1.2 Teacher`s methodological arsenal and its effectiveness in teaching foreign languages at the senior level.

A student who starts studying methods will be puzzled by the variety of methods he way come across in books. At different periods, depending on the aims of teaching and learning a foreign language, new methods sprang up. In each case the method received a certain name, its name denoted logical categories: the synthetic method, the analytic method, the deductive method, the inductive method, the grammar method, the lexical method, the phonetic method, also there are translating method, oral method. Sometimes the method got its name from the psychology of language learning: the intuitive method, the direct method and the conscious method.

The method was named after his inventor. We can find Amos Comenius method, the Jacotot method, The Berlitz method, the Palmer method.

In some cases the methods bear coupled names: grammar-translating method, Fries oral method, the method by teaching reading by West – they represent two sides of teaching.

According to the modern classification we can divide methods into:

Traditional

Communicative

Innovative

Traditional methods are grammar-translation, direct, audio-lingual, audiovisual.

Communicative methods are total physical Response, natural approach, competency-based approach, communicative approach.

Innovative methods are communicative language learning, silent way, suggestopedia, dramatic pedagogical method.

Traditional Language Teaching - the Grammar Translation Method, the Direct Method, and the Audio-lingual Method have been included not to give you a history of language teaching, but because they will strongly influence English instruction in many parts of the world.

Some words about Grammar Translation Method. Latin and Ancient Greek are known as "dead languages", based on the fact that people no longer speak them for the purpose of interactive communication. Yet they are still acknowledged as important languages to learn (especially Latin) for the purpose of gaining access to classical literature, and up until fairly recently, for the kinds of grammar training that led to the "mental dexterity" considered so important in any higher education study stream.

Latin has been studied for centuries, with the prime objectives of learning how to read classical Latin texts, understanding the fundamentals of grammar and translation, and gaining insights into some important foreign influences Latin has had on the development of other European languages. The method used to teach it overwhelmingly bore those objectives in mind, and came to be known (appropriately!) as the Classical Method. It is now more commonly known in Foreign Language Teaching circles as the Grammar Translation Method.

Grammar Translation Method looks upon language learning as an intellectual activity. Until twenty years ago, this method was used in Europe to teach Latin un schools.

In typical Grammar Translation class the main focus is on reading and writing, with little attention being given to speaking or listening. The central text for each lesson is literary. Passages are selected from authors such as Mark Twain, George Orwell, etc. These passages are read and then questions are asked and answered at first orally, then in writing. Grammar is taught deductively, through presentation And study of the rules, followed by practice through translations and exercises. Vocabulary selection is based on the reading text used. Words are taught through bilingual lists and memorization. Students are often asked to write the new words in a sentence.

It is worth looking at the objectives, features and typical techniques commonly associated with the Grammar Translation Method, in order to both understand how it works and why it has shown such tenacity as an "acceptable" language teaching philosophy in many countries and institutions around the world

In this method the teacher initiates interaction and these are seldom any student – to – student exchanges. The role of the teacher is a traditionally authoritarian one and the role of the student is to obey.

The Direct Method developed in the XIX century as educationalists attempted to build a language learning methodology around their observations of child language learning. These educationalists argued that a foreign language could be taught without translation od use of the learner`s native tongue. The Direct Method therefore insists on thinking and communicating directly in the target language and does not allow translation. The Berlitz School of Language is the best known proponent of this method.

The 4 languages skills are taught from the beginning, but a special emphasis is placed on speaking. Classes often start with the reading aloud of a special text which introduces the lesson`s vocabulary and grammatical structure. Practice follows with exercises when the teacher asks questions on the text and the students answer using full sentences. Students will then ask each other similar questions. Other practice exercises include filling-in-the-blanks, dictation, controlled composition or listening comprehension exercise. Grammar is taught inductively: language patterns are presented and practiced. The Direct Method Teacher uses mime, demonstration and visual aids to help students understand grammar and vocabulary. The “No Translation” rule can become an issue.

The next "revolution" in terms of language teaching methodology coincided with World War II, when America became aware that it needed people to learn foreign languages very quickly as part of its overall military operations. The "Army Method" was suddenly developed to build communicative competence in translators through very intensive language courses focusing on aural/oral skills. This in combination with some new ideas about language learning coming from the disciplines of descriptive linguistics and behavioral psychology went on to become what is known as the Audio-lingual Method (ALM).

This new method incorporated many of the features typical of the earlier Direct Method, but the disciplines mentioned above added the concepts of teaching "linguistic patterns" in combination with "habit-forming". This method was one of the first to have its roots "firmly grounded in linguistic and psychological theory" (Brown 1994:57), which apparently added to its credibility and probably had some influence in the popularity it enjoyed over a long period of time. It also had a major influence on the language teaching methods that were to follow, and can still be seen in major or minor manifestations of language teaching methodology even to this day.

