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History of Language Teaching
History of Language Teaching
This chapter, in briefly reviewing the history of language teaching methods, provides a background for discussion of contemporary methods and suggests the issues we will refer to in analyzing these methods. From this historical perspective we are also able to see that the concerns that have prompted modern method innovations were similar to those that have always been at the center of discussions on how to teach foreign languages. Changes in language teaching methods throughout history have reflected recognition of changes in the kind of proficiency learners need, such as a move toward oral proficiency rather than reading comprehension as the goal of language study; they have also reflected changes in theories of the nature of language and of language learning. Kelly !"#"$ and %owatt !"&'$ have demonstrated that many current issues in language teaching are not particularly new. Today(s controversies reflect contemporary responses to )uestions that have been asked often throughout the history of language teaching. *t has been estimated that some si+ty percent of today(s world population is multilingual. ,oth from a contemporary and a historical perspective, bilingualism or multilingualism is the norm rather than the e+ception. *t is fair, then, to say that throughout history foreign language learning has always been an important practical concern. -hereas today .nglish is the world(s most widely studied foreign language, five hundred years ago it was /atin, for it was the dominant language of education, commerce, religion, and government in the -estern world. *n the si+teenth century, however, French, *talian, and .nglish gained in importance as a result of political changes in .urope, and /atin gradually became displaced as a language of spoken and written communication. 0s the status of /atin diminished from that of a living language to that of an 1occasional1 sub2ect in the school curriculum, the study of /atin took on a different function. The study of classical /atin the /atin in which the classical works of 3irgil, 4vid, and Cicero were written$ and an analysis of its grammar and rhetoric became the model for foreign language study from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Chil5 dren entering 1grammar school1 in the si+teenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries in .ngland were initially given a
rigorous introduction to /atin grammar, which was taught through rote learning of grammar rules, study of declensions and con2ugations, translation, and practice in writing sample sentences, sometimes with the use of parallel bilingual 6e+ts and dialogue Kelly !"#"; %owatt !"&7$. 4nce basic proficiency was established, students were introduced to the advanced study of grammar and rhetoric. 8chool learning must have been a deadening e+perience for children, for lapses in knowledge were often met with brutal punishment. There were occasional attempts to promote alternative approaches to education; 9oger 0scham and :ontaigne in the si+teenth century and Comenius and ;ohn /ocke in the seventeenth century, for e+ample, had made specific proposals for curriculum reform and for changes in the way /atin was taught Kelly !"#"; %owatt !"&'$, but since /atin and, to a lesser e+tent, <reek$ had for so long been regarded as the classical and therefore most ideal form of language, it was not surprising that ideas about the role of language study in the curriculum reflected the long5established status of /atin. The decline of /atin also brought with it a new 2ustification for teaching /atin. /atin was said to develop intellectual abilities, and the study of /atin grammar became an end in itself. -hen once the /atin tongue had ceased to be a normal vehicle for communication, and was replaced as such by the vernacular languages, then it most speedily became a (mental gymnastic(, the supremely (dead( language, a disciplined and systematic study of which was held to be indispensable as a basis for all forms of higher education. 3. :allison, cited in Titone !"#&= >#$ 0s 1modern1 languages began to enter the curriculum of .uropean schools in the eighteenth century, they were taught using the same basic procedures that were used for teaching /atin. Te+tbooks consisted of statements of abstract grammar rules, lists of vocabulary, and sentences for translation. 8peaking the foreign language was not the goal, and oral practice was limited to students reading aloud the sentences they had translated. These sentences were constructed to illustrate the grammatical system of the language and conse)uently bore no relation to the language of real communication. 8tudents labored over translating sentences like the following= The philosopher pulled the lower jaw of the hen. :y sons have bought the mirrors of the ?uke. The cat of my aunt is more treacherous than the dog of your uncle. Titone !"#&= >&$ ,y the nineteenth century, this approach based on the study
of /atin had become the standard way of studying foreign languages in schools. 0 typical te+tbook in the mid5nineteenth century thus consisted of chapters or lessons organized around grammar points. .ach grammar point was listed, rules on its use were e+plained, and it was illustrated by sample sentences. @ineteenth5century te+tbook compilers were mainly determined to codify the foreign language into frozen rules of morphology and synta+ to be e+plained and eventually memorized. 4ral work was reduced to an absolute minimum, while a handful of written e+ercises, constructed at random, came as a sort of appendi+ to the rules. 4f the many books published during this period, those by 8eidenstiicker and Alotz were perhaps the most typical... 68eidenstiickerB reduced the material to disconnected sentences to illustrate specific rules. %e divided his te+t carefully into two parts, one giving the rules and necessary paradigms, the other giving French sentences for translation into <erman and <erman sentences for translation into French. The immediate aim was for the student to apply the given rules by means of appropriate e+ercises... *n 6Alotz(sB te+tbooks, divided into the two parts described above, the sole form of instruction was mechanical translation. Typical sentences were= (Thou hast a book. The house is beautiful. %e has a kind dog. -e have a bread 6sicB. The door is black. %e has a book and a dog. The horse of the father was kind.( Titone !"#&= >C$ This approach to foreign language teaching became known as the <rammar5Translation :ethod.
