Class #9

Monday, October 28th, 2019

Grammar Translation Method

Teacher's Role:

The teacher is just guiders because this method deals with the memorization of rules, manipulation of rules, manipulation of the morphology, and syntax of the foreign language. It requires few specialized skills on the part of teachers because the test of grammar rules and translation are easy to construct and be objectively scrod. The facilitator main function is that of observation rather than corrective intervention in regards to the learners.

Students' Role:

Students are expected to memories an endless list of grammar rules and vocabulary and produce almost perfect translations. This method means a tedious experience and often creates frustration for students. Main activities and controls are started by the students, he or she is the one who provides the course of the learning process and the status of knowledge as well.

Direct Method

Teacher's Role:

In this method, the role of the teacher is to direct the class activities, encourage students to participate in the class by asking them questions constantly, and corrects their mistakes immediately. Something really important in this role is that students and teachers are partners in the learning process. On the other hand, the student role is less passive than in the grammar-translation method.

Students' Role:

The students’ role in this method is the active learner. They are active in exploring new words, expressions, etc. in the target language.  The students are also the observer and practitioner. In this the method, the students observe the target language used by the teacher in teaching and they try to get the meaning based on the demonstration given and then they will practice the target language they observed and they use it to communicate with their friends and teacher in the classroom.

Task Based Learning

Teacher's Roles:

In classroom context mode, opportunities for genuine, real-world type discourse are frequent and the teacher plays a less prominent role, taking a back seat and allowing learners all the space they need. The principal role of the teacher is to listen and support the interaction, which often takes on the appearance of a casual conversation outside the classroom. (Nunan, 2004). Nunan, states a very interesting description of what learner roles tend to appear in the process of doing a task. However, again to be more specific, the following are precise roles put in practice by teachers for the students in the learning process.

1.   Selector and Sequencer of Tasks

2.   Preparing Learners for Tasks

3.    Consciousness-Raising

Students' Roles:

These include:

1.   The learner is a passive recipient of outside stimuli

2.   The learner is an interactor and negotiator who is capable of giving as well as taking.

3.   The learner is a listener and performer who has little control over the content of learning.

4.   The learner is involved in a process of personal growth.

5.   The learner is involved in a social activity, and the social and interpersonal roles of the learner cannot be divorced from psychological learning processes.

6.   The learner must take responsibility for his or her own learning, developing autonomy and skills in learning-how-to-learn.

  

Communicative Language Teaching

Teacher's Role:

This type of classroom tends to be learner-center, which means that the educator acts as a facilitator and monitor who models successfully communication and establishes an environment that encourages communication.

Students' Role:

The students do much of the speaking and often work in pairs or groups to complete tasks cooperatively. In this approach, is not the teacher’s job to prevent and correct all errors. The students are communicators, they are actively engaged in trying to make themselves understood.

Audio-lingual Approach

Teacher's Role:

The teacher is like an orchestra leader, directing and controlling the language behavior of her students. She is also responsible for providing her students with a good model for imitation.

Students' Role:

Students are imitators of the teacher’s model or the tapes she supplies of model speakers. They follow the teacher’s directions and respond as accurately and as rapidly as possible.

Cooperative Learning

Teacher's Role:

In this particular method, the teacher teaches students social skills so that they can work together more efficiently. The teacher’s initial role is primarily as a counselor, so he skillfully understands and supports his students in their struggle to master the target language.

Students' Role:

Students should be active, and work hard to collaborate with their peers. Students feel responsible for their own and the group's effort and encourage and support others.

 

 

Class #8

Vanessa, Irene and Nelsy

Monday, October 21st, 2019

Direct Method

History:

v  The Direct Method of teaching was developed as a reaction of the Grammar-Translation Method, because since the Grammar Translation Method was not very effective in preparing students to use the target language communicatively, the Direct Method became popular.

v  Direct Method was developed by Maximilian Berlitz towards the end of the 19^th century in Europe, for economic development the communication among nations became more frequent.

v  Use the natural way to communicate, like a baby learning its mother tongue.

What direct method is?

-          The direct method is named "direct" because meaning should be connected directly with the target language without translation into the native language.

