外语教学法部分问答题及答案

外语教学法

Chapter 1 General Introduction

1. What is structuralism?

“Structuralism”, also called in different cases ”structuralism linguistic school”, “ structural linguistics” and “structural grammar”, in its broad meaning, refers to the study of any language that regards language itself as an independent, phonological, grammatical and lexical system. In its narrow sense it refers to the linguistic approach of the Prague school, which supposes that any individual linguistic element must be associated for an analysis with other elements where it occurs.

Chapter 5 The Audiolingual Method

1. What contributions does the Audiolingual Method make to language teaching?

The Audiolingual Method’s contributions to language teaching are as follows:

①It is among the first theories to recommend the development of a

language teaching theory on declared linguistic and psychological principles. The audioingual theory is probably the first language teaching theory that openly claims to be derived from linguistics and psychology.

②It attempts to make language learning accessible to large groups of

ordinary learners. With large classes, drills are of particular use in that they maximize student participation.

③The Audiolingual Method stresses syntactical progression and uses

pattern drills to help the students gain control over grammatical structures.

④It leads to the development of simple techniques of varied, graded, and

intensive practice of specific features of the language, and more scientifically selected and systematically arranged materials and structural patterns to go with.

⑤It develops the separation of the language skills into a pedagogical

device. The Audiolingual Method introduces specifically designed techniques of auditory and oral practice.

Chapter 6 The Cognitive Approach

1. How useful are the techniques used by a cognitive teacher to your

English teaching and learning experience?

The rule learning, meaningful practice and creativity are the focus of English teaching and learning experience. Using these techniques is to help

the learner to understand English as a system, and to master the meaningful material, then to achieve successful communication. These techniques used by a cognitive teacher can stimulate learners subjective activity and creativity, and raise their language competence and language performance. By using these techniques, the teacher can achieve the objectives of English teaching and learning experience: to develop in the students the native- like competence: to develop intuitive thinking in learners; to develop strategies of language use, to enable the students to learn from errors.

2. What are the main features of the Cognitive Approach? And in what

aspects is the Cognitive Approach different from the Audiolingual Method?

Features:

①It concentrates on the learner’s processes of knowing rather than on

mechanistic procedures;

②It gives importance to grammar teaching as an aid to learning;

③It believes the learner is the center of classroom teaching;

④It gives equal importance to all the four skills;

⑤It holds mistakes are unavoidable.

Differences:

Cognitive Method Audiolingual Method

①meaningful learning and practice ①imitation and memorization

②the learner is the center of class- ②learners play a reactive role

room teaching

③deliberate grammar teaching ③teachers are warned not to

teach grammar

④equal importance to all the four ④emphasis on the teaching of

skills speaking and listening before

reading and writing

⑤mistakes are unavoidable ⑤ a negative attitude towards

students’ language errors

Chapter 7 The Natural Approach

1. Which one is most plausible the tenets of Krashen’s Input Hypothesis?

Which one is least plausible? Justify your answer.

The most plausible point is that people acquire language best by understanding input that is slightly beyond their current level of competence. Comprehension is helped by the situation and the context, extra linguistic information and knowledge of the world. This point is in accordance with the learning cognitive development of learners.

The least plausible point is that humans acquire language in only one way—by receiving comprehensible input. It ignores the advanced cognitive development of adults and the advantages of formal teaching and learning. Krashen argues that the best way to learn a second language is to approach

the language as children do when they are acquiring their first language. In fact, adult learners have cognitive skills that enable them to take advantages of formal interaction.

2. How would you take the “best” of krashen’s theories and apply them

in the classroom and yet still be mindful of the various problems inherent in his ideas about second language acquisition?

①Krashen’s distinction between acquisition and learning makes people

realize the importance of creating the kind of natural environment in a

foreign language classroom so that learners can resort to their

subconscious learning. Using these two processes together, learning

would be more successful.

②The monitor hypothesis states that grammar plays the limited role in

second language learning. The focus on language teaching should not

be rule learning but communication.

③The natural order hypothesis states it is not always a good idea to start

with a rule by considering only whether it is simple in terms of structure.

④The input hypothesis is that people acquire language best by

understanding input i+1. The input should be interesting and

challenging enough to keep learners motivated and they can feel a

sense of achievement. The focus of language input should be on

meaning, and meaning should be presented in context.

⑤The affective filter hypothesis states that learning is not purely an

intellectual and cognitive process, and it is also an affective process. If learners have a positive attitude, enough confidence, interest and motivation in learning a foreign language, learning would be more effective.