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language that approaches the language first through detailed analysis of its grammar rules, followed by application of this knowledge to the task of translating sentences and te+ts into and out of the target language. *t hence views language learning as consisting of little more than memorizing rules and facts in order to understand and manipulate the morphology and synta+ of the foreign language. 1The first language is maintained as the reference system in the ac)uisition of the second language1 8tern !"&7= 'DD$. 9eading and writing are the ma2or focus; little or no systematic attention is paid to speaking or listening. 3ocabulary selection is based solely on the reading te+ts used, and words are taught through bilingual word lists, dictionary study, and memorization. *n a typical <rammar5Translation te+t, the grammar rules are presented and illustrated, a list of vocabulary items are presented with their translation e)uivalents, and translation e+ercises are prescribed. The sentence is the basic unit of teaching and language practice. :uch of the lesson is devoted to translating sentences into and out of the target language, and it is this focus on the sentence that is a distinctive feature of the method. .arlier approaches to foreign language study used grammar as an aid to the study of te+ts in a foreign language. ,ut this was thought to be too difficult for students in secondary schools, and the focus on the .sentence was an attempt to make language learning easier see %owatt !"&'=!7!$. 0ccuracy is emphasized. 8tudents are e+pected to attain high standards in translation, because of 1the high priority attached to meticulous standards of accuracy which, as well as having an intrinsic moral value, was a prere)uisite for passing the increasing number of formal written e+aminations that grew up during the century1 %owatt !"&'= !7>$. <rammar is taught deductively F that is, by presentation and study of grammar rules, which are then practiced through translation e+ercises. In most <rammar5Translation te+ts, a syllabus was followed for the se)uencing of grammar points throughout a te+t, and there was an attempt to teach grammar in an organized and systematic way. The student(s native language is the medium of instruction. *t is used to e+plain new items and to enable comparisons to be made between the foreign language and the student(s native language.
<rammar Translation dominated .uropean and foreign language teaching from the !&'Gs to the !"'Gs, and in modified form it continues to be widely used in some parts of the world today. 0t its best, as %owatt !"&'$ points out, it was not necessarily the horror that its critics depicted it as. *ts worst e+cesses were introduced by those who wanted to demonstrate that the study of French or <erman was no less rigorous than the study of classical languages. This resulted in the type of <rammar5Translation courses remembered with distaste by thousands of school learners, for whom foreign language learning meant a tedious e+perience of memorizing endless
lists of unusable grammar rules and vocabulary and attempting to produce perfect translations of stilted or literary prose. 0lthough the <rammar5Translation :ethod often creates frustration for students, it makes few demands on teachers. *t is still used in situations where understanding literary te+ts is the primary focus of foreign language study and there is little need for a speaking knowledge of the language. Contemporary te+ts for the teaching of foreign languages at college level often reflect <rammar5Translation principles. These te+ts are fre)uently the products of people trained in literature rather than in language teaching or applied linguistics. Conse)uently, though it may be true to say that the <rammar5Translation :ethod is still widely practiced, it has no advocates. *t is a method for which there is no theory. There is no literature that offers a rationale or 2ustification for it or that attempts to relate it to issues in linguistics, psychology, or educational theory. *n the mid5 and late nineteenth century opposition to the <rammar5Translation :ethod gradually developed in several .uropean countries. This 9eform :ovement, as it was referred to, laid the foundations for the development of new ways of teaching languages and raised controversies that have continued to the present day.