Theoretical assumption:

ü  Language can be learning only through demonstration. Instead of analytical procedures of grammar rules, students must be encouraged to use language naturally and spontaneously, so that they induce grammar.

ü  This method emphasize the importance of sounds, simple sentences, and direct             association of language with object and person of immediate environment- the classroom, the home, the garden, etc.

Principles of the direct method:

1-      Classroom instruction is conducted in the target language. The teacher should demonstrate, not explain or translate.

2-      Only everyday vocabulary and sentences are taught. Vocabulary is taught through known words, demonstration, authentic objects (realia), pictures and miming.

3-      Grammar is taught inductively. There may never and explicit grammar rule given, make them figure out the rule.

4-      The syllabus is based on situations or topics, not usually on linguistic structures.

5-      Correct pronunciation is emphasizing.

6-      Students should learn to think in the target language as soon as possible.

7-      New teaching points are introduced orally.

8-      Both speech and listening comprehension are taught.

9-      The purpose of language learning is communication. 
10- Speaking was taught first before reading or writing.

Techniques:

Ø  Reading aloud

Ø  Question and answer exercise

Ø  Getting students to self-correct

Ø  Conversation practice

Ø  Fill in the blank exercise

Ø  Dictation

Ø  Paragraph writing

The role of the students:

ü  The teacher and the students are more like partners in the teaching/learning process.

ü  The students have an active role.

ü  The students are also the observer and the partitioner.

The role of the teacher:

• The teacher is the only demonstrator. He/she never translates but demonstrates the meaning through the use of realia pictures.
• Direct the class activities.
• Students and the teacher are partners in the learning process and there is a large amount of, learner-learner interaction.

 Audio lingual method

History:

v  The Audio-Lingual method of teaching English as a second language had its origins during World War II when it became known as the Army method.  It was developed as a reaction to the grammar-translation method of teaching foreign languages

v  The Audio-Lingual method set out to achieve quick communicative competence through innovative methods.  From about 1947-1967 the Audio-Lingual approach was the dominant foreign language teaching method in the United States.

Main objective:

ü  Accurate pronunciation and grammar, the ability to respond quickly and accurately in speech situations and knowledge of sufficient vocabulary to use with grammar patterns.

Principles of this method are:

-Instructions are given in the target language.

-Language forms occur within a context.

-Students’ native language interferes as little as possible with the students’ attempts to acquire the target language.

-Teaching is directed to provide students with a native-speaker-like model.

      -Errors are carefully avoided because they lead to the formation of bad habits. 

      - Positive reinforcement helps the student to develop correct habits.

      -The teacher is regarded as an orchestra leader- conducting, guiding and controlling the students’       behavior in the target language.

      -Learning a foreign language is treated on par with the native language learning

Characteristics:

v  Language learning is habit-formation,

v  Mistakes are bad and should be avoided, as they are considered bad habits,

v  Language skills are learned more effectively if they are presented orally first, then in written form,

v  Analogy is a better foundation for language learning than analysis,

v  The meanings of words can be learned only in a linguistic and cultural context.

Advantages:

•      It aims at developing listening and speaking skills which is a step away from the Grammar translation method.

•      The use of visual aids has proven its effectiveness in vocabulary teaching.

Disadvantages:

o   The method is based on false assumptions about language. The study of language doesn’t amount to studying the “parole”, the observable data. Mastering a language relies on acquiring the rules underlying language performance.

Class #6

Class Simulation

Ana Yanci Rodríguez, Cindy Jimenez and Adriana Rodríguez.

Monday, October 7th, 2019

Communicative learning approach

The communicative approach is based on the idea that learning a language successfully comes through having to communicate real meaning. When learners are involved in real communication, their natural strategies for the language the acquisition will be used, and this will allow them to learn to use the language.

Example: Practicing question forms by asking learners to find out personal information about their colleagues.

In the classroom is necessary to produce meaningful and real communication, at all levels. As a result, there may be more emphasis on skills than systems, lessons are more learner-centered, and there may be the use of authentic materials.

Characteristics of the communicate learning approach:

1. Classroom goals are focused on all of the components of communicative competence and not restricted to grammatical or linguistic competence.