Another factor that accounted for the method's popularity was the "quick success" it achieved in leading learners towards communicative competence. Through extensive mimicry, memorization and "over-learning" of language patterns and forms, students and teachers were often able to see immediate results. This was both its strength and its failure in the long run, as critics began to point out that the method did not deliver in terms of producing long-term communicative ability.

The study of linguistics itself was to change, and the area of second language learning became a discipline in its own right. Cognitive psychologists developed new views on learning in general, arguing that mimicry and rote learning could not account for the fact that language learning involved affective and interpersonal factors, that learners were able to produce language forms and patterns that they had never heard before. The idea that thinking processes themselves led to the discovery of independent language "rule formation" (rather than "habit formation") and that affective factors influenced their application paved the way toward the new methods that were to follow the Audio-lingual Method.

In the Audio-lingual Method, skills are taught order of acquisition: listening, speaking, reading and writing the class begins with dialogue, then practice grammar patterns in drills such as listen and repeat, substitution, chain, and transformation. Lessons are sequenced according to grammatical complexity. Translation is not allowed. Learning is controlled by the teacher, who follows the text closely.

Audiovisual Method. The primary stage of this method must be dedicated to the development of speaking. And later-writing and reading. It is called so because the students listen to the new material, which is revealed with the help of non-verbal visual aids. This process is based on structures. The lexical units were organized in topics of everyday communication. The native tongue expelled from the lessons.

The stages of work on a dialogue:

1) Presentation of the new material. (students watch the film twice) 2) Explanation of a teacher on film. 3) Revision. Students imitate the phrases, pay attention to rhythm, intonation. 4) Activization. Students watch the film without sound, they themselves sound it.

The late 1960s saw a shift in focus from the Audio-lingual Method to Communicative Language Teaching.

The emphasis is placed on using the target language to accomplish a function such as complaining, advising or asking for information. Attention is also paid to the social context in which this function takes place.

All 4 language skills are taught from the beginning. In speaking skills the aim is to be understood, not to speak like a native. Priority is given to leaner interests and needs. In the Communicative Approach , if a learner needs to know how to give advice then this conditional is taught. Interaction between speakers and listeners or readers and writers is at the roof of the activity. Learners usually work in pairs or groups for the role play, information sharing or problem serving. Exercises using authentic materials are a hallmark of this approach. Authentic materials are selected so that learners can practice language in real situations where possible.

The Total Physical Response is a language teaching method built around the coordination of speech and action. It attempts to teach language through physical activity. The Natural Approach shares with Total Physical Response an emphasis on exposing the learner to hearing and understanding the language before requiring the learner to speak. Language skills are taught in the natural order of acquisition: listening speaking, reading, writing. Listening is the basis for language acquisition. Language is acquired, not learned, through unconscious process which involves using the language for meaningful communication. Learning, on the other hand, involves a conscious process which results in knowledge about the rules of a language. The mother tongue is seldom used. Meaning is made clear by mime, drawing, etc. Great attention is paid to reducing learner anxiety. According to Natural Approach a teachers should create a learning environment which promotes self-confidence. When presenting new material you are to be prepared to speak, mime, draw or use real objects to get your meaning across.

Competency-Based Approach focuses on acquiring life coping skills while developing the language to perform these skills. The adult learning theory state that adults need to know that what they are studying will improve their lives. The learner`s needs dominate this approach. Language skills and grammar and vocabulary are sequenced according the learner`s needs. Translation is used rarely. Context is used as much as possible. The learner is encouraged to practice the language by performing real tasks outside of the classroom. This approach is bases on interaction. Pair and group work is used.

The Silent Way. The teacher should speak as little as possible and should encourage the learner to speak as much as possible. The learner discovers the rules of the target language and then applies those rules to understand and use the language. All 4 language skills are taught from the beginning. Special charts are used to teach pronunciation, words and other aspects of teaching language.

In Community Language Learning you aim at involving the learner`s whole personality. The teacher`s role is to understand the learner`s fears as they struggle to master another language. The focus is on listening and speaking. Grammar is given when necessary. The syllabus and materials are designed mostly be learners. This method works in small groups and which requires special training for teachers.

Suggestopedia. The founder of tars George Lozanov, believes that language can be made more efficient if the psychological barriers to learning are lowered. He believes that the main barriers a fear of failure. Lozanov designed a relaxed frame of mind and to convert learner`s fears into positive energy and enthusiasm for language learning.

Great attention is paid to the environment. Comfortable reading, light, music, in the background, colorful posters and charts are pinned to the walls. The teacher represents a text in too language, reads the text, the students relax, close their eyes and listen. Homework – to read the text before going to bed, in the morning after getting up. Role playing in the class.

Dramatic Pedagogical Method is a new method of teaching which is based on the concept that much can be taken from actors. The teacher makes a dialogue from the text book alive, vivid, interesting. The use of alive pictures.