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Toward the mid5nineteenth century several factors contributed to a )uestioning and re2ection of the <rammar5Translation :ethod. *ncreased opportunities for communication among .uropeans created a demand for oral proficiency in foreign languages. *nitially this created a market for conversation books and phrase books intended for private study, but language teaching specialists also turned their attention to the way modern languages were being taught in secondary schools. *ncreasingly the public education system was seen to be failing in its responsibilities. *n <ermany, .ngland, France, and other parts of .urope, new approaches to language teaching were developed by individual language teaching specialists, each with a specific method for reforming the teaching of modern languages. 8ome of these specialists, like C. :arcel, T. Arendergast, and F. <ouin, did not manage to achieve any lasting impact, though their ideas are of historical interest. The Frenchman C. :arcel !C"75!&"#$ referred to child language learning as a model for language teaching, emphasized the importance of meaning in learning, proposed
that reading be taught before other skills, and tried to locate language teaching within a broader educational framework. The .nglishman T. Arendergast !&G#5!&&#$ was one of the first to record the observation that children use conte+tual and sit5 uational cues to interpret utterances and that they use memorized phrases and 1routines1 in speaking. %e proposed the first 1structural syllabus,1 advocating that learners be taught the most basic structural patterns occurring in the language. *n this way he was anticipating an issue that was to be taken up in the !">Gs and !"7Gs, as we shall see in Chapter 7. The Frenchman F. <ouin !&7!5!&"#$ is perhaps the best known of these mid5nineteenth century reformers. <ouin developed an approach to teaching a foreign language based on his observations of children(s use of language. %e believed that language learning was facilitated through using language to accomplish events consisting of a se)uence of related actions. %is method used situations and themes as ways of organizing and presenting oral language F the famous <ouin 1series,1 which includes se)uences of sentences related to such activities as chopping wood and opening the door. <ouin established schools to teach according to his method, and it was )uite popular for a time. *n the first lesson of a foreign language the following series would be learned= * walk toward the door. * draw near to the door. * raw nearer to the door. * get to the door. * stop at the door. * stretch out my arm. * take hold of the handle. * turn the handle. * open the door. * pull the door. The door moves. The door turns on its hinges. The door turns and turns. * open the door wide. * let go of the handle. * walk. * draw near. * draw nearer. * get to. * stop. * stretch out. * take hold. * turn. * open. * pull. moves turns turns * open. let go. Titone !"#&= 7D$ <ouin(s emphasis on the need to present new teaching items in a conte+t that makes their meaning clear, and the use of gestures and actions to convey the meanings of utterances, are practices that later became part of such approaches and methods as 8ituational /anguage Teaching Chapter 7$ and
Total Ahysical 9esponse Chapter #$. The work of individual language specialists like these reflects the changing climate of the times in which they worked. .ducators recognized the need for speaking proficiency rather than reading comprehension, grammar, or literary appreciation as the goal for foreign language programs; there was an interest in how children learn languages, which prompted attempts to develop teaching principles from observation of or more typically, reflections about$ child language learning. ,ut the ideas and methods of :arcel, Arendergast, <ouin, and other innovators were developed outside the conte+t of established circles of education and hence lacked the means for wider dissemination, acceptance, and implementation. They were writing at a time when there was not sufficient organizational structure in the language teaching profession i.e., in the form of professional associations, 2ournals, and conferences$ to enable new ideas to develop into an educational movement. This began to change toward the end of the nineteenth century, however, when a more concerted effort arose in which the interests of reform5minded language teachers, and linguists, coincided. Teachers and linguists began to write about the need for new approaches to language teaching, and through their pamphlets, books, speeches, and articles, the foundation for more widespread pedagogical reforms was laid. This effort became known as the 9eform :ovement in language teaching.