2. Language teaching techniques are designed to engage learners in the pragmatic, authentic, functional use of language for meaningful purposes. Language forms are not the central focus but rather aspects of language that enable the learner to accomplish those purposes.

3. Fluency and accuracy are seen as complementary principles underlying communicative techniques. At times fluency may have to take on more importance than accuracy to keep learners meaningfully engaged in language use.

4. In the communicative classroom, students ultimately have to use the language, productively and receptively, in unrehearsed contexts.

ADVANTAGES

·         Increase of fluency in the target language.

·         Seeks to use authentic resources. And that is more interesting and motivating for children.

·         Children acquire grammar rules as a necessity to speak so it is more proficient and efficient.

·             The approach also leads to gains in the areas of grammatical/sociolinguistic/discourse/strategic competence through communication.

DISADVANTAGES

·         Is difficult for the teacher alone to check the language use of every student, especially in a big class.

·         The Communicative Approach often seems to be interpreted as: “if the teacher understands the student, we have good communication” but native speakers of the target language can have great difficulty understanding students.

·         Focuses on fluency but not accuracy.

Teacher roles

-          The first role is to facilitate the communication process between all participants in the classroom, and between these participants and the various activities and texts.

-          The second role is to act as an independent participant within the learning-teaching group.

-          The latter role is closely related to the objectives of the first role and arises from it. These roles imply a set of secondary roles for the teacher; first, as an organizer of resources and as a resource himself, second as a guide within the classroom procedures and activities... A third role for the teacher is that of researcher and learner, with much to contribute in terms of appropriate knowledge and abilities, actual and observed experience of the nature of learning and organi­zational capacities

Learner roles

The emphasis in Communicative Language Teaching on the processes of communication, rather than mastery of language.

Text-based material like textbooks will, if designed on CLT principles, offer the learners many kinds of prompts on which they can build up conversations. They will typically contain visual cues, pictures and sentence fragments that the learners can use as a starting point for conversation. Other books consist of different texts the teacher can use for pair work. Both learners get texts with different information and the task is to ask each other questions to get to know the content of the missing piece.

Task-based the material consists of exercise handbooks, cue cards, activity cards, pair-communication practice materials, and student-interaction practice booklets. Using realia in communicative language teaching means using authentic material, for example, newspaper articles, photos, maps, symbols, and many more. Material which can be touched and held makes speaking and learning more concrete and meaningful. Maps can be used to describe the way from one point to another and photos can be used for describing where things are placed, in front of, on top of or underneath something, and so on.

Kare
Ricardo
Yohanna

Cooperative Learning Method

Introduction

1-What is a cooperative learning method of teaching?

*Cooperative learning is an educational approach which aims to organize classroom activities into academic and social learning experiences. There is much more to cooperative learning than merely arranging students into groups, and it has been described as "structuring positive interdependence." ... positive interdependence.

*Cooperative learning is a teaching method where students of mixed levels of ability are arranged into groups and rewarded according to the group's success, rather than the success of an individual member.

2-What are cooperative learning strategies?

Cooperative Learning, sometimes called small-group learning, is an instructional strategy in which small groups of students work together on a common task. ... Face-to-face interaction: Students encourage and support one another; the environment encourages discussion and eye contact

3-How can cooperative learning be used in the classroom?

Using cooperative learning strategies such as think-pair-share, and the jigsaw technique encourages peer teaching and brainstorming, as well as the open exchanging of ideas. ... Explain how you use cooperative learning in your classroom, giving examples, and tell us why this is a useful strategy.

4-What is the jigsaw cooperative learning method?

The jigsaw method allows the teacher to break students into groups and assignments into smaller pieces, all for accomplishing tasks with more detail and collaboration. ... Jigsawing requires students to listen and learn, and the group is rewarded when each individual contributes their skills and knowledge to the whole.

5-What are the five elements of cooperative learning?

The five basic elements of cooperative learning are:

·         Positive interdependence.

·         Individual and group accountability.

·         Interpersonal and small group skills.

·         Face-to-face promotive interaction.

·         Group processing.

6-What is the purpose of cooperative learning?

The purpose of cooperative learning, groups is to make each member a stronger individual in his or her right. Students learn together so that they can subsequently perform higher as individuals. The third essential component of cooperative learning is promotive interaction, preferably face-to-face.

