Week 3- Audiolingual method

                                 

Hello again and welcome to the third entry of my blog 😃

Today you’ll read about what we did on February 6^th and  8^th

First of all, on Tuesday 6^th we watched a video about the Grammar translation method and direct method. In simple words, this video explained that the Grammar translation method involves different techniques such as translating texts, filling blank spaces, using words in sentences, using synonyms and antonyms, and reading questions. On the other hand, the direct method involves a teacher using pictures, contextualization, yes and no questions, and paragraph writing. Basically, the Direct Method is deductive, and the grammar-translation method is inductive.

In addition, we learned about the audiolingual method which is also called “Army method” and “Listening and repeat method”. This method focuses on listening and speaking, additionally, it is about repetition and the teacher is the main source of input.

On February 8^th we kept learning about the “Audiolingual method” which has its origins during World War II and we learned about some of its techniques, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.

                                     

Techniques that may apply: Repetition drill, question and answer drill, transformation drill

Strengths: pronunciation matters, simple to use, listening and speaking skills improve, memory is addressed, and error correction is important.

Weakness: Reading and writing are not emphasized as much as listening and speaking, “flat” method (not diverse), students may be discouraged.

Opportunities: Bring to class relevant topics to use in the drills, a good way to teach pronunciation, get to know classmates.

Threats: If the tutor models incorrect pronunciation, students might internalize it that way, if the teacher doesn’t provide feedback emphasizing the positive side, students' effective filter may be damaged.

                                   
                                   

At the end of the class, we made some examples about drilling. First, we made a circle, then the teacher introduced himself after each student had to introduce themselves and tell the names of the previous students. The last example was hilarious because some students, including me, had to tell the name of the fruit we liked the most and everyone had to repeat it after saying it, but the funniest part was everyone saying “ *The student’s name* se lava *Its favorite fruit* todos los dias”; at the end, everyone was laughing 😂