The
eform Movement
/anguage teaching specialists like :arcel, Arendergast, and <ouin had done much to promote alternative approaches to language teaching, but their ideas failed to receive widespread support or attention. From the !&&Gs, however, practically minded linguists like %enry 8weet in .ngland, -ilhelm 3ictor in <ermany, and Aaul Aassy in France began to provide the intellectual leadership needed to give reformist ideas greater credibility and acceptance. The discipline of linguistics was revitalized. Ahonetics 5 the scientific analysis and description of the sound systems of languages 5 was established, giving new insights into speech processes. /inguists emphasized that speech, rather than the written word, was the primary form of language. The *nternational Ahonetic 0ssociation was founded in !&&#, and its *nternational Ahonetic 0lphabet *A0$ was designed to enable the sounds of any language to be accurately transcribed. 4ne of the earliest goals of the association was to improve the teaching of modern languages.
*t advocated !. the study of the spoken language; >. phonetic training in order to establish good pronunciation habits; 7. the use of conversation te+ts and dialogues to introduce conversational phrases and idioms; '. an inductive approach to the teaching of grammar; D. teaching new meanings through establishing associations within the target language rather than by establishing associations with the mother tongue. /inguists too became interested in the controversies that emerged about the best way to teach foreign languages, and ideas were fiercely discussed and defended in books, articles, and pamphlets. %enry 8weet !&'DF!"!>$ argued that sound methodological principles should be based on a scientific analysis of language and a study of psychology. *n his book The Practical Study of Languages !&""$ he set forth principles for the development of teaching method. These included
!. careful selection of what is to be taught; >. imposing limits on what is to be taught; 7. arranging what is to be taught in terms of the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing; '. grading materials from simple to comple+.
*n <ermany the prominent scholar -ilhelm 3ietor !&DG5!"!&$ used linguistic theory to 2ustify his views on language teaching. %e argued that training in phonetics would enable teachers to pronounce the language accurately. 8peech patterns, rather than grammar, were the fundamental elements of language. *n !&&> he published his views in an influential pamphlet, Language Teaching Must Start Afresh, in which he strongly criticized the inade)uacies of <rammar Translation and stressed the value of training teachers in the new science of phonetics. 3ietor, 8weet, and other reformers in the late nineteenth century shared many beliefs about the principles on which a new approach to teaching foreign languages should be based, although they often differed considerably in the specific procedures they advocated for teaching a language. *n general the reformers believed that !. the spoken language is primary and that this should be reflected in an oral5based methodology; >. the findings of phonetics should be applied to teaching and to teacher training; 7. learners should hear the language first, before seeing it in
written form; '. words should be presented in sentences, and sentences should be practiced in meaningful conte+ts and not be taught as isolated, disconnected elements; D. the rules of grammar should be taught only after the students have practiced the grammar points in conte+t 5 that is, grammar should be taught inductively; #. translation should be avoided, although the mother tongue could be used in order to e+plain new words or to check comprehension. These principles provided the theoretical foundations for a principled approach to language teaching, one based on a scientific approach to the study of language and of language learning. They reflect the beginnings of the discipline of applied linguistics 5 that branch of language study concerned with the scientific study of second and foreign language teaching and learning. The writings of such scholars as 8weet, 3ietor, and Aassy provided suggestions on how these applied linguistic principles could best be put into practice. @one of these proposals assumed the status of a method, however, in the sense of a widely recognized and uniformly implemented design for teaching a language. ,ut parallel to 6he ideas put forward by members of the 9eform :ovement was an interest in developing principles for language teaching out of naturalistic principles of language learning, such as are seen in first language ac)uisition. This led to what have been termed natural methods- and ultimately led to the development of what came to be known as the ?irect :ethod.
