Different times, different methods
The acquisition-versus-learning debate may seem to be a relatively recent argum ent, yet for as long as languages have been taught people have argued about the best way of doing it, and how to help students to learn m ore effectively. The great linguist Harold Palmer made a similar distinction between spontaneousand studialcapacities in a book published in 1921. And this was just one o f many writings before and since which have tried to pin down what makes a good language lesson or an effective method.
Current teaching practice is the direct result of such argum ent and discussion, and not only on the subject of acquisition and learning. Both abstract theory and practical techniques have been debated, have gone in and out of fashion, and have influenced what was and is included in classrooms and teaching materials. In the 1990s, for example, there was considerable discussion about the Lexical Approach, where it was suggested that we should structure our curriculum around language chunks. These are the various phrases of two or more words which we use as units of meaning to comm unicate with (see page 7 5- 76 for a fuller explanation). In the 1970s, methods such as the Silent Way (where teachers do little talking and the onus is put on the students), or Community Language Learning(where bilingual teachers help students to translate what they want to say from their first language into the language they are learning) were advocated, and although they may not be used m uch any more - certainly not as they were originally envisaged - still some of the techniques they included have been incorporated into m odern teaching practice.Amongst the plethora of ideas and techniques which have been offered over the years, some trends have had - and continue to have - a significant impact on how languages are taught today.
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