(1,2,3)Foreign-Language-Teaching-Theories

ForeignLanguageTeachingTheoriesChapterOneIntroduction•1.1WhatisFLTTabout?•Astudyofthevarious(theoretical)questionsconcerningFLTpracticesandprocedures,andtheprinciplesandbeliefsthatunderliethem•(a)astudyofthenatureoflanguageteachingandlearning–thenatureoflanguageandlanguageskills,andthevariousfactorsaffectinglanguagelearnersWhatislanguage•Atoolforhumancommunication–acloseandcomplexsystemofstructureadaptabletothedifferentneedsofhumancommunication(cf.beaconfire,semaphore,trafficsignal,telegram)•Ameansofhumanthinking,acarrierandsymbolofculturethatdistinguisheshumansfromotherspeciesWhatitmeanstoteachanotherlanguage•Anefforttoreachbeyondtheconfinesofone’sL1intoanL2,anewwayofsayingthings,anewwayofthinking,feelingandacting,anewculture•Acomplexprocessthat,inasense,successorfailureofFLTdependslargelyuponlearnersthemselves•(b)astudyofthepracticesandproceduresofLT:thesettingofteachingaimsandobjectives,thedesigningofsyllabuses,theprocess,principlesandcontentsofteaching,thepreparationoflessonplans,materialsandtextbooksforteachinglanguageskills•(c)evaluationandcomparisonoflanguageteachingmethodsintermsoftheirprinciplesandbeliefsandtheirpracticesandprocedures(cf.TeachingandLearningTheories)ChapterOneIntroduction•1.2IsLTascienceoranart?•ThemoststrikingfeatureofthehistoryofLT--agreatdiversityoftheoriesandmethodshavebeenpropounded,asschoolsofthoughthavecomeandgone,sohaveLTmethodswaxedandwanedinpopularity,atrelativelybriefintervals--violentswingsofthependulumfromoneextremetoanother--thereseemstobenosystematicallyarrangedbodyofknowledgedevelopedthroughtheuseoftime-testedandgenerallyacceptedmethods•Purelyanart?Unanalyzableandunteachable,tobeimprovedonlybytheexerciseofgreatpersonalgiftofinsightandimagination?•Totheextentthatitremainsanart,itpermitstheindividualteachertoexercisesuchpersonalgiftsashe/shemaybeendowedwith.•Totheextentthatitcanberelatedtoascienceorsciencesandthusitselfbecomesanappliedscience,itcanbedevelopedinacoherentway,begivencontinuity,andbetaught.ChapterOneIntroduction•1.3WhatisthescopeofFLTT?•FLTTisconcernedwith--thenatureFLteachingandlearning,thegoalandcontentsofFLinstruction,itsprinciples,methodsandtechniques,itsformsofclassorganization,itswaysoftestingandevaluation,etc.•ConceptsofcriticalimportanceforFLTT–L1,MT,L2,FL,TL;approach,method,technique.•L1,MT,•L2,•FL,TL•Approach:asetofcorrelativeassumptionsdealingwiththenatureofLandhowLsarelearnt•Method:anoverallplanfortheorderlypresentationoflanguagematerialnopartofwhichcontradicts,andallofwhichisbasedontheselectedapproach•Technique:concretemeansandwaysinapplyingacertainmethodinclassroomactivityChapterOneIntroduction•1.4HowisLTTrelatedtootherdisciplines?Thebasicelementsinanyteachingsituation:theteacher,thesubjectmatter,thelearner,andtheaimsofinstruction–theyarerelatedtooneanotherinawayverysimilartothetermsofanequation:••T=S+L+A•Languageteachingmethodsshouldbebasedonthreecornerstones:•a.Whatisknownaboutthenatureofthelanguage;b.Whatisknownaboutthenatureofthelearner;•c.Whataretheaimsandobjectivesofinstruction(a)LTTandlinguistics•LTTisastudyoflanguageinstruction•LTTregardslanguageasasetofskills•LTTaimsatthelearner’smasteryoflanguage•Linguisticsisascientificstudyoflanguage•Linguisticsregardslanguageasasystemofforms•Linguisticsaimsatestablishmentoftheories•TobridgethegapbetweentheoriesoflinguisticsandthepracticeofLT,appliedlinguisticscomesintobeing,--thestudyoflanguageandlinguisticsinrelationtotheteachingofthesecondandforeignlanguage;inabroadsense,itisthestudyoflinguisticsandothertheoriesinrelationtoanylanguage-relatedproblem,suchasspeechpathology,machinetranslation,etc•Appliedlinguisticsinterpretstheresultsoflinguistictheoriesandmakesthemrelevanttothelanguageteacher•ItisconductivetoFLTintwoaspects–(1)itextendstheoreticallinguisticsinthedirectionofFLTsothattheteacherisenabledtomakemoreinformeddecisionsonthegoalandcontentoftheteaching–onwhatapproachtotake,hencewhattoteach;(2)itstatestheinsightsandimplicationsthatlinguistictheorieshaveonLTmethodology–onhowtoteach.(b)LTTandpsychology•Toknowhowthelearnerlearnsisamustforeffectiveteaching.Psycholinguisticscomesouttomeetthisneeds,whichisastudyofthepsychology–thementalprocesses--ofthelearnerinmasteringalanguage,esp.aforeignlanguage–ofwhatisgoingoninthemindofthelearnerwhenhe/sheconverses,comprehends,readsandwritesinalanguage,esp.inaforeignlanguage(c)LTTandsociology/education•Astheaimsandobjectivesofinstructiondependontheneedsfeltbythesocietyandtheindividual,atagiventime,socio-linguistics–thefieldthatstudiestherelationbetweenlanguageandsociety,betweentheusesoflanguageandthesocialstructuresinwhichtheusersoflanguagelive–andeducationalsciencethrowssomelightontheseneeds.•TheneedsfeltbythesocietyaretobedecidedbyL2planning:•WhichL2orL2sshouldbelearnt?•Whatlevelsofproficiencyshouldbeaimedat?•ShouldeverybodyoronlysomelearnlanguageAorB?•WhatplaceshouldtheseL2sbegivenintheeducationalsystem?•Andtheneedsfeltbytheindividualaremetbytheconceptoflanguagesforspecialpurposesasawayofcateringforthevaryinglanguageneedsofprofessionalsanduniversitystude