMMUNICATIVE
APPROACH/
COMMUNICATIVE
LANGUAGE
TEACHING (CLT)
Target language
 own language
- People get language if
they have opportunities
to use it.
- Focuses on CONTENT.
Speaking practice by using
habit-formation DRILLS.
•Theory of
BEHAVIOURISM
Stimulus-response-reinforcemente
Language study comes
after the task.
SYLLABUS

5. STUDENTS MAKE MISTAKES
Why? DEVELOPMENTAL
ERRORS (try to work out
how language system work)
OVER-GENERALISATION
(use the new rule too widely)
INTERFERENCE (use the
first language knowledge)
INTERLANGUAGE
FOSSILISED (mistakes are
left uncorrected for too long)

6. KINDS OF MISTAKES
SLIP
Result of
tiredness/speak
quickly and
careless.
ERRORS
Learn something
incorrectly.
Developmental or
interference
factors.
ATTEMPS
To say things
beyond their
language.
CORRECT IT APPROPRIATELY

7. TEACHERS SHOULD SCAFFOLD
STUDENT’S LEARNING
LEARNING AT DIFFERENT AGES
Children are better language learners than
other age groups.
VYGOTSKY
Children learn best when they are in
the ZONE OF PROXIMAL
DEVELOPMENT.
Adolescents need PEER APPROVAL  The good
opinion of their classmates

8. Tips for teaching teenagers:
- Encourage teenagers to have opinions and to think critically and
questioningly about what they are learning
- Use the students’ own knowledge and experience as much as posible
- Treat the students like adults but remember they are still children
- Encourage the students to have agency
- Be organised
- Be consistent whe they are discipline problems

9. STUDEN-CENTRED TEACHING
 PERSONALISATION: think about the right language to
use to express their own ideasand talk.
 AGENCY: learners have some responsability for their
own learning.
 LEARNER TRAINING: get students to think of the best
ways of doing things.
Some adults…
Are not keen on COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING, want
to translateevery word into their own language and have some
problems with memory (necesary to RECYCLE and REVISE).
Some teenagers…
Need to understand the LESSON OUTCOMES we expect for them,
have unresolved problems with SELF-ESTEEM, are
far more likely to enjoy lessons and want to know that their
teacher is interested in their progress.

10. LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS
Try to guess when they don’t know something
Try to get their message across even if their knowledge of
the language isn’t very good
Are prepared to make mistakes
Try to figure out how language works
Practise whenever they can
Analyse the way they and others talk
Have a good self-image and confidence
THEGOODLEARNER

11.  APTITUDE depends on MOTIVATION
Theory of MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
Everyone has the same intelligences,
but we are all differents.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Ability to understand and deal
with our own emotions and the
emotions of others
Students are categorized according to the LEARNING STYLES.
Neuro-linguistic programming has been used to explain
learners differences:
Different lessons for different kinds of student preferences
Try to encourage LEARNER AUTONOMY by offering
LEARNER TRAINING

12. DIFFERENT CONTEXTS, DIFFERENT LEVELS
We can do a NEEDS ANALYSIS to find out what future contexts learners will need to use English in.
DIFFERENT KINDS
OF ENGLISH
LEARNING
GENERAL ENGLISH
Learning the language
for no special reason
ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC
PURPOSE (ESP)
BUSINESS ENGLISH
ENGLISH FOR
ACADEMIC PURPOSE
(EAP)
ONE-TO-ONE CLASSES
(one student, one teacher)
CONTENT AND LANGUAGE
INTEGRATED LEARNING (CLIL)
Specially at primary and secondary
 Marries the learning of new
language to the learning of school-
curriculum subjects

13. DIFFERENT STUDENTS LEVEL
advanced
upper-intermediate
intermediate
lower-intermediate/pre-intermediate
elementary
real beginner false begginer
begginers elementary intermediate advancedv
false begginers pre-intermediate upper-intermediate
A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2

14. LARGE AND MIXED-ABILITY CLASSES
 In large classes is IMPORTANT:
o Be very organised
o Give very clear instructions
o Make it clear when we are moving for one stage of a lesson
o Establish clear routines
o Maximise the use of pairwork and groupwork
o Use choral repetition

15. MOTIVATION
⋆ EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION: comes from outside the learner.
⋆ INTRINSIC MOTIVATION: comes from the task it self.
⋆ INTEGRATIVE MOTIVATION: language learner wish to
integrate into the target language culture.
⋆ INSTRUMENTAL MOTIVATION: language learner is studying
because some materialistic reason.
The students’ motivation may be affected by a number of factors
(society, people around them, their learning experiences…).