Things I like from several foreign language teaching methods

The review we did last week on the ten methods and approaches for learning and teaching languages we have been working on along the term gave me the perfect chance to pick concepts and ideas I like the most from each. As Diane Larsen-Freeman states in her book titled Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching, we don't need to agree with every principle of a certain method; we could just take some techniques or principles linked with it which we feel that fit into the idea of language teaching we are trying to build during this Minor.

So, for now, I would say that these are the things I have found attractive and useful in each method:

• Grammar translation method: I liked the focus on culture and literature linked with the target language. I also think that working on synonyms and antonyms could be useful in some situations, because as we have learned in psycho-motricity, the notion of contrast is a powerful resource for learning, and synonyms and antonyms are about similarity and contrast in language.
• Audio-lingual method: I liked the fact that it works mainly on listening and speaking skills at the beginning. I also like the importance given to input quality, and the fact that errors are corrected immediately. The use of minimal pairs can be useful too, as it focuses on contrast and can help learners become aware of phonemes in the target language which might be hard to discriminate. The fact that students have an active role, even though the interaction is teacher-directed, is a plus too.
• Silent way: I find the notion of silence as a teaching tool very interesting, because it draws our attention to the interaction pattern and the need to weight carefully when the teacher should speak. Thinking of ways to be an active teacher using resources other that speaking is challenging too. The fact that students are encouraged to be autonomous learners is also interesting. I also like the idea of students working cooperatively and becoming highly involved in the activities. I find linking language learning to problem solving, and seeing it as a guided discovery very interesting too.
• Suggestopedia: The fact that it takes into account the role of students' feeling in the learning process is one of the main points I like. Therefore, creating a nice atmosphere will improve learning. I also liked the use of direct and indirect positive suggestions, and the fact that we can take advantage of peripheral learning. Adopting a new identity and singing songs as tools to loosen up and reach a state in which we will be more open to learning is also attractive.
• Community language learning: I like the fact that the role of the teacher evolves along the learning process in a way which resembles scaffolding. I also like the importance given to psychology, the active role of learners and the focus on building a community of learners who will support each other. Learning in a laid back atmosphere, through natural conversations which follow learners' interests is also an interesting idea. Enabling learners to produce right from the beginning can also be a very good way to improve motivation and, obviously, working in small groups would be ideal too.
• Total physical response: I like very much the notion of enjoying while we learn and the fact that the learners starts to produce when they feel ready for it. Regarding non-verbal responds done with body movements as a way of production will also be encouraging for learners. Besides, learning through movement and action fits very well with the way children learn, especially in pre-primary.
• Communicative approach: I like that fact that it adds more competences to the grammatical competence taken into account by the traditional methods mentioned so far (sociolinguistic, strategic and discourse competences). Placing learners in real life situations where language becomes the tool to solve a problem is also very interesting. The fact that activities need to be meaningful for learners, and that both teacher's goals and students' goals need to be taken into account is also important. The focus on interaction among students, using authentic materials, games and role play are powerful ideas too.
• Natural way: I like the focus on everyday life vocabulary and situations, the stress on having a nice atmosphere, the notion of i+1 (input a bit above of what the learner has already achieved), and the use of realia, gestures, total physical response, games, stories and songs. Since it is based on the way we naturally learn language, it can be very appropriate for pre-primary, bearing in mind that we will by no means have the amount of exposure needed to learn language using this method only.
• Process programme (task based learning), and CLIL: setting real life situations which students might encounter in life, where a natural context for language use is provided sounds like the right thing to do. Language becomes the tool to deal with the situation, in a problem-solving context. I also like very much the idea of focusing on the process, instead of the final outcome. Placing the focus on students, having tasks which are meaningful for learners, transcending the classroom walls and working on a topic or project for several weeks are also very interesting ideas in my opinion. The notion of acquiring language at the same time as we build knowledge on diverse topics fits in very well with the way teaching and learning are approached in pre-primary, so it is very useful.