Eclectic Approach to Teaching English

"Eclectic", remarks Atkinson (1988, p. 42), "is one of the buzz words in TEFL at present, in part due to the realisation that for the foreseeable future good language teaching is likely to continue to be based more on common sense, insights drawn from classroom experience, informed discussion among teachers, etc., than on any monolithic model of second language acquisition or all-embracing theory of learning...". One problem with this position is that your "common sense" and your "insights" are apt to be different from mine. Another is that "discussion among teachers", though valuable, is often a futile exercise in the blind leading the blind. No one with some knowledge of pedagogy and psychology would advocate a "monolithic model" of anything in teaching today. However, unless one has some theoretical foundation to one's knowledge, one cannot construct a methodology of anything--including of foreign language teaching. The aim of this paper is to examine rudimentarily such foundation, and to propose an eclectic approach to teaching English to speakers of other languages.

"It appears counterproductive to dissect language in the same way that biology students might dissect a frog" (Maurice 1987, p. 9). Learners do not expect curriculum designers and teachers to dissect language on the basis of pure linguistic science, but they do expect them to dissect language on the basis of applied linguistics and psycholingui

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learners. But there are methods, though successful with a majority of learners, which fail with individual learners--not through flaws in the method, but through inappropriateness for an individual's style of learning. The variables are too many to confine learning/teaching to any one method for groups as well as for individuals. Let us now comment briefly on some currently used methods, listing their pros and cons in light of an eclectic approach. The Methods The Grammar-Translation Method (also called the Classical Method) has as its fundamental purpose reading classical literature ("good books representing the best in our culture") which it considers superior to the spoken language. Communication is not its goal. The primary skills it develops are reading and writing. The teacher is the authority. No errors are tolerated. Native language equivalents exist for all target language words. Comparative analytical techniques facilitate learning. Form precedes meaning and, therefore, is learned first. Deductive application of explicit grammatical rules are the way to learn structure, and structure must be foremost in the mind of learners. Audiolingual techniques (such as rote memorization and drill) are preferred for learning verb co
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Languages Projects, Curran's Counseling-Learning, Lozanov's Suggestopedia, TESOL Eclectic, Audiolingual Method, Direct Method, Classical Method, Cattegno's Silent, Encyclopµdia Britannica, Communicative Approach, target language, language learning, errors tolerated, native language, communicative methods, language learned, foreign language, language communication, learning form, psychological barriers, stress target language, students design syllabus, taught outset instruction, eraut jones 1972, mackenzie eraut jones,
Approximate Word count = 4128
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page)

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