I.
BACKGROUND
Before World War
Two, there were three methods. They were a modified direct method approach, a
reading approach, and
reading-oral approach.
Problems with the three methods are they lacked standardization of vocabulary
and grammar so that no one could agree what is important to
teach for beginning, intermediate, or advanced learners and basically
they lacked structure.
World War Two
changed everything including in teaching language. In that time, the U.S. government needed people who
were influent in German, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Malay, and other
languages to work as interpreters, code-room assistants, and translators.
Therefore, the government asked American universities to create foreign
language programs for military personnel. The goal was for learners to become
conversationally proficient in several languages. The Army Specialized Training
Program (ASTP) was started in1942.
The Army
“Method” & Leonard Bloomfield at Yale University came up with an idea where
native speakers acted as an informant of the language and as linguist. Students
and informants gradually learned a language in
ten hours a day and for six day a week. The ASTP continued for two years and
attracted much attention. By the 1950s, as a result of many factors (foreign
students and political power) Audiolingualism became a standardized way of
teaching a language.
Dr. Charles
Fries (1939), at the University of Michigan, developed the first English
institute in the U.S. This was the first program to focus on both the teaching
and learning of English as a second or foreign language. He rejected the Direct
Method and instead to applied the principles
of structural linguistics to language teaching. Grammar was the local point and it combined with pronunciation and intensive oral
drilling of basic sentence patterns.
Sputnik changed
everything again. The Russian satellite in1957 made the U.S. government realized the need for foreign language teaching. The
National Defense Education Act (1958) provided money for the training of
teachers, the development of teaching materials, and for the study and analysis
of modern languages.
The term of
Auidolingualism was coined by Professor
Nelson Brooks (1964). Many colleges and universities offered foreign language
classes and
it was taught by teachers
using this method. In the 1960’s, Audiolingualism began to lose its popularity,
but this method is still used today.
II.
APPROACH
1. Theory
of Language
Theory
of language in Audiolingualism is structuralism. Structural linguistics
influences Audiolingualism. A more practice
interest in language study. Elements in a language are linearly produced in a
rule-governed way. Language samples could be described at any structural level
(phonetic, phonemic, and morphological). Linguistic level are pyramidally structured. Phonemic systems
lead to morphemic and these lead to phrases, clauses, and sentences.
2. Theory
of Learning
Theory of learning in
Audiolingualism is behaviorism. Behavioral psychology influences Audiolingualism as well. Behaviorists believe that
humans are capable of learning many behaviors. Behaviorism depends on three
elements. They are stimulus, response, and reinforcement. Stimulus is elicits
behavior, response is triggered by stimulus, and reinforcement is marks the
response as being appropriate and it encourages repetition (vital in the
learning process).
In brief, foreign
language learning is a process of mechanical habit formation. Language skills
are learned more effectively if they are learned in spoken form rather than
written form. Analogy provides a better foundation than analysis and drills can enable learners to form correct analogies.
Moreover, language must be learned in context of the linguistics and culture.
III.
DESIGN
1. Objectives
Short-term
objectives would include listening comprehension, accurate pronunciation,
recognition of speech symbols as graphic sign and the ability to reproduce
these symbols in writing (Brooks, 1964). Meanwhile long-term objectives would
include language as the speakers’ needs to use it.
2. Syllabus
This method is
based on a linguistic or structure-based approach to language teaching, which
is built on a step by step linguistic
syllabus that contains phonology, morphology, and syntax (Contrastive analysis
will focus on differences between the two languages).
3. Types
of Learning and Teaching Activities
Dialogues and
drills make up the basic classroom practices. Dialogues can contextualize key
structures, illustrate situations, and be used for repetition and memorization.
Drills and pattern practice make the method unique.
4. Roles
a. Learner
Roles
Learners can be
directed by skilled training techniques to produce correct responses. Learners
show that they have learned through external displays. Learners have little
control because they are reactive and they do not initiate interaction.
b. Teacher
Roles
The teacher’s
roles are central and active. The teacher models
the target language, controls the direction and pace of learning, monitors, and corrects the learner’s performance. The teacher
must learn and do many things.
c. The
Role of Instructional Materials
Most of the
materials are teacher-oriented. At the beginning levels, books are rarely used.
Books may distract attention away from the aural input. Tape recorders a
language laboratory and audiovisual equipment are important.
IV.
PROCEDURE
Extensive
oral instruction is required and the target
language is used. The following procedures are:
1.
Students
hear a model dialogue and they repeat it. After that, they memorize it.
The correction of mistakes of pronunciation or grammar is direct and immediate.
Dialogues are adapted and then acted out.
2.
Key
structures are selected and used for pattern drills. A limited grammatical
explanation is given.
3.
Look
at textbook. Follow-up reading, writing or vocabulary activities may be
introduced (Higher levels).
4.
Follow-up
activities in a language laboratory.
V.
THE DECLINE OF AUDIOLINGUALISM
The theoretical
attack on audiolingual beliefs resulted from changes in American linguistic
theory in the 1960s. Students are unable to transfer skills acquired through Audiolingualism to real communication outside
the classroom and audiolingual procedures to be boring and unsatisfying.
VI.
CONCLUSION
This method was
scrutinized in several ways:
1.
Theoretical
foundations were considered unsound in both language theory and learning
theory.
2.
Practitioners
discovered that the practical results did not meet expectations.
3.
Students
were not able to transfer skills to real communication outside the classroom.
4.
Many
Students found the classes boring and unsatisfying.
Noam Chomsky (1966)
rejected this method. He said that language is not a habit. Chomsky’s theory of
transformational grammar said that language is creative and generated. Due to
lack of an alternative to Audiolingualism led in the 1970s and 80s to a time of
adaptation, innovation, experimentation, and some confusion.
Source: Google and Youtube
Post a Comment