ORAL
APPROACH
Introduction:
Hearing
before speaking, speaking before reading and reading before writing is the oral
approach. Here emphasis is given to hearing and speaking in the early stages of
language learning.
Some views
of oral approach are:
v Language is
primarily a spoken form, script is a later development.
v No two
languages are exactly alike. Each language is unique in its own structure.
v Languages
are habits. Habits are established by repetition. Hence language must be learnt
through repetition.
v The
aural-oral aspects should e taught before reading and writing.
v The reading
and writing aspects should be taught in their stated order, since graphic
symbols must be seen before they are produced.
Aims of Oral
Approach:
v To suggest
new ideas: The teacher is to encourage the pupils to think and understand for
themselves instead of thrusting his own ideas
v To introduce
new words: With new ideas come new words and they are to be supplied by the
teacher. Everyday a few new words should be added to their active vocabulary.
v To teach
arrangement of words: The teacher should make pupils frame sentences in
English, as the syntax of the English language is different from that of the
mother tongue.
Significance
of Oral Approach
v Oral work
leads to reading and understanding the text. It supplies the aural value of
visual symbols. It is basis for good loud and silent reading. It is a means of
acquiring fluency in reading. As a pupil speaks, so will he write. Therefore,
learning to speak a language is the shortest way to learning to write it. It
serves as basis for building up proficiency in writing. The pupil will not only
acquire the required habits but will be able to put the items into use. Errors
in the use of language can be checked as soon as they are uttered. It does no
prohibit reading and writing.
v The
teacher’s duty is to teach the child the new sounds that the child forms
correct and accurate speech habits. To make oral practice lively, interesting
and useful. To drill the patterns. To see that the pupils must be able to use
all the English they learn everyday. To see that the teaching of reading and
writing commences a few days after oral practice.
SITUATIONAL APPROACH
Importance
To make
language teaching natural, meaningful and realistic words and structures should
be taught by creating appropriate situations. It is obvious that a word or
structure conveys its meaning completely only when it is presented in a
situation. The particular situation helps the teacher to practice the structure
and relate it to its meaning. It also helps him to build up a vocabulary of
content words.
How to
create situations?
Everyday
class room situations may be used in
order to inculcate interest among the pupils towards language learning.
And these situations may be built up by using objects available in the class or
outside the classroom, by the use of pictures, drawings, maps and sketches, by
gestures and actions and by drawing on the chalkboard. In the advanced stages
conversation is the best way to create situations. This conversation is best
assisted by the questioning and elicitation process.
How the
situation should be?
The
situation should be appropriate to a particular structure. If it is not
appropriate to a structure it may lead to confusion. Take for example the
structure I walk. If this structure
is to be taught, the action demonstrating it should be performed simultaneously
as the words are spoken. The teacher should say it, performing the action of
walking.
The
Different ways of creating situations
1.
Through
Gestures and Actions
One way of creating
appropriate situations is to use right gestures and actions. For example, the
teacher wants to teach the structure I
sleep- he should close his eyes while speaking these words and put his hand
behind his neck and bend his head backward a little giving the idea of resting
on a pillow. I wake-the teacher
should open his eyes. All this should be repeated by pupils. They may also be
called to demonstrate other gestures and speak while they demonstrate. Other
structures like every, all, into, upon, in addition to etc. may also be taught
in this way by using appropriate gestures and actions. Pointing to a pupil the
teacher may say – He is wearing a shirt.
He may, then point to the second boy, then to the third, the fourth, the fifth
and finally say – Every boy is
wearing a shirt. And then making a
circular motion of his hand he may say – All the boys are wearing shirts.
2.
By the use
of pictures
Pictures go
a long way in motivating the pupils and make the teaching-learning process easy
and interesting. They create the best situations in the best manner. Words
bearing similarity and contrast may be easily taught in an interesting way to
the pupils with the help of pictures. For example, the following structures may
be framed.
This is a
dog. This is a cat.
These are birds. Those are trees.
The dog is near the house.
The cat is far away from the house etc.
A picture in which a house is
shown with trees in the background, birds near the house, the cat away from the
house and the dog in front of the house – the teacher may proceed giving verbal
illustrations first and then pointing to the illustrations in the picture next.
3.
By drawing
on the Chalkboard
Pictures and illustrations can
be drawn on the chalkboard in the class whenever the teacher feels they are
necessary. This makes the teacher as well as the pupils active. The children
shake off all their lethargy and concentrate on what the teacher draws on the
chalkboard. The parts of a body, for example, can be easily taught by drawing
on the chalkboard. Drawing the sketch of a human body, or a part of it, for
example, the face the teacher may proceed to say: This is noise; these are
eyes; this is mouth, this is tongue, this is chin; these are ears, this is hair
etc. he may also draw stick figures illustrating various human postures like
sitting, standing, walking, running, jumping, kneeling etc.
