THE LANGUAGE SYSTEM.
A system of linguistic units or elements used in a particular language.
The deductive approach.
A deductive approach is more teacher-centered learning where the points of English grammar are explicitly stated to the students and then tested. Once the grammar is introduced and explained, students usually complete grammar exercises to become familiar with the pattern. This is a method that has been commonly used in English classrooms in the west.
Benefits
Although a little less effective than inductive teaching when used in TESOL, benefits to the deductive approach are:
Time in the classroom is spent only on the language principle.
Most material can be easily taught this way.
It encourages faster learning of material
Freer practice
Free practice is a stage in a lesson where learners produce language using the target content freely. It can be compared with controlled practice, which involves learners producing the language previously focussed on in a restricted context.
Freer Acrivity: Is the same as a productive activity, generally, although there is one important distinction: it requires the use of particular target language (whatever vocabulary, grammar, or functional language that is the focus of the lesson).
Explaining meaning
One of the clearest ways of explaining the meaning of something is to show it
At other times we can use gesture. We can demonstrate superlative adjectives, by using hand and arm movements to show ‘big-bigger-biggest’, and many teachers have standard gestures to explain.
The inductive approach.
The inductive teaching approach in TESOL is a sort of discovery learning that focuses on the student. For example, an instructor might use or show a few examples of a grammar point in English and then ask students what they notice. In many cases, the grammar point might be introduced by simply engaging the students in a directed conversation to slowly introduce it. The teacher guides the students to noticing the grammar pattern, and finally explicitly exposes them to it.
Benefits
Although inductive teaching takes longer than deductive, many educators agree it is a very efficient method in the long run. Benefits include:
-Student interaction and participation.
-Students rely on their critical thinking to figure out the language.
-Students gain deeper understanding of the language.
Controlled practice
Controlled practice is a stage in a lesson where learners practise new language in a limited form. It can be compared to free practice, which involves learners producing language using the target content freely.
Example
The teacher has shown the learners the form and use of the past passive form. They now practise using the structure by completing sentences using cues, e.g.
My car (stolen) _________ last week.
Examples of language system teaching
Teaching grammar
Teaching pronunciation
Teaching vocabulary
Teaching language functions
Explaining language construction
With an example of ‘He’s painting the house’ We are able to use our fingers or hands in order to show how "He is" can turn into "He's", or how "Fast" and "er" are joined in order to make a comparative adjective in speech.