4. The Audio-Lingual Method

4. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE STUDENTS' NATIVE LANGUAGE?

• The habits of the students' native language are thought to in­terfere with the students' attempts to master the target language. Therefore, the target language is used in the classroom, not the students' native language. A contrastive analysis between the students' native language and the target language will reveal where a teacher should expect the most interference.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TEACHING/LEARNING PROCESS

• New vocabulary and structural patterns are presented through dialogs.
• Dialogs– learning through imitation and repetition
• Positively reinforced
• Grammar is induced from the examples.

WHAT AREAS OF LANGUAGE ARE EMPHASIZED? WHAT LANGUAGE SKILLS ARE EMPHASIZED?

• Vocabulary is kept to a minimum while the students are mastering the sound system and grammatical patterns.
• The natural order of skills presentation is adhered to : listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
• The oral/aural skills receive most of the attention .

DEAL WITH ERRORS

• Students errors are to be avoided if at all possible through the teacher’s awareness of where the students will have difficulty and restriction of what they are taught to say.