STRUCTURAL APPROACH
The structural
Approach is an improvement over the Direct Method of teaching English. For it
is not a method in itself but only an approach. An approach can be used with
any method. The basic principles and techniques of the Structural Approach do
not differ much from those of the Direct Method. Hence many teachers and
language experts still believe that the approach is nothing but the Direct
Method itself with certain alterations and additions here and there. That it is the same wine poured into a new bottle.
No doubt, there are many similarities between the Structure Approach and the
Direct Method. But the fact remains that by following the new arrangement of
selected structures instead of the old jumble of unselected structures, the
Direct Method is greatly improved.
In the opinion of M.L. Tickoo, “The Structural Approach
in India is a child of necessity It is based on the belief that in learning a
foreign language like English, mastery over the structure of the language is
more important than acquisition of vocabulary.
That the limitation
inherent in the study of English due to lack of natural incentive, restricted
number of periods for teaching the language and grammatical difficulties can be
overcome by an intensive drilling of the structures. The advocates of the
Structural Approach demand that we have to concentrate at the secondary school
on what is known as
Essential English.
After careful research
and experimental investigations, language experts realized that there are about
275 language patterns which constitute the core of the essential English. These
essential language patterns are otherwise known as structure.
What are
Structures?
The tools of language
teaching-learning are sounds, words and
structures. By using these language
tools can be developed among the learners the four-fold skills of language
learning viz., listening, speaking,
reading and writing. Hence
structures may be defined as tools of
language teaching-learning. Just as a carpenter, a goldsmith or blacksmith
works with his tools, similarly the teaching-learning process in a language is
worked upon by its structures.
Importance
of Structures
Among the three types of
language tools mentioned above structures are the most important. Words, no
doubt are important. But the ways in which words are combined are more
important than the words themselves. In other words, words are not so important
compared to the ways in which they are put or arranged together. Words convey
meaning only when they are arranged in a proper order. We communicate with one
another not in isolated words or sounds but by using meaningful combinations of
sounds or words, they are not grouped together at random when we speak or
write. Instead they are arranged in a definite order according to the needs of
the situation. For example when we wish to make a statement the arrangement of
words should be
Subject + Auxiliary
Verb + Main Verb (S+AV+MV)
Govind is reading.
Here the auxiliary verb
follows the subject which, in turn, is followed by the main verb. But to
convert this statement into a question the order of words should be.
Auxiliary
Verb + Subject + Main Verb
(AV+S+MV)
Is Govind reading?
Here the
auxiliary verb precedes the subject. These and many other arrangements of words
or patterns are known as structures. Hence structures are of primary importance
whereas sounds and words are of secondary importance.
Difference
between Structures and Sentences
The above examples are in the
form of sentences. The first one is an assertive sentence and the second one an
interrogative sentence. However structures should not be confused with
sentences. No doubt all sentences are structures. But all structures are not
sentences. The reason is, a sentence is a grammatical order of words whereas a
structure need not have any grammatical background. Structure may be in the
form of complete utterances (sentences & idioms) or they may be part of a
group pattern (phrases) or isolated utterances (formulas)
Different
types of Structures or Patterns
1.
Sentence
Patterns
Structures which are in the form of
sentences are known as sentence patterns, Look at the following examples.
Ravi gets up early in the morning. He takes bath. He takes
breakfast.
He goes to school. He plays cricket. He returns home after school.
Did he wake up early in the morning today as usual?
Did he go to school? Did he play cricket in the school? Etc.
2.
Phrase Patterns
Structures which are in the form of phrases are known as phrase
patterns. Look at the following examples. The underlined portions are the
phrases.
Ravi sits in the front row.
Birds fly in the sky.
The thief was tortured by the police.
The boys are playing with a ball.
The book is on the table.
It is a fine picture.
Don’t look through the window.
The cat jumped over the wall. Etc.
3.
Formulas
These
are groups of words used regularly on certain occasions. Look at the following
examples.
Good morning. How do you
do! Thank you. Excuse
me. Good bye. Etc.
4.
Idioms
Grammatically an idiom looks like a sentence but is different from a
sentence. For n idiom should not be understood literally. That is, its surface
meaning should be understood as a whole. Look at the following examples.
1. He kicked the bucket. (He died)
2. It rained cats and dogs. (rained heavily)
3. Nehru was
born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
(very much)
4. This must be
done by hook or crook. (by any
means) etc.
Selection of
Structures
In making a proper
selection of structures the learning ability of the average learners in average
school conditions should be taken into consideration. Their average age, mental
condition, time given to the learning of English and availability of the
material also should be borne in mind. The following principles may be followed
while making a good selection of structures.