7-What are the types of cooperative learnings?

Informal Learning Groups

These groups are short term and not very structured. They typically involve activities where classmates turn to a neighbor to discuss a problem or concept for a few minutes. Informal groups are generally small, usually two but no more than three people. It’s most convenient to use informal learning groups for quick activities such as checking for understanding, brainstorming, quick problem solving, summarizing, or review. Discuss a controversial problem peer to peer.

Formal Learning Groups

Formal learning groups are assigned a task or project and stay together until it is complete. There is a clear structure to these groups set by the teacher that includes task and behavior expectations. Formal learning groups can be heterogeneous or homogeneous, depending on the assignment. Most groups perform well with three to four people, any more than five can become unproductive. Doing a project, solving a series of problems, reviewing for a test, or writing a report are all examples of how formal learning groups can be used in a classroom.

Cooperative Base Groups

These groups are different from the previous two in that they are long term support groups. Base groups should last for a minimum of a semester but can be anywhere up to several years. Since they are long term commitments, typically these groups become more than just academic problem solving groups. Members in base groups often become a personal support system for each other, building relationships and trust during the duration of their cooperative learning process.

8-Conclusion

It is acceptable to use more than one type of group at a time! For example, you can assign a project using formal learning groups and still use informal groups during teaching time where the formal groups aren’t working together. If you have a class where cooperating is a challenge, you may need many opportunities for your students to practice working together. Start out simple and work your way towards more formal cooperative learning situations.

Class #5

Monday, September 30^th, 2019

Class Simulation 

Students: Yarithza Ramírez-Everly Rojas-Adriana Sánchez.

Grammar Translation Method

Characteristics

• It is a method which makes the use of translation and grammar study as the main teaching and learning activities.
• A focus of learning the rules of grammar and their application in translation passages.
• Vocabulary in the target language is learned through direct translation from the native language.
• Grammar is taught with extensive explanations in the native language.

History

• Originally used to teach Latin and Greek in the late 19^th and the early 20^th century.
• Earlier in the 20^th century, this method was used for the purposes of helping students read and appreciate foreign language.

Background

• The traditional method of second language teaching in schools.
• Most common language teaching method.
• Stressed literacy development.
• Teacher centered.

Original purposes

• Helping students read and appreciate foreign language literature.
• Students can become more familiar with the grammar of their native language and also write and speak better.
• Much vocabulary is taught in the form of a list of isolated words.
• Classes are taught in the mother tongue, with little active use of the target language.
• Grammar provides the rules of putting words together, and instructions often focus on the form and inflection of words.
• Reading of difficult classical texts is begun early.
• Little attention is paid to the content of texts.
• Memorization is required to learn new words, grammatical rules, and verb conjugation.

Exercises of a class using this method 

·         Translation of a literacy passage.

·         Reading comprehension questions.

·         Antonym / synonym.

·         Fill in the blanks.

·         Deductive application of a rule.

·         Compositions.

Task-based learning

Characteristics

• It is an approach in which learning revolves around the completion of meaningful tasks that can be daily routines, buying a cup of coffee, going to the doctor, etc.
• It is a communicative approach
• Have a clear purpose: learners are expected to produce when they finish performing the task.
• Students can share with more people in real-world activities.

Role of the teacher

• Moderator
• His/her participation is pretty slim
• The teacher will give the task to the students and then watch the use of language
• Create an opportunity to involve every single student
• Give an introduction to the task
• Be sure that the second language is used with no  exceptions
• Give feedback

The framework of a TBL lesson may vary. It is usually composed of the following phases:

Pre-task

·         Introduction to the topic and task: The teacher explores the class, highlights useful words and phrases, helps students understand task instructions and prepare.

Task cycle

·         Task: students do the task, in pairs or small groups and the teacher monitors

·         Planning: students prepare to report to the class (orally or writing) how they did the task, what they decided or discovered.

·         Report: some groups present their reports to the class, or exchange written reports and compared results (students receive feedback on their level of success in completing the task).

Language focus

• Analysis:  students examine and discuss specific features of the text or transcript of the recording.
• Practice: The teacher conducts practice or new words, phrases and patterns occurring in the data, either during or after the analysis.