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The Audio-lingual Method

PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA MADRE Y MAESTRATESL TRAINING COURSEPROF.: MANUEL PERALTASANTIAGO, FEBRUARY 2012

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CONTEXTUAL REFERENCES

•DEVELOPED DURING WORLD WAR II IN THE USA.•BASED ON THE BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGY: HUMAN BEHAVIOR IS SHAPED BY HABITS, HENCE LEARNING A LANGUAGE CAN BECOME A HABIT.•POSITIVE/NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT DEVELOP CORRECT/INCORRECT HABITS.

PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA MADRE Y MAESTRATESL TRAINING COURSEPROF.: MANUEL PERALTASANTIAGO, FEBRUARY 2012

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The Principles

1. Only the target language is used.

2. The teacher models dialogues.

3. Language is a habit formation process.

(Choral repetition.)

4. Prevention of errors. (Backward build-up

drill.)

5. Use of language to communicate. (Chain

drill)

6. Learning the position of the parts of

speech (Single/multiple-slot substitution

drills) PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA MADRE Y MAESTRATESL TRAINING COURSEPROF.: MANUEL PERALTASANTIAGO, FEBRUARY 2012

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Cont.

7. Positive reinforcement. (” Very good”)

8. Verbal/non verbal stimuli. (oral/visual clues)

9. Students should overlearn (question-and-answer

drills)

10. The teacher is an orchestra leader. (guiding,

controlling students’ behavior)

11. Grammar is not learned, but acquired. (No grammar

rules)

12. The “natural order” of language acquisition.

(Writing dialogue on the board)

13. The alphabet game. (Culture is part of the

language.) PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA MADRE Y MAESTRATESL TRAINING COURSEPROF.: MANUEL PERALTASANTIAGO, FEBRUARY 2012

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PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA MADRE Y MAESTRATESL TRAINING COURSEPROF.: MANUEL PERALTASANTIAGO, FEBRUARY 2012

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1. Advantage:

o Language is constructed through the creation of

« correct » behavioral patterns.

2. Disadvantages:

o Too rigid.

o Classes tend to drag.

o It’ not contextualized.

o It’s time-consuming.

PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA MADRE Y MAESTRATESL TRAINING COURSEPROF.: MANUEL PERALTASANTIAGO, FEBRUARY 2012

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