1.
Simplicity
Out of the
total number of structures, those structures which are simple should be
selected. Simplicity of a structure depends both on its from and meaning. For
example,
I am reading – is simple not only
in its form but also in its meaning. But the structure,
Had you been present in the class
you, also would have received your prize
is simple neither in its form nor in its meaning. Hence simple structures are
to be taught first; and difficult and complex structures later.
2.
Utility or
Usefulness
The
utility of a structure depends chiefly on two important factors. They are,
1. How
frequently does the structure occur both in the spoken and the written forms of
language.
2. The basis it
provides for the further building up of the language.
Look at the following examples
a. Ravi and
Raju are friends.
b. But for the
perseverance of my teacher I would have been an illiterate.
Between the two
structures mentioned above, the first one is frequently used. It also serves as
a model for the further building up of the language. For example we can make
structures like,
Sita and Gita are twins. Gopi and Govind are
talking.
Lata and Rani are dancing. My father and mother are teachers
etc.
As far as the second
pattern is concerned it is not so frequently used as the first one. Hence the
first pattern should be taught first and later the second one.
3.
Productivity
Some
structures are productive. That means other structures can be produced keeping
them as base. Look at the following examples.
a. Raju is
here.
b. Here is
Raju.
The first one is
productive for keeping it as base other sentences like – “He is here” can be
produced. But no sentence can be produced from the second pattern. We cannot
say – Here is he.
4.
Teachability
The
structure which can be easily demonstrated in a realistic sense is supposed to
be better teachable than the others. For example:
‘I
am opening the book’ can be taught better and with ease than
‘Rajani
always comes late to school’
The first one can be
easily demonstrated by actually opening the book while saying the sentence. But
to teach the second one a verbal situation has to be built up in the following
manner.
The
school commences at 10.00 A.M.
Rajani
came at 10.30 A.M. the day before yesterday.
She
came at 10.20 A.M. yesterday.
Today
she has come at 10.10 A.M.
Therefore
Rajani always comes late to school.
Grading the
Structures
The pupils have to be
taught about 275 structures in a five year course in our school. In order to
make the learning of these structures easy for the learners they have to be
arranged in a systematic manner proceeding from easy to difficult. This is what
is meant by grading. Also several structures have got more than one meaning.
These different meanings also should be graded. And only one meaning of a
structure should be taught at a time, and should be established by practice
before another meaning is taught. Each meaning should be taught as a fresh
item. The following are the important principles of grading the structures.
1.
Simplicity
The principle of simplicity
implies both simplicity of form and simplicity of meaning.
There are several kinds of
flowers in the garden – is simple in its meaning and form whereas. In spite of
the strenuous efforts made by the police they could not trace the culprit – is
simple neither in its form nor in its meaning. In order to follow the principle
of simplicity the teacher has to introduce easy and simple structures at the
initial stages and difficult and complex structures at the advanced stages.
2.
Utility and
Usefulness
This principles implies that
structures which occur more frequently in the spoken and written language
should be taught before those structures which occur less frequently. Look at
the following examples.
a. Raghu can
speak Telugu and Tamil.
b. Raghu can
speak not only Telugu but also Tamil.
The first structure is more
useful than the second one for the first one is more frequently used in the
day-to-day expression. Therefore the first one should be taught before teaching
the second one.
3.
Teach-ability
The structure which can be
taught easily in a realistic situation is supposed to be better teachable than
the others. The structure –
The book is
on the table – has better teachability than the structure
The weather
in England is undependable.
Merits of the Structural Approach
1. The
Structural Approach lays more emphasis on oral work. As such more opportunities
are extended to the learners to practice the use of language.
2. In oral work
the difficulties and the defects of the pupils can be detected, rectified and removed
on the spot.
3. Language
learning through oral work is lively, interesting and real.
4. The
Structural Approach creates and establishes a suitable environment viz., the
English environment in the class for learning the language by avoiding the use
of the mother tongue.
5. It extends
better and more opportunities to the learners to express their ideas, feelings
and experiences. As such it enables pupils get command over the use of English.
6. As much
emphasis is laid on practicing the language in a given situation, it helps in
better retention and better use of the language.
7. The
Structural Approach alone fulfils the four-fold aims of teaching a language.
Criticism
As the Structural
Approach lays more emphasis on mastery and use of structures, some people are
of the opinion that it does not help in understanding the content of a given
reading material. This is a wrong opinion, however. It does help in
understanding the content of a given reading material. It supports the building
up of a vocabulary of content words. When the teacher proceeds to teach the
items from the syllabus, content words will spring from the particular
situations.
