ELT-Oral and SLT

THE ORAL APPROACH AND SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING

Job interview/ Manager meeting etc

Going to a market

Asking for the time

Visiting the Taj Mahal

THE ORAL APPROACH AND SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING

A “situation” does not have to be something like going to the Taj Mahal, going shopping,going to the market etc. Any “event” is a situation. This can even be....

A pen on a paper

A box with items....

In the Situational language teaching (SLT) method, the focus is NOT for learning the “Situation” as in Content Based Learning (CLT).

The focus is on acquiring technical mastery of the language using the “situation” as a tool. That is why even simple things like “a box with items” is considered a “situation” in SLT. This wouldn't be permitted in CLT. In CLT, the focus is on acquiring knowledge on the “content” or “topic” using language as a tool

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING

The approach is about teaching language structures mainly through speech, in situations in which they'd actually be used.

Grammar, pronunciation, sentence construction, etc.

ANSWER

In the Situational language teaching (SLT) method, the focus is NOT for learning the “Situation” as in Content Based Learning (CLT).

The focus is on acquiring technical mastery of the language using the “situation” as a tool. In CLT, the focus is on acquiring knowledge on the “content” or “topic” using language as a tool

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING SAMPLE DEMONSTRATION

WHAT IS THIS?

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING SAMPLE DEMONSTRATION (SAMPLE ANSWERS)

WHO ARE THEY?


WHAT IS THIS?WHY HAS IT COME HERE?


WHAT HAPPENED?

WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?


WHAT IS THIS?

Ok Class What is this?

building and playground

This is a house and a playground.(or)This is a house with a playground...

REPEAT.....

This is a house with a playground....This is a house with a playground....This is a house with a playground...This is a house with a playground...

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING OBSERVATIONS FROM THE PREVIOUS DEMO

VOCABULARY GRAMMARVocabulary is one of the most important parts of learning a language.

Reading skills is an important part of learning a foreign language and vocabulary is an important part in acquiring reading skills.

Grammar should be explained by

sentence patterns.

SENTENCE PATTERNS EXPLAINED

The Children are playing The school is big.

The children like to play Jack wants to ride the swing.

The children are in the playgroundChildren are everywhere

The children are students.

The “heart” or main point of the English sentence is the subject-verb relationship.

So in the English sentence it is always Subject + Verb.

However, we can also add more parts to make the sentence more interesting. Those are:

Subject + Verb + ObjectSubject + Verb + AdjectiveSubject + Verb + AdverbSubject + Verb + Noun

Jack

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: TEACHING POINTS

SELECTION:

Methods by which grammar and sentences (technical parts of the English language) are chosen. It should be chosen in such a way as to not confuse the students.

For example, in teaching grammar through sentence patterns (explained previously), teaching simple sentence patterns should be done before teaching more complex sentence patterns (ex: The school bus arrived in order to pick up the children from school)

GRADATION:

Methods by which order of “chapters” in the course is determined.

The teacher should keep in mind that the course should start with oral (speech) exercises and move onto written exercises only when the student has got enough knowledge in speech.

The teacher should adjust the starting and progressing difficulty level of the course based on students.

PRESENTATION:

The method by which the teacher chooses to teach the course in class. One example of SLT in this slide was already shown in the “demonstration” slides earlier on.

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: TEACHING POINTS

1. Language teaching begins with spoken language, because in real life, people talk / converse more than write.

2. The target language is the language of the classroom.

3. New language points are introduced and practiced situationally.

4. Vocabulary selection should cover the more commonly used words (in real life) rather than the “rarely” used words. For example, “education” is used more often than “esoteric”.....

5. Simple grammar sentence patterns (ex: I eat, she walks etc) should be covered before introducing complex sentence patterns (ex: the bus arrived late citing traffic woes in the main road late afternoon)

6. Reading and writing are introduced once the students are comfortable with speech, and with the sentence patterns in the English language through oral exercises. Once you teach the basics of a language in written form, it is easy to memorize and forget. But once it is taught is speech form, the student tends to retain it permanently. SLT supporters argue that speech is always stored in the brain, writing can be forgotten.

