ACTIVITIES ABOUT METHODOLOGIES

1. It has been said that the Grammar- Translation Method  teaches students about the target language, but not how to use it. Explain the difference in your own words.

The difference of this method is that you learn the grammatical rules and vocabulary translated by heart, instead of acquire it. For instance, when you are going to do an exercise of grammar or vocabulary you do it directly because you study like that, so for that reason you don´t internalize it and you don´t know why you are using it.

The best way to learn how to use it is waking errors. The important think being able to develop communicative competence. 

2. In the Grammar- Translation Method, grammar is treated deductively; in the Direct Method, grammar is treated inductively. Can you explain the difference between deductive treatments of grammar?

In Grammar- Translation Method, we teach the rules of grammar. In the Direct Method due to a situation or a context, for example:

Students learn "betwen" because she learns that she is betwen two people, so it´s not necessary explain what it is. Teaching grammar rules at the very beginning is not a good way to teach, the correct way is give situation to the students in wich they can apply grammar rules. (Inductive way), because you give imputs to the students.

3. Which of the following techniques follows from the principles of the Audio-Lingual Method, and which ones don´t? Explain the reasons for your answer.

• The theacher asks beginning level students to write a composition about the system of transportation in their home countries. If they need a vocabulary word that they don´t know, they are told to look in a bilingual dictionary for a translation.

No, it's connected to Grammar-Translation.

• Towards the end of the third week of the course, the teacher gives students to read the passage and to answer certain questions based upon it. The passage contains words and structures introduced during the first three weeks of the course.

No, it could be an Audio-lingual Method because the teacher can give you something to read.

• The teacher tells the students that they must add an 's' to third person singular verbs in the present tense in English. She then gives the students a list of verbs and asks them to change the verbs into the third person singular present tense form.

No, in A-L M teacher doesn't say "you must add an 's' to 3º person", students have to do it. So it's not a drill.

5. Asher believes that foreign language instruction can and should be modelled on native language acquisition. What are some characteristic of TPR that are similar to the way children acquire their native language?

- Commands Imperative.

- Simple structives.

- Children imitate a lot.

- They can get a lot of imput.

- Children are silent.

- Have an enviromment where children feel confortable.

7. A lot of target language structures and vocabulary can be taught through the imperative. Plan part of a TPR lesson which the present continuous tense, or another structure in the target language, is introduced.

 Aim: Learning the present continuous tense.

Activitiy: "Simon says".

The teacher is going to give some instructions and students have to follow them. For instance, "Simon says jump in the air" and the students have to jump. When they are jumping, the teacher is going to say "we are jumping" and all of them have to repeat it. Then, we do the same with other verbs, (read, drink, run, walk,etc), so the students can learn that the present continuous is used when you are doing something in this moment and they can learn the structure in a funny way.

Produced by Cristina Beltrán Sabater, Lorena Seco Molinero and Eva Martín Vega.