interaction in the target language, employing )uestions as a way of presenting and eliciting language. %e opened a language school in ,oston in the late !&#Gs, and his method soon became referred to as the @atural :ethod. 8auveur and other believers in the @atural :ethod argued that a foreign language could be taught without translation or the use of the learner(s native tongue if meaning was conveyed directly through demonstration and action. The <erman scholar F. Franke wrote on the psychological principles of direct association between forms and meanings in the target language !&&'$ and provided a theoretical 2ustification for a monolingual approach to teaching. 0ccording to Franke, a language could best be taught by using it actively in the classroom. 9ather than using analytical procedures that focus on e+planation of grammar rules in classroom teaching, teachers must encourage direct and spontaneous use of the foreign language in the classroom. /earners would then be able to induce rules of grammar. The teacher replaced the te+tbook in the early stages of learning. 8peaking began with systematic attention to pronunciation. Known words could be used to teach new vocabulary, using mime, demonstration, and pictures. These natural language learning principles provided the foundation for what came to be known as the ?irect :ethod, which refers to the most widely known of the natural methods. .nthusiastic supporters of the ?irect :ethod introduced it in France and <ermany it was officially approved in both countries at the turn of the century$, and it became widely known in the Enited 8tates through its use by 8auveur and :a+imilian ,erlitz in successful commercial language schools. ,erlitz, in fact, never used the term; he referred to the method used in his schools as the ,erlitz :ethod.$ *n practice it stood for the following principles and procedures= !. Classroom instruction was conducted e+clusively in the target language. >. 4nly everyday vocabulary and sentences were taught. 7. 4ral communication skills were built up in a carefully graded progression organized around )uestion5and5answer e+changes between teachers and students in small, intensive classes. '. <rammar was taught inductively. D. @ew teaching points were introduced orally. #. Concrete vocabulary was taught through demonstration, ob2ects, and pictures; abstract vocabulary was taught by association of ideas. C. ,oth speech and listening comprehension were taught. &. Correct pronunciation and grammar were emphasized. These principles are seen in the following guidelines for
teaching oral language, which are still followed in contemporary Berlit" schools# @ever translate= demonstrate @ever e+plain= act @ever make a speech= ask )uestions @ever imitate mistakes= correct @ever speak with single words= use sentences @ever speak too much= make students speak much @ever use the book= use your lesson plan @ever 2ump around= follow your plan @ever go too fast= keep the pace of the student ( speak too slowly= speak normally @ever speak too )uickly= speak naturally @ever speak too loudly= speak naturally @ever be impatient= take it easy cited in Titone !"#&=!GG5!$ The ?irect :ethod was )uite successful in private language schools, such as those of the ,erlitz chain, where paying clients had high motivation and the use of native5speaking teachers was the norm. ,ut despite pressure from proponents of the method, it was difficult to implement in public secondary school education. *t overemphasized and distorted the similarities between naturalistic first language learning and classroom foreign language learning and failed to consider the practical realities of the classroom. *n addition, it lacked a rigorous basis in applied linguistic theory, and for this reason it was often criticized by the more academically based proponents of the 9eform :ovement. The ?irect :ethod represented the product of enlightened amateurism. *t was perceived to have several drawbacks. First, it re)uired teachers who were native speakers or who had nativelike fluency in the foreign language. *t was largely dependent on the teacher(s skill, rather than on a te+tbook, and not all teachers were proficient enough in the foreign language to adhere to the principles of the method. Critics pointed out that strict adherence to ?irect :ethod principles was often counterproductive, since teachers were re)uired to go to great lengths to avoid using the native tongue, when sometimes a simple brief e+planation in the student(s native tongue would have been a more efficient route to comprehension. The %arvard psychologist 9oger ,rown has documented similar problems with strict ?irect :ethod techni)ues. %e described his frustration in observing a teacher performing verbal gymnastics in an attempt to convey the meaning of
