Sunday, 7 April 2019

Foreign Language Teaching Methodologies: MAO-MAV

1960s MAO in the United States
Aim: learn to understand, speak, read and write.

Baseline theories: 
1) Structuralism (linguistics): Bloomfield (language as system/structure).
2) Behavioralism (psychology): Skinner (stimulation - response - reinforcement).

Teacher:
Linguistic knowledge.
Runs the classrooms.
Possesses technical knowledge and skills.

Materials: CDs, cassettes, slides and transparencies.

Oral language learning + foreign language + learning of linguistic structures
Memorization and repetition of structures + structured exercises -> Grammar
Gradual progression (meaning is not the most important thing).
Pedagogical dialogues (audios) and structural exercises (drills).



1950s-60s SGAV in Europe
Reformulation of the Mao-Mav methodology -> Chomsky (linguistics) + Gestalt (psychology).
Communication situations (situational context)

Image and sound: Decryption images (semantic content) + Situational images (communication situations).


Foreign Language Teaching Methodologies: Active

Is born out of the crisis of direct methodology (1920-1960).

Middle ground between the traditional and the modern:
L1 and written texts and explicit grammar + oral language and dialogue



Foreign Language Teaching Methodologies: Direct

Emerges at the end of the 19th century - beginning of the 20th century (1902- pedagogical coup d'état in France).
Main target/aim: learn to speak in an active and global way.
Theory based: François Gouin + learning theories (psychology).
Teacher: leads the class, possesses all the knowledge.
Priority to oral language learning and exclusive use of the foreign language.
Phonetics and pronunciation.
Dialogues + written materials.

Foreign Language Teaching Methodologies: Traditional

Its main aim was to facilitate access to literary texts.
Elitist conception of teaching (high social classes).
Learning was teacher-centred (vertical transmission of linguistic knowledge).
Predominance of written language learning.
Grammar and translation activities (explicit and traditional grammar).
L1 was predominantly used.
Materials: grammars, dictionaries, literary texts.


Monday, 14 January 2019

CLIL & EFL


CLIL is an integrated process, a methodology for language teaching. It is based on certain methodological principles that are particularly important according to research in the didactics of foreign languages, such as the need for the learner to be placed in a situation of authentic communication. On the other hand we must introduce the concept of EFL which is the didactics of the foreign language.



EFL
CLIL
Who teaches?
The language teacher (foreign)
The teacher of a non-linguistic subject
What is the objective?
Teaching/learning a foreign language
Teaching non-linguistic content
What do they teach?
Pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary...
Mathematics, natural sciences, music, history...
Who does the teacher work with?
With other teachers of the same language
With the foreign language teacher
What are we evaluating?
Language skills and knowledge
Skills and knowledge of a subject but sometimes also of LE
What feedback is provided by the teacher?
Linguistic feedback
Feedback on the material and sometimes on the LE 


TYPES OF CLIL
1) Hard CLIL is focused on the subject which is/are taught entirely in L2 (30% of the maximum annual hours)

2) Medium CLIL is focused on the subject (partial immersion) which is taught in L2 (just part of the subject not all of it) and only 1 hour per week (15 hours per semester).

3) Soft CLIL is content focused (focused on L2), a non-linguistic content taught in the L2 subject area (45 minutes per week).

Thursday, 1 November 2018

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

Nowadays, it is impossible to conceive education without the implementation of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). For this reason, in the last session the teacher showed us a few resources we could use in the future which are:

• Applications for character designing: Ifunface, Muglife, Snapchat, Talkr... Creating a commendable character to explain some contents helps promoting significative learning. This kind of tool it's not only useful for the teacher but also for the students who can apply it in the making of presentations.

• Genially: It allows you to create infograms, slides, interactive murals, graphics, tests, maps, audio, video, gifs, timelines, animations... It is a very useful tool to perform interactive activities.

• Thinklink: Similar to Genially but easier, it is appropriate for designing presentations with different links attached to videos, tests, songs...

• Microphone and tripod for mobile phones: allows you to record students' speeches and presentations in video or just audio.

Task-Based Learning: Sequence

1) CONSTRUCTION OF DIAGRAMS / PRE-TASKING: Introduce the topic, context, vocabulary and expressions. 2) LISTEN: Analysis of the linguistic...