Tesol: Key Words

Front 1

Method

Back 1

Items are presented in the foreign language as ‘orders’, ‘commands’ and ‘instructions’ requiring a physical response from the learner (e.g., ‘opening a window’ or ‘standing up’ after being asked, linguistically, to carry out such command).

- A method teaches the ways of acquiring the four receptive groups; reading, writing, listening and speaking

Front 2

Approach

Back 2

Approach refers to theories about the nature of language and language learning that serve as the source of practices and principles in language teaching.

- A theory or a teaching model. Each approach has a philosophy on how learners learn and thus how teachers should teach; the cognitive approach, behaviourism. All approaches are slightly different from one another but they hold this philosophy of learning

Front 3

Drill

Back 3

There are seven types of drills;
-expansion
-repetition
-chain
-single slot substitution
-multiple slot substitution
-transformation
-question & answer.

A drill is a repetition technique used to help students to perform better vocally within language learning, however contemporary linguists and language teachers believe drilling belongs to another era.

Front 4

Technique

Back 4

A technique is implementational, taking place within a classroom; a particular trick, ploy or device used to support in accomplishing the immediate object. Techniques must gel with the method at hand and thus should work harmoniously with the approach, too.

Front 5

Activity

Back 5

X

Front 6

Task

Back 6

An activity where the target language is used by the learner for a communicative purpose in order to achieve an outcome. Task are said to be based upon 'pedagogical' or 'psycholinguistic' grounds. There are also two types of tasks;
-open tasks which are loosely structured and have a less specific goal.
-closed tasks which are much more structured with one singular goal, the one way of completing such tasks is the only and right way.

Front 7

Syllabus

Back 7

A syllabus in the content of a language program and how it is organized. This can be contrasted to method, which is how a language program is taught. There are two types of syllabuses;
-Structural which proceeds from simple grammatical structure to more complex grammatical structure, however this structure tends to ignore a lot of important language,
-Functional with functions being the primary organizing feature. The course content is based on functions not grammatical structures.

Front 8

Communicative Competence

Back 8

The ability to use the language effectively for communication. Gaining such competence involves acquiring both sociolinguistic and linguistic knowledge (or, in other words, developing the ability to use the language accurately, appropriately, and effectively).

Front 9

Communicative Language Teaching

Back 9

An approach concerned with the needs of students to communicate outside the classroom; teaching techniques reflect this in the choice of language content and materials, with emphasis on
-role play
-pair work
-group work

Front 10

Community Language Teaching

Back 10

A method used to help learners to stop associating language learning with risk taking, this method is extremely learner focused. The foreign language learner's tasks, according to CLL are (1) to apprehend the sound system of the language (2) assign fundamental meanings to individual lexical units and (3) construct a basic grammar.

Hint 10

There are 5 stages of development in this method:

1)“Birth” stage: feeling of security and belonging are established.
2)As the learners' ability improve, they achieve a measure of independence from the parent.
3)Learners can speak independently.
4)The learners are secure enough to take criticism and being corrected.
5)The child becomes an adult and becomes the know-er.

Front 11

PPP

Back 11

Present, Practice and Produce, could be characterised as a 'common-sense approach' to teaching as it consists of 3 stages that most people who have learnt how to do anything will be familiar with. Initially the material is presented to the learner, they're shown what they need to learn, secondly practice, where learners are given opportunities to practice what has been presented to them through the means of activities with little or no help from the teacher, lastly produce where to learner will relay what they've learnt