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: APPROACH

1. Speech is the main point- or basis- of the language.

2. LANGUAGE STRUCTURE is the heart- or main point- of speaking ability.

LANGUAGE STRUCTURE:

Phonological units (phonemes)- sounds / pronunciation of words in a language

Grammatical units (phrases, clauses, sentences):Phrase: Wonderful idea! , Great tea! Clause: I went home. , I ate well.Sentence: I slept at night and woke up in the morning (2 clauses)

Grammatical operations (adding, shifting, joining or transforming elements)Where did you go last year? I went to China, where I learned Chinese. Why did you go to China? I went to China, so I could learn Chinese.

Lexical items (function words and structure words)Lexical words: I have no more money. Structure words: No, I cannot come today.

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: APPROACH

1. Speech is the main point- or basis- of the language.

2. LANGUAGE STRUCTURE is the heart- or main point- of speaking ability.

These 2 points must be presented in a “situation” in which they will be used.

Asking for the time

Visiting the Taj Mahal

Telling your uncle about your school

ANY “event” (even a pen being on top of a table) is a “situation.” A pen being on top of a table is a simple situation. Describing the Taj Mahal is a complex situation.

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: THEORY OF LEARNINGThe theory of learning underlying Situation Language Teaching is behaviorism, addressing more the processes, than the conditions of learning. It includes the following principles:

1. Language learning is habit-formation.

2. Mistakes in grammar especially are bad and should be avoided, as they make bad habits.

3. Language skills are learned more effectively if they are presented orally first, then in written form.

4. Analogy is a better foundation for language learning than analysis.

5. The meanings of words can be learned only in a linguistic and cultural context (by using language in situations).

Analogy: the process by which words or phrases are created or re-formed according to existing patterns in the language.

Ex: using “ize” to make nouns into verbs. (I hate winter [noun]. These are winterized [verb] boots)

Ex: I went home (action + place)

Ex: Why did you go to Kumaran Silks? I went to Kumaran silks so I can buy good silk sarees. Where did you go yesterday? I went to Kumaran silks where I got good silk sarees.

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: THEORY OF LEARNINGInductive approach to teaching grammar:

There is no explanation given on grammar. Students keep practicing it orally in situations and Induce (figure it out) it themselves.

EXAMPLE EXERCISES

TEACHER: Where is the food?Where is the digital clock?

TEACHER: What do you see?


OPPOSITE OF INDUCTIVE = INSTRUCTIVE



EXAMPLE EXERCISES

TEACHER: Where is the food?Where is the digital clock?

STUDENT:The food is on the table. The digital clock is on the wall.


STUDENT:We see three platesof food on a table.


STUDENT:We see a clock on the wall.

OPPOSITE OF INDUCTIVE = INSTRUCTIVE



SLT supporters believe that if explanation is given by a 3rd party (ex: teacher), students may forget it quickly. Whereas if they derive the meaning themselves, they will retain it permanently.

“This bus is belching smoke from its exhausts”

Students, tell me what “belching” means. I am not going to explain it to you....

EXAMPLE

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: DESIGN

The objectives of SLT is to achieve mastery of the 4 basic skills of language (listening, speaking, reading, writing) but this is done through by focusing on language structure. In Content based Instruction, this is done using content and natural communication.

Accuracy in pronunciation and grammar is VERY important.

Automatic control of basic language structures and sentence patterns is very much necessary to reading and writing skills and this is achieved through speech work / exercises.

Writing skills are derived from speech skills.

OBJECTIVES:

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: DESIGN

SYLLABUS:

Syllabus will focus on language structures (for grammar) with a word list (for vocabulary). Language structures will be arranged chapter wise.

EXAMPLE:

CHAPTER 1: Singular sentence patterns & words list.Sentence patterns:This is a....That is a....Words list: Pen, paper, pencil, desk, ruler.

CHAPTER 2: Plural sentence patterns & words list. Sentence patterns: These are....Those are....Words list: Chair, picture, door, window.