3. What is main context of the acquisition-learning hypothesis proposed

by Krashen?

Krashen claims that adult learners of second language have two ways of developing their competence. In a second/foreign language, one is acquisition which refers to the subconscious process in which they develop their language proficiency through natural communications in the target language. The other is learning which refers to the conscious process in which they acquire the explicit knowledge of the rules of the target language. Chapter 8 The Communicative Approach

1. Appropriacy of language use has to be considered alongside

accuracy. What implications does this have for attitudes to errors?

Since both appropriacy and accuracy are important in language use, we should pay the same attention to these two aspects. If one’s language production is appropriate, but dotted with a lot of grammar errors, communication would be affected. On the other hand, if one’s language production is correct in grammar, but not appropriate in use, e.g. The wrong

address form, communication would not be as effective as expected either. Therefore, we should be tolerant to the students’errors which do not affect communication, and be strict to those which interfere with communication and cause ill effects or ill feeling in the other communicators.

2．How do you interpret the idea of “communicating in English” in your case, as a learner of English?

As a learner of English who is studying in a non-English-speaking atmosphere, ”communicating in English”means to experience real communicative situation in which one learns to express his own ideas, views and attitudes, and in which he is taken seriously as people. Meaningful communicative activities on his English level will improve his language performance and generate more interest.

3.Is the Communicative Approach a useful one for all proficiency levels, particularly for beginners?

The Communicative Approach can be a useful teaching method for all proficiency levels. The Communicative Approach emphasizes that the goal of language learning is communicative competence. We can make use of whatever learning and teaching techniques which help the learners develop their communicative competence. On condition that we follow the basic principles of the Communicative Approach, such as information gap activities, meaning-based communication, authentic material, our language learners would achieve the goal of mastering a foreign language. Even if with beginners, we can still use the approach.

4. Does it always matter if the “real world” is not being practiced in the classroom? Why or why not?

Since learners will have to use the foreign language in real communication outside the classroom. The ideal language learning setting is to practice language as it is used in the real world. However, it is not always possible to do so because classroom setting is after all different from the outside world. Language learning and language teaching are considered at several stages. At the drilling stage, when the focus is on language form, the “real world” situation does not have to be practiced. But when the focus is on language communication and learners are engaged in communicative activities, the “real-world” situation does matter much.

5. Why is it important for an FL learner to study the target culture while acquiring the target language?

As language and culture are integrated, anyone who intends to acquire a foreign language is actually to undergo the process of getting to know the foreign culture. The FL learner has to go through the process of modification in attitude, knowledge, and behavior in order to function well, e.g., linguistically in the foreign culture. The better he gets used to the new culture, the better he can acquire and use the target language. Mere attention to the language without knowing the culture is not likely to make a successful language learner.

Chapter 9 General Trend of Development in FLT

1. What do you think of those six methods proposed by Chinese

language teachers?

The emergency of the six methods, Three Dimensional Approach, the ASSRF Method, Dual Activity Method, Dual Activity Method, Global Method, Leveled Method, and Zhang Sizhong method, reflects a fact that the Chinese ELT professionals are trying to find a method which is scientifically based and which suits the Chinese conditions, the Chinese language teachers and learners. What we need is not blind application of foreign teaching methods, nor is eclecticism, but judgement. We should have to explore the law of English teaching in China and create our new system of English language methodology.

2. Apart from what is introduced in this chapter, what other methods or

approaches do you know which are used in China?

There are Game method(游戏教学法), Situational teaching method（情景教学法）, Action method（动作教学法）, Activity method of teaching（活动教学法）,The trinity teaching method（三位一体教学法）, Cooperative learning method（合作学习法）and Functional approach（功能意念法）and so on.

3. From your own experience of learning English, how should a foreign language be taught in your opinion?

A foreign language should be taught considering the following aspects:

①How to study a foreign language well depends on many factors,

such as motivation, goal, intelligence, self-confidence,

self-determination, and learning environment. So it is necessary for

language teachers to guide learners, including encouraging their

motivation by building up self-confidence, developing

self-determination, improving the learning environment, and

helping them acquire learning strategies, etc.

②Language is learned not taught, language learners shoulder be

active and creative in learning process. They must try to learn the

new language independently, actively, and purposely.

③Language is for communication. Learners should be taught to use

the foreign language, not just to know something about it.

④A foreign language is a tool, which should be taught for use. In

learning the foreign language, practice is the key.