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What Is Didactics Msila Third Year
What Is Didactics Msila Third Year
What is Didactics?
In simple terms, didactics is synonymous with teaching and instruction. It is a discipline that
is essentially concerned with the science of teaching and instruction for any given field of
study. Didactics is based on multiple theories of teaching, and in a wider sense, theory
and the practical application of teaching and learning methods.
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M’sila University Module :Didactics
Academic Year:2020/2021 Level : Third Year
versa, questions about the foreign culture have to be answered as well;
- culture is viewed as consisting of literature and the fine arts;
- error correction is very important, the teacher always supplies the students
with the correct answer
- the syllabus is structure-based .
Activities characteristic of the method:
- translation of a literary passage
- reading comprehension
- finding antonyms and synonyms
- gap-filling exercises
- memorization
- using words in sentences
- compositions. (Larsen-Freeman 1986: 4-15)
Since the Grammar Translation Method was not very effective in preparing
students to use the target language communicatively, the Direct Method became
popular. In the Direct Method no translation is allowed. The Direct Method
receives its name from the fact that meaning is to be connected directly with the
target language without going through the process of translating into he students’
native language. The method itself belongs to the natural approach of language
teaching.
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M’sila University Module :Didactics
Academic Year:2020/2021 Level : Third Year
- vocabulary is emphasized over grammar;
- work on all four skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) occurs from
the start, oral communication is seen as basic;
- there is no formal evaluation in the class, students have to use the language
using both oral and written skills;
- the teacher tries to get students to self-correct whenever possible.
Activities characteristic of the method:
- reading aloud
- conversation practice
- gap filling exercise
- dictation
- map drawing (The students are given a map with the geographical features
unnamed. Then the teacher gives the students directions. (Following the teacher’s
instructions the students have to label the map of a country.)
- paragraph writing. (Larsen-Freeman 1986: 18-28)
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M’sila University Module :Didactics
Academic Year:2020/2021 Level : Third Year
- expansion-drill (This drill is used when a long dialogue is giving students
trouble. The teacher brakes down the line into several parts. Following the
teacher’s cue, the students expand what they are repeating part by part until they
are able to repeat the entire line. The teacher begins with the part at the end of the
sentence and works backward from there to keep the intonation of the line as
natural as possible. This directs more student attention to the end of the sentence,
where new information typically occurs.)
- repetition drill
- chain drill (The teacher begins the chain of conversation by greeting a
student or asking him a question. That student responds, then turns to the student
sitting next to him and the chain will be continued. The chain drill allows some
controlled communication, even though it is limited.)
- single-slot substitution drill (The teacher says a line, usually from the
dialogue. Next, the teacher says a word or a phrase- called a cue. The students
repeat the line the teacher has given them substituting the cue into the line in its
proper place. The major purpose of this drill is to give the students practice in
finding and filling in the slots of a sentence.)
- multiple-slot substitution drill (The teacher gives cue phrases, one at a time
that fit into different slots in the dialogue line. The students have to recognise what
part of speech each cue is where it fits into the sentence and make other changes
such as subject-verb agreement.)
- transformation drill (Students are asked fro example to transform an
affirmative sentence into a negative one.)
- question and answer drill
- use of minimal pairs (The teacher works with pairs of words which differ in
only one sound eg. ship – sheep.)
- gap-filling
- grammar game. (Larsen-Freeman 1986: 31-50)
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M’sila University Module :Didactics
Academic Year:2020/2021 Level : Third Year
also used during the feed-back sessions;
- vocabulary is restricted at first;
- there is a focus on the structures of the language, although explicit
grammar rules may never be supplied;
- pronunciation is worked on from the beginning, it is important that
students acquire the melody of the language;
- all four skills are worked on from the beginning of the course, although
there is a sequence in that students learn to read or write what they have already
produced orally; the skills reinforce what students are learning;
- the culture as reflected in people’s own unique world view is
inseparable from their language;
- the teacher never gives a formal test, he assesses student learning all the
time; the teacher must be responsive to immediate learning needs; the teacher does
not praise or criticize student behaviour since this would interfere with students
developing their own inner criteria; the teacher looks for steady progress, not
perfection;
- students’ errors are seen as a natural, indispensable part of the learning
process, errors are inevitable since the students are encouraged to explore the
language; the teacher uses student errors as a basis for deciding where further work
is necessary;
- there is no fixed linear, structural syllabus, instead the teacher starts
with what the students know and builds from one structure to the next; the
previously introduced structures are continually being recycled.
