In the year of 1920 and 1930 a number of
outstanding applied linguists developed the basis for a principled approach to
methodology in language teaching. Harold Palmer and A. S. Hornby are two of the
most prominent figures in British twentieth-century language teaching. They
developed a more scientific foundation for an oral approach to teaching English
than which Direct Method evidence. Palmer (1917, 1921) said that the result of
oral approach was a systematic study of the principles and procedures which
could be applied to the selection of the language course content.
The
important term in this approach is vocabulary aspect. It happens from two
historical basic. First there was a general consensus among language teaching
specialists, such as Palmer said that vocabulary is the important aspect for
learning foreign language. Second influence, we can see the statement from
Michael West (1920) “reading skills as the goal of foreign language study in
some countries”.
It
is still parallel to the interest in developing rational principles for
vocabulary selection was a focus on the grammatical content of a language
course. Palmer’s view of grammar was very different from the model of Grammar
Translation Method. Palmer viewed grammar as the underlying sentence patterns
of the spoken language. In this approach, basic grammatical patterns were
taught through an oral approach. Palmer, Hornby and other British scientist
stated that major grammatical structure was important to produce sentence
pattern which could be used to help internalize the rules of English sentence
structure. In addition, they conclude that Speech was regarded as the basis of
language, and structure was viewed as being at the heart of speaking ability.
The
main characteristics of the approach were as follows:
1.
Language
teaching begins with the spoken language. Material is taught orally before it is presented in written form.
2.
The
target language is the language of the classroom.
3.
New language points are introduced and practiced
situationally.
4.
Vocabulary selection procedures are followed to
ensure that an essential general service vocabulary is covered.
5.
Items of grammar are graded following the principle
that simple forms should be taught before complex ones.
6.
Reading and writing are introduced once a sufficient
lexical and grammatical basis is established.
In the teacher
role, teacher gets the most important role for reach the goal of this approach.
In the presentation stage of the lesson, the teacher serves as a model, setting
up situation in which the need for the target structure is created and then
modeling the new structure for students to repeat. Byrne (1976: 2) analogized
the teacher becomes more like the skillful conductor of an orchestra, drawing
the music out of the performers. The teacher is required to be a skillful
manipulator, using questions, commands, and other cues to elicit correct sentences
from the learners. Lessons are hence teacher directed, and the teacher sets the
pace.
The procedure of
language teaching and learning is varying according to the classroom level.
However in every level has one goal, which is to move from controlled to free
practice of structures and from oral use of sentence patterns to their
automatic use in speech, reading, and writing. Pittman gives an example of a
typical lesson plan: pronunciation, revision, presentation, oral practice
(drilling), and reading of material on the new structure, or written exercises.
Davies et al.
(1975: 6- 7) likewise give detailed information about teaching procedures to be
used with Situational Language Teaching. The sequence of activities they
propose consists of:
1. Listening practice
in which the teacher obtains his student's attention and repeats an example of
the patterns or a word in isolation clearly, several times, probably saying it.
2. Students all
together or in large groups repeat what the teacher has said.
3.
Individual imitation in which the teacher asks
several individual students to repeat the model he has given in order to check
their pronunciation.
4.
Isolation,
in which the teacher isolates sounds, words or groups of words which cause
trouble and goes through techniques 1-3
5.
Building
up to a new model, in which the teacher gets students to. ask and answer
questions using patterns they already know in order to bring about the
information necessary to introduce the new model.
6.
Elicitation,
in which the teacher, using mime, prompt words, gestures, gets students to ask
questions, make statements, or give new examples of the pattern.
7.
Substitution
drilling, in which the teacher uses cue words (words, pictures, numbers, names)
to get individual students to mix the examples of the new patterns.
8.
Question-answer
drilling, in which the teacher gets one student to ask a question and another
to answer until most students in the class have practiced asking and answering
the new question form.
9.
Correction in which the teacher indicates by shaking
his head, repeating the error, etc., that there is a mistake and invites the
student or a different student to correct it. Where possible the teacher does
not simply correct the mistake himself. He gets students to correct themselves so they
will be Encouraged to listen to each other carefully.
The
answer of critical questions:
1. Pronunciation is taught directly in the first meeting of
teaching and learning process. The pupils are listening from the teacher said
then repeat what the teacher said. While the
vocabulary is the important aspect of this approach. By master the
vocabulary need in the material, students can speak and practice orally or
written in this approach. Basic
grammatical patterns were taught through an oral approach. The major
grammatical structure was important to produce sentence pattern which could be
used to help internalize the rules of English sentence structure.
By master pronounciation, vocabulary and
basic grammatical need in the material, Pendulum
is swinging and the pupils can reach the communication of language.
2. There is no specific procedure for changing
from spoken language to written language. This approach concerns to orally
language, to communicate what new language acquired from the pupils.
3. For spoken language, this approach is
effective enough because new vocabulary, pronunciation and basic grammatical
pattern in the material are taught in the first meeting. If teaching
vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar pattern is successful, the goal of spoken
language is easy to reach.
4. In my opinion, this approach is effective
enough for teaching spoken language, but it’s less in reaching the written
language goal.