;apanese words, when translation would have been a much more efficient techni)ue to use ,rown !"C7= D$. ,y the !">Gs, use of the ?irect :ethod in noncommercial schools in .urope had conse)uently declined. *n France and <ermany it was gradually modified into versions that combined some ?irect :ethod techni)ues with more controlled grammar5 based activities. The .uropean popularity of the ?irect :ethod in the early part of the twentieth century caused foreign language specialists in the Enited 8tates to attempt to have it implemented in 0merican schools and colleges, although they decided to move with caution. 0 study begun in !">7 on the state of foreign language teaching concluded that no single method could guarantee successful results. The goal of trying to teach conversation skills was considered impractical in view of the restricted time available for foreign language teaching in schools, the limited skills of teachers, and the perceived irrelevance of conversation skills in a foreign language for the average 0merican college student. The study F published as the Coleman 9eport 5 advocated that a more reasonable goal for a foreign language course would be a reading knowledge of a foreign language, achieved through the gradual introduction of words and grammatical structures in simple reading te+ts. The main result of this recommendation was that reading became the goal of most foreign language programs in the Enited 8tates Coleman !">"$. The emphasis on reading continued to characterize foreign language teaching in the Enited 8tates until -orld -ar **. 0lthough the ?irect :ethod en2oyed popularity in .urope, not everyone had embraced it enthusiastically. The ,ritish applied linguist %enry 8weet had recognized its limitations. *t offered innovations at the level of teaching procedures but lacked a thorough methodological basis. *ts main focus was on the e+clusive use of the target language in the classroom, but it failed to address many issues that 8weet thought more basic. 8weet and other applied linguists argued for the development of sound methodological principles that could serve as the basis for teaching techni)ues. *n the !">Gs and !"7Gs applied linguists systematized the principles proposed earlier by the 9eform :ovement and so laid the foundations for what developed into the ,ritish approach to teaching .nglish as a foreign language. 8ubse)uent developments led to 0udi5 olingualism see Chapter '$ in the Enited 8tates and the 4ral 0pproach or 8ituational /anguage Teaching see Chapter 7$ in ,ritain. -hat became of the concept of method as foreign language teaching emerged as a significant educational issue in the nineteenth and twentieth centuriesH -e have seen from this
historical survey some of the )uestions that prompted innovations and new directions in language teaching in the past= !. -hat should the goals of language teaching beH 8hould a language course try to teach conversational proficiency, reading, translation, or some other skillH >. -hat is the basic nature of language, and how will this affect teaching methodH 7. -hat are the principles for the selection of language content in language teachingH '. -hat principles of organization, se)uencing, and presentation best facilitate learningH D. -hat should the role of the native language beH #. -hat processes do learners use in mastering a language, and can these be incorporated into a methodH C. -hat teaching techni)ues and activities work best and under what circumstancesH Aarticular methods differ in the way they address these issues. ,ut in order to understand the fundamental nature of methods in language teaching, it is necessary to conceive the notion of method more systematically. This is the aim of the ne+t chapter, in which we present a model for the description, analysis, and comparison of methods. This model will be used as a framework for our subse)uent discussions and analyses of particular language teaching methods and philosophies.
Bi$iliogra%hy
,rown, 9. !"C7. A First Language. Cambridge, :ass.= %arvard Eniversity Aress. Coleman, 0. !">". The Teaching of Modern Foreign Languages in the United States. @ew Iork= :acmillan. ?arian, 8teven. !"C>. English as a Foreign Language !istory, "e#elo$ment,and Methods of Teaching. @orman= Eniversity of 4klahoma Aress. ?iller, K. C. !"C!. %enerati#e %rammar, Structural Linguistics, and Language Teaching. 9owley, :ass.= @ewbury %ouse. Franke, F. !&&'. "ie $ra&tische S$racherlernung auf %rund der Psychologic und der Physiologic der S$rache dargestellt. /eipzig= G. 9. 9eisland. %owatt, 0. A. 9. !"&'. 0 !istory of English Language Teaching. 4+ford= 4+ford Eniversity Aress. Kelly, /. <. !"#". '( Centuries of Language Teaching. 9owley, :ass.= @ewbury %ouse. :ackey, -. F. !"#D. Language Teaching Analysis. /ondon=
/ongman. 8tern, %. %. !"&7. Fundamental Conce$ts of Language Teaching. 4+ford= 4+ford Eniversity Aress. 8weet, %. !&"". The Practical Study of Languages. 9eprinted. /ondon= 4+ford Eniversity Aress. Titone, 9. !"#&. Teaching Foreign Languages An !istorical S&etch. -ashington, ?.C.= <eorgetown Eniversity Aress.