The other method used in teaching is Audio-Lingual Method. It is based on behaviorist theory (which we will discuss oncoming blogs).
This method was firs developed during World War II, to teach soldiers foreign languages so that they could understand encrypted messages between their enemies.
Basically, this method includes forming habits and repeated practice.And also mainly focuses listening and speaking skills. It is teacher-centered method.
Listening skills are emphasized by listening carefully to understand what is spoken with repeated activities. Students also practice speaking activities just for they can become fluent and develop accuracy so that they have accurate pronunciation like native speakers. In this method, grammar isn’t learned by being taught explicitly, but through repeated exposure to structures.
The most common techniques are;
Repetition Drill; students practice words, phrases, or sentences repeatedly to reinforce language habits.
Substitution Drill; teachers give example and students try to replace one word with another.
Transformation Drill; students change the sentence form, affirmative to negative or question.
Dialogue Practice; students practice scripted conversation which they will encounter in real life.
In the Audio-Lingual Method, speaking activities focus on repetition, automatization, and correct language patterns. Creative speaking or free expression is discouraged as the main goal is to learn to produce correct sentences almost reflexively. As it relies on a reward – punishment system, mistakes are corrected immediately.
One of the strenghts of this method is improves listening and speaking skills very effectively. Also, repetition helps students to gain natural-sounding accents. However this repetition can be boring or tiring. And at some point educators think that students are not ready for real-life conversations. One of the downsides of this method is reading and writing skills are overlooked.
With all these advantages and disadvantages, Audio-Lingual Method began to lose its popularity in the 1960s-1970s. Because this method was based on behaviorism, students fail to communicate in real-life situations, sometimes students were afraid to speak because mistakes were corrected on spot etc..
Communicative Language Teaching emerged as the alternative method.