Language teaching can
be conceived in many
different ways
sciencie
technology
craft or art
Zahorik (1986) classifies
conceptions of teaching into three
main categories
science research
conceptions
Understand the learning principles.
Develop tasks and activities based on the
learning principles. Monitor students’
performance on tasks to see that desired
performance is being achieved.
theory-philosophy
conceptions
Understand the theory
and the principles. Select
syllabi, materials, and
tasks based on the
theory. Monitor your
teaching to see that it
conforms to the theory
art-craft
conceptions
Treat each teaching situation as unique.
Identify the particular characteristics of
each situation. Try out different teaching
strategies. Develop personal approaches to
teaching.
OPERATIONALIZING LEARNING PRINCIPLES
Audiolingualism
Behavioral
psychology
Stimulus, which serves to
elicit behavior a response,
triggered by a stimulus; and
reinforcement, which serves
to mark the response as
being appropriate
Translated into a teaching
method this led to the
Audiolingual Method
Habit formation
Memorization
Learning through
dialogs and drills.
FOLLOWING A TESTED MODEL OF TEACHING
“a view of good teaching is
developed through logical reasoning
and previous research; good
teaching is defined in terms of
specific acts” (Zahorik, 1986, p. 21)
theories of good teaching
across classrooms regular
In applying this research to teacher preparation, a
simple training model was developed for teachers
to learn the differences between presentation
(for which early answers are known) and
reference questions (those for which no answers
are known) by providing more waiting time after
the questions.
DOING WHAT EFFECTIVE
TEACHERS DO
Another approach to developing a
theory of teaching is to derive
teaching principles from studies of the
practices of effective teachers
Effective teachers
Students perform better on
standardized achievement
tests.
twelve characteristics
of effective teaching
were identified
1. Instruction is guided by a preplanned curriculum. 2. There are high
expectations for student learning. 3. Students are carefully oriented to
lessons. 4. Instruction is clear and focused. 5. Learning progress is
monitored closely. 6. When students do not understand, they are
retaught. 7. Class time is used for learning. 8. There are smooth and
efficient classroom routines. 9. Instructional groups formed in the
classroom fit instructional needs. 10. Standards for classroom behavior
are high. 11. Personal interactions between teachers and students are
positive. 12. Incentives and rewards for students are used to promote
excellence.
THEORY-BASED APPROACHES
Examples of theory-based or rationalist
approaches in TESOL are Communicative
Language Teaching and the Silent Way.
Each of these is based on a set of
carefully elaborated assumptions.
Communicative Language
Teaching, for example,
arose as a reaction to
Grammar-based
approaches to teaching
Teaching materials, syllabuses
Method Silent Way
Espoused by Gattegno who attests: there are
no really difficult forms which cannot be
illustrated through the proper situation
involving rods and actions on them about
which one makes statements by introducing
specific words whose associated meaning is
obvious. What teachers must do is to arrange
for practice so that students’ minds are
triggered to use these new words
spontaneously.
VALUES-BASED
APPROACHES
A different approach to a theory of
teaching is to develop a teaching
model from the values one holds about
teachers, learners, classrooms, and the
role of education in society
Values-based
approaches
in education
advocates of literature in the
language curriculum
school-based curriculum
development
The teacher as
action researcher
Other examples of
values-based
approaches in
language teaching
include
Team
teaching
Humanistic
approaches
Learner-centered
curriculum
Reflective
teaching
ART-CRAFT CONCEPTIONS
Another way of conceptualizing
teaching is to view it as an art or
craft, and as something which
depends on the teacher’s individual
skill and personality
Develop teaching as a
unique set of personal
skills which teachers
apply in different ways
Teacher decision-making is
an essential competency in
this approach
THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS OF TEACHING
Once the characteristics of
effective teaching are
identified, teachers must aim
to implement such practices in
their own classes.
The essential skills the teacher needs to acquire
are those that reflect the theory and spirit of the
Silent Way approach.
Teachers should constantly try to discover
things that work, discarding old practices and
taking on board new ones