Activities characteristic of the method:
- sound-colour chart (The chart contains blocks of colour, each one
representing a sound in the target language. The chart allows students to produce
sound combinations in the target language without doing so through repetition.)
- teacher’s silence (The teacher gives just as much help as is necessary and
then is silent. Even in error correction the teacher will only supply a verbal answer
as a last resort.)
- peer correction
- rods (Rods can be used to provide visible actions or situations for any
language structure to introduce it, or to enable students to practice using it.)
- self correction gestures (The teacher indicates for example that each of
his fingers represents a word in a sentence and uses this to locate the trouble spot
for the student.)
- word chart
- Fidel charts (The teacher points to the colour coded Fidel charts in order
that students can associate the sounds of the language with their spelling.)
- structured feed-back (The teacher accepts the students’ comments in a
non-defensive manner hearing things that will help give him direction for where he
should work when the class meets again.) (Larsen-Freeman 1986: 51-72)
1.5. Suggestopedia
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M’sila University Module :Didactics
Academic Year:2020/2021 Level : Third Year
the language and on the process of communicating, students will learn best. The
texts students work from contain lengthy dialogues in the target language. Next to
the text is a translation in the learners’ mother tongue. There are some notes on the
structures in the conversation as well. The teacher presents the dialogue during two
concerts; the first phase of this presentation is the receptive phase. In the first
concert the teacher reads the dialogue, matching her or his voice to the rhythm and
pitch of the music. In this way, the “whole brain” of students becomes activated.
The learners follow the target language dialogue as the teacher reads it out loud.
They can also check the translation. In the second concert the students simply relax
while the teacher reads the dialogue at a normal rate of speed. After this phase the
students read over the dialogue again before they go to sleep and again when they
get up the next morning. In the activation phase students engage in various
activities including dramatizations, games, songs and question-and-answer
exercises.
The goal of the method is to accelerate the process by which students learn to
use a foreign language for everyday communication. This is to be done by breaking
down the psychological barriers learners bring with them to the learning situation.
The principles of Suggestopedia:
- the teacher is the authority in the classroom, who must be trusted and
respected by the students – once the students trust the teacher, they feel secure,
they can be more spontaneous and less inhibited;
- all types of interactions are to be found in case of the method, however first
it is the teacher that initiates interactions with the whole group of students and with
individuals right from the beginning of a course; in the beginning of the course the
students can only respond nonverbally, later the students have more control of the
target language and can respond more appropriately, and even initiate interaction
themselves. Students interact with each other from the beginning in various
activities directed by the teacher;
- native language translation is used to make the meaning of the dialogue
clear, the teacher uses the mother tongue in lesson when necessary; as the course
proceeds, the teacher uses the native language less and less;
- vocabulary is emphasized, the success of the method can be put down to
the large number of words that can be acquired;
- grammar is dealt with explicitly but minimally, students will learn best if
their conscious attention is focused not on the language forms but on using the
language;
- pronunciation is developed by reading out loud;
- the culture which students learn concerns the everyday life of people who
speak the language. The use of the fine arts is also common in Suggestopedia;
- speaking communicatively is emphasized, students also read the target
language and write, for example compositions;
- evaluation is conducted on students’ normal in-class performance and not
through formal tests;
- at the beginning levels, errors are not corrected immediately since the
emphasis is on students communicating their intended meaning; when errors occur
the teacher uses delayed correction;
- the syllabus used in the method is functional.
Activities characteristic of the method:
- peripheral learning (This activity is based on the idea that we perceive much
more in our environment than that to which we consciously attend. By putting
posters on the classroom walls students will absorb the necessary facts effortlessly.
Posters are changed from time to time to provide grammatical information that is
appropriate to what the learners are studying.)
