Language Teaching Methods

There are some methods and approaches for teaching English. They are explained in Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching written by Larsen- Freeman & Anderson in 2011. Here are some of them which they explain.

1. Grammar translation method. This method emphasizes the use of grammatical rules and vocabulary of the target language. Teachers who use this method see that the language learning goal is to be able to read literature in the target language. Teacher becomes the one having the control toward the classroom and students are taught by translating from one language to another language, target language.
2. The Direct Method. This method is used by those seeing the intention of any language learning as to learn how to communicate in the target language, and therefore students have to think in the target language. the teachers and students are like partners. Vocabulary is given more emphasis over grammar. One characteristics of this method is the native language of the students or the mother tongue should not be used. Teacher  may use realia, picture or other media in explaining difficult words, but not with the mother tongue or the first language.
3. The Audio Lingual Method. This method is used by the teachers who have the goal to make the students able to use the language communicatively. The teachers will be the leader and director who will control all students' behaviour. New vocabulary and structural patterns are presented through dialogues. The dialogues are learned through imitation and repetition. Vocabulary is kept minimum while the students are mastering sound system and grammatical pattern. Similar to direct method, the native language is not used in the classroom.
4. The Silent Way. The teacher who uses this method have the target to make the students use the language to express their perception, feeling and thoughts. Teacher can give assistance, but not much. It is the learner who has to learn and as a result, the teacher is silent for most of the time. Meaning is not given by translation, but by focusing the students' perceptions. The mother tongue can be used especially to make the instruction clear or to give feedback.
5. Desuggestopedia. In applying this method the teacher have the hope to accelerate students' learning, helping them to use the target language for everyday communication. The teacher is the authority in the class and he/she will initiate the interactions with the whole group of students. A great deal of attention is given to students' feeling in this method. It is important that students are relaxed and confident. Vocabulary is emphasized and grammar is taught explicitly but minimally.
6. Community Language Learning. This method is used by the teachers who wants the students learn how to use the target language communicatively. Teachers will always support the students' learning and students' security is enhanced through the use of their native language. so the activity within the calssrooms is made far from being threatening. One regular activity will be listening to students in expressing their feelings in learning the language, and all the activities are graded very well to keep the secure feeling of the students.
7. Total Physical Response.  Teachers using the TPR hold the belief that it is very important for the students to enjoy their learning experience to communicate in the target language. Teacher have the role as the director of the class. Teachers interact with the whole class and individual. One of the main reason of creating TPR is to lessen the stress people have in learning the target language. Vocabulary and grammatical structures are emphasized over other languages areas. In this method, modelling is used. Teachers issue the command to some members of the class, then performs the actions with them. Next, they have to demonstrate that they understand the command by performing the action alone. So, the students will react non verbally, and as the time goes, they will be more verbal in giving the response.
8. Communicative Language Teaching. The goal of the teaching is to make students able to communicate in the target language. Teachers will facilitate communication in the classrooms. The most obvious characteristics of CLT is that almost everything is done with communicative intent. The activities can be in form of games, role - plays, and problem solving tasks.  The use of native language is permitted.
9. Content - Based instruction. in this method teacher wants the students to master both the language and the content. There is no overt role for students' native language. The teacher guides language learning and teacher corrects the students' error by giving students the correct form or allowing students to self-correct
10. Task Based Instruction. The goal of the teachers using this method is facilitating the students' language learning by engaging them in a variety of tasks that have a clear outcome. There is no explicit role for students' mother tongue. Students are motivated by doing tasks that prepare them for real world.