New Methodologies in order to foster Second Language Teaching

New Methodologies in order to foster Second Language Teaching

An historical overview about language teaching approaches

Previously, it was stated the importance of learning a foreign language at an early stage of life regarding CPH theory. In this part, it is necessary for teachers to know what new methodologies can be applied in Colombian schools so as to develop an appropriate teaching and learning of English. It is important to know that through the time many methods and techniques were proposed so as to find a possible way to teach English. First, making a review of the earliest methods, Celce-Murcia (2001) stated that language teaching swayed between two types of approaches: getting learners to use a language (focused on meaning) and getting learners to analyze a language (focused on forms). The first languages learned were Latin and Greek and this teaching took place in Europe, those languages were very useful, because people could use them in philosophy, religion, politics and business. In that epoch, the educated elite had the privilege to learn Latin and Greek. Those were taught by using aural-oral techniques because there were few textbooks. This situation led teachers to make use of target language texts, manuscripts in which some of them contained vocabulary pairs.

In this part, we could see the first attempts in order to teach a second language. Despite the lack of textbooks, teachers managed to teach both Latin and Greek by using aural-oral approaches. This method was very primitive because it included repetition and habit formation, some of the textbooks included grammar translation. It is possible that those people could learn and speak Latin and Greek in an appropriate way. But nowadays, learning a language is not only repetition but language comprehension.

Grammar translation method

Richards & Rodgers (2001) asserted that the first method used was Grammar Translation Method (GTM) proposed in Germany in 1840 by Johann Seidenstücker, Karl Plötz, H.S Ollendorf and Johann Meidinger. The goals of this method were mainly to know the target language literature, to know its structures, memorize those structures and translating sentences. It is noticeable that in most of the schools in our country this method has been applied. Teachers stick to the books, translate the sentences and the students do not even have opportunities to interact. To this extent, if teachers in Colombia do not realize the importance of teaching English at the early stages of life regarding Critical Period Hypothesis theory (childhood and teenage) and prefer using this old methodology, the bilingual program will possibly fail. One cause could be the lack of appropriate methods and techniques used when teaching and learning English.

Direct Method

Then, around 1881 L. Sauveur (1826-1907) opened a school in Boston in order to propose oral interaction in the L2, his method was known as natural approach or Direct Method. This language-teaching method was very popular in France and Germany. It was developed in the 19th century as a reaction to the Grammar Translation Method, this method emphasized on:

 the use of the spoken language

 the use of objects and actions in teaching the meanings of words and structures

 the need to make language teaching follow the natural principles of first language learning

 grammar was taught inductively

 correct pronunciation and grammar were emphasized

Taken from: Celce-Murcia, M. (2001) teaching English as a second of foreign language (3rd Ed) Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

The problems appeared when this method needed the use of native-language teachers or teachers who had native-like fluency. Also the excessive use of linguistics elements resulting in a lot of repetition making unclear the relationship between L1 and L2 and finally this method did not associate language and context as it was explained by Richards & Rodgers (2001). Another method was proposed to teach an L2 but the outcome was few acceptable. As it is known teaching a second language is not only repetition and avoids using a real context. But, surprisingly, audio lingual method was thought to be highly successful in some contexts - particularly the foreign-language training of military personnel. Despite this assumption, the goal of foreign language teaching is to associate meaning and context, to give students opportunities to understand a language and see the differences between L1

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