Silent Way free essay sample

The teacher assists learners to use that knowledge in the target language, and then the teacher can continue putting together sounds to make a word * Silence is considered the best vehicle for learning because in silence students concentrate on the task to be accomplished and the potential means to its accomplishment * The Silent Way claims to facilitate what psychologists call learning to learn† * Learning is facilitated only; if the learner discovers or creates rather than remembers and repeats what is to be learned, * by accompanying physical objects, * by problem solving involving the material to be learned * The Silent Way views learning as a problem-solving, creative, discovering activity, in which the learner is a principal actor * The rods and the color-coded pronunciation charts provide physical foci for student learning and also create memorable images to facilitate student recall Tell me and I forget, Teach me and I remember Involve me and I learn Objectives * General objective is to give beginning level students oral and aural facility in basic elements of the target language * The general goal is near-native fluency in the target language and correct pronunciation * An immediate objective is to provide the learner with a basic practical knowledge of the grammar of the language * Learners could be able to; Correctly and easily answer questions about themselves, their education, their family, travel, and daily events – practical knowledge and use of the target language; * Speak with a good accent; * Perform adequately in the following areas: spelling, grammar (production rather than explanation), reading comprehension, and writing Materials The materials consist mainly of a set of colored rods, color-coded pronunciation and vocabulary wall charts, a pointer and reading/writing exercises * The pronunciation charts, called Fidels, have been devised for a number of languages a nd contain symbols in the target language for all of the vowel and consonant sounds of the language * The colored cuisenaire rods are used to directly link words and structures with their meanings in the target language, thereby avoiding translation into the native language * The vocabulary or word charts are Iikewise color-coded here are typically such charts containing 500 to 800 words in the native language and script Words are selected according to their ease of application in teaching, their flexibility in terms of generalization and use with other words and their importance in illustrating basic grammatical structures: * Functional vocabulary: prepositions, numbers, pronouns, quantifiers, words dealing with temporal relations, and words of comparison. We will write a custom essay sample on Silent Way or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These kinds of words are referred to as the functional vocabulary of a language because of their high utility. * Luxury vocabulary: words used in communicating more specialized ideas, such as political or philosophical opinions. * Semi-luxury vocabulary: common expressions in the daily life Application * Classes often begin by using Fidel charts in the native language * The first part of the lesson focuses on pronunciation Rods, pictures, objects, or situations are other aids used for presentation in order to connect sounds and meanings * L1 can be used to give instructions when necessary. Meaning is made clear by focusing the students perceptions, not by translation * The teacher models a word, phrase or sentence and then elicits learner responses * After modeling the utterance, the teacher will have a student attempt to produce the utterance and will indicate its acceptability * If a response is incorrect, the teacher will attempt to reshape the utterance or have another student present the correct model * Students are presented with the structural patterns of the target language and learn the grammar rules of he language through largely inductive processes * Lessons follow a sequence based on grammatical complexity, and one element presented at a time * New lexical and structural material is meticulously broken down into its elements * A typical order would be like this: colors, numbers, prepositions, daily activities, daily dialogues and so on * Reading and writing are sometimes taught from the beginning and students are given assignments to do outside the classroom at their own pace Learners’ Role * The teacher is reluctant to repeat and that the student is obliged to pay close attention * Independent Learners must de pend and use what they already know * Autonomous Learners choose proper expressions in a given set of circumstances and situations * Responsible Learners must have to ability to choose intelligently * Learners are expected to interact with each other and suggest alternatives to each other, they must learn to work cooperatively rather than competitively Teacher’s Role * The teacher is a technician or an engineer who facilitates learning. * The teachers role is one of neutral observer. * The teacher is silent. The teachers presence in the classroom is limited to providing a model of the language that the students are going to work on. * The teachers tasks as: * to teach: the presentation of an item once, typically using nonverbal clues to get across meanings * to test: elicitation and shaping of student production is done in as silent a way as possible * to get out of the way: the teacher silently monitors learners interactions with each other and may even leave the room while learners struggle with their new linguistic tools Teacher’s Role * Sequence and timing are more important than in many kinds of language teaching classes, and the teachers sensitivity to and management of them is critical. The teacher uses gestures, charts, and manipulatives in order to elicit and shape student responses and so must be both facile and creative Advantages * Silent Way learners acquire  «inner criteria » * Creates a correctly, adequately working inter-language * The self-esteem of the studen ts will be increased and this will enhance learning * Learners gain practical knowledge and use of the target language Disadvantages * Method should be used in small groups of students * The rigidity of the system may be meaningless. * How successfully it might be used at more advanced levels is questionable. * Language is separated from its social context and taught through artificial situations usually by rods