CHAPTER 3: Basic question and answer sentence patternsSentence patterns: Is this....yes it isIs that....no it is notWords list: watch, box, pen, blackboard

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: PROCEDURE

TEACHER: That is a school bus (3x). That (3x)

STUDENTS: That (3x)That (6x)

TEACHER: That is a school bus. (3x)

STUDENTS:That is a school bus. (3x)

TEACHER: These are children. (3x). Those (3x)

STUDENTS: Those (3x)Those (6x)

TEACHER: Those are children (3x).

STUDENTS: Those are children (3x)


1. Pronunciation

2. Revision

3. Presentation of new structure or vocabulary4. Oral practice (repetition) 5. Reading of material on the new structure, or written exercises (reading preferred)

If students show weakness in pronunciation (ex: they pronounce “school bus” wrongly, then the teacher may tell the students to repeat “school bus” with the correct pronunciation).


LESSON IDEA #2:

To practice (There's a [noun] + of [noun] in the box....the teacher should have a box with various items, takes it out and the class repeats.

There is a packet of cigarettes in the box.There is a packet of matches in the boxThere is a reel of cotton in the box.There is a bottle of ink in the box. There is a packet of pins in the box.

Etc, etc....

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: LEARNER'S ROLE

To listen and to repeat what the teacher says

Respond to questions and commands

Learner has no control over content

Later on, active participation is encouraged, but the course is not as free flowing as in Content based models.

The teacher should take great care to ensure that the student does not make pronunciation, grammar mistakes. This is veryimportant for SLT.

Since repetition is included heavily, students tend to fall asleep. This is a challenging role for the teacher.

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: TEACHER'S ROLE

The teacher should firmly work to improve on the students' technical mastery of the language, like in the textbook method. However in SLT, they have to do this by focusing on speech work mostly.

Teachers direct the classroom, and students are passive observers like textbook method.

The challenge of the teacher is to use “situations” that would focus and improve on students' technical mastery of the language and not rely on textbooks alone. This is what sets SLT apart from the textbook method of teaching.

The main activities of the teacher are:

1. Timing (of each lesson)2. Oral practice3. Revision4. Adjustment to special needs of students5. Testing6. Developing activities and using these activities to help students improve technical mastery of the language, beyond the textbook.

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: How chapters in a SLT textbook will look like

CHAPTER 1: LANGUAGE/ GRAMMAR STRUCTURE This is....That is...It is....VOCABULARY:Pen, pencil, desk, chair, eraser, blackboard

CHAPTER 2: LANGUAGE/ GRAMMAR STRUCTUREThose are...These are...VOCABULARY: Car, bus, locomotive, bogey, airplane, jetski

CHAPTER 3:LANGUAGE/ GRAMMAR STRUCTUREI went to Delhi....He went to Delhi...She went to Delhi...They went to Delhi...VOCABULARY:Study, shop, work, relax, earn, enjoy

WRONG!!!!!CHAPTER 3:LANGUAGE/ GRAMMAR STRUCTUREI went to Delhi....He went to Delhi...She went to Delhi...They went to Delhi...VOCABULARY:Study, movie, cricket, relax, earn, enjoy

The chapters in an SLT structure must show the same language/grammar structure. In the “WRONG” chapter 3, we can't use movie or cricket because you can't say “I went to Delhi to movie” or I went to Delhi to cricket” . Whereas in the “correct” chapter 3 (look left) you can see the same language / grammar structure used in the vocabulary list. Vocabulary should be chosen that will help give a uniform lesson plan per chapter.

SITUATIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING: How chapters in a SLT textbook will look like

1. Listening practice (teacher repeats)2. All Students repeat3. Individual students / groups of students repeat4. Isolation – where the teacher sets aside sounds, grammar structures etc that students are having difficulty in and repeats them individually again through steps 1-3 before placing them in context. 5. Preparing for a new lesson- first teacher gets students to ask interact with the teacher or fellow students on grammar structure patterns and vocabulary they already know.5b. Elicitation- using hand movements, single words etc., the teacher gets students to make statements or give new examples of the grammar structure pattern. 6. Substitution drilling. (Ex: This is a pen. These are 2 pens. That is a watch. Those are 2 watches.) 7. Question and answer drilling- teacher gets 1 student to ask a question based on vocabulary learned and grammar structure learned and the other student to answer based on the same grammar structure and vocabulary. 8. Correction.

Documents

ELT-Oral and SLT