- choose a new identity (Learners choose a target language name and a new
profession or trade. In someone else’s shoes the learners will be less inhibited
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M’sila University Module :Didactics
Academic Year:2020/2021 Level : Third Year
while using the target language.)
- role play. (Larsen-Freeman 1986: 72-89)
The Community Language Learning method takes its principle from the more
general Counselling-Learning approach developed by Charles A. Curran. Curran
studied adult learning for many years. A language counsellor means someone who
is a skilful understander of the struggle students face as they attempt to internalize
another language. By understanding students’ fears and being sensitive to them, he
can help students overcome their negative feelings and turn them into positive
energy to further their learning.
The goals of teachers are to make their students to learn how to use the target
language communicatively. They want their students to learn about their own
learning to take responsibility for it.
The principles of Community Language Learning:
- the teacher is a counsellor who recognizes how threatening a new learning
situation can be for adult learners so he understands and supports his students in
their struggle to acquire the target language;
- the student-teacher interaction in the Community Language Learning
method changes within the lesson and over time, this method is neither student nor
teacher centred but; rather teacher-student centred, with both being decision
makers in the class; building a relationship with and among students is very
important;
- where possible, literal native equivalents are given to the target language
words that have been transcribed, this makes their meaning clear and allows
students to combine the target language words to create new sentences;
- active vocabulary is very important as conversations in the target language
can replace native language conversations;
- the focus shifts from grammar to sentence formation, language is for
communication;
- pronunciation is developed by reading out loud;
- culture is integrated with language;
- the most important skills are the receptive ones and speaking the language,
reading and writing are worked on;
- whatever evaluation is conducted it should be in keeping with the principles
of the method, a classroom test should be more of an integrative test than a discrete
point one, students are asked to write a paragraph rather than being asked to answer
a question which deals with only one point of the language at a time; students often
self-evaluate to become aware of their own progress;
- errors are corrected in a non threatening way, the teacher repeats correctly
what the student has said incorrectly;
- the syllabus is designed primarily by the students.
Activities characteristic of the method:
- transcription (The teacher transcribes the students’ tape-recorded target
language conversation.)
- reflective listening (The students relax and listen to their own voices
speaking the target language on the tape.)
- human computer (The student is “in control” of the teacher when she tries to
say the word or phrase. The teacher repeats the phrase as often as the student wants
to practise it. The teacher does not correct the student’s mispronunciation in any
way.)
- small group tasks (The small groups make new sentences with the words on
the transcript. Afterward the groups share the sentences they made with the rest of
the class.)
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M’sila University Module :Didactics
Academic Year:2020/2021 Level : Third Year
(Larsen-Freeman 1986: 89-109)
The idea of TPR originates from James Asher, who found that adults’ second or
foreign language learning could have similar developmental patterns to that of
children’s language acquisition. A baby spends a lot of months listening to the
people around it long before it says a word. In Krashen’s The Natural Approach
(1983) the students listen to the teacher using the target language communicatively
from the beginning of the instruction throughout the course. The teacher helps her
students to understand her by using pictures and occasional words in the students’
native language and by being as expressive as possible. In TPR students listen and
respond to the spoken target language commands of their teacher.
The goal of TPR is to have the students enjoy their experience in learning to
communicate in a foreign language. The TPR was developed in order to reduce the
stress people feel when studying foreign languages and encourage students to
persist in their study beyond the beginning level of proficiency.
This approach has preserved quite a lot of characteristic features from both the
cognitive and the natural approaches. The representatives of the Communicative
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M’sila University Module :Didactics
Academic Year:2020/2021 Level : Third Year
Approach (CA) acknowledge that structures and vocabulary are important but they
emphasize the acquisition of linguistic structures or vocabulary as well. When we
communicate we use the language to accomplish some function such as arguing,
persuading and promising. We carry out these functions with a social context.
Before speaking about this approach we must clarify what we mean by
communication.
2.1. Characteristics of communicative classes:
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M’sila University Module :Didactics
Academic Year:2020/2021 Level : Third Year
competence. The first two subcategories reflect the use of the linguistic stem itself.
(Brown 1994: 226-250)
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