Second Language Learning and Language Teaching

13
Second language 
learning and language 
teaching styles
This chapter looks at some general questions of teaching methodology in the light
of SLA research. It reverses the direction of Chapter 12 by proceeding from teach-
ing to L2 learning. It also provides an overview of the diversity of alternative 
language teaching methods that teachers should be aware of, if only to remind
them that there are many successful ways in which languages can be taught. As
Kipling said:
Here’s my wisdom for your use,…
‘There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays,
And-every-single-one-of-them-is-right!’
The term ‘teaching method’ is used in most of this book as a broad cover term for
the different activities that go on in language teaching. Glosses on the main well-
known methods are given in Chapter 1 (see page 17). Various suggestions have been
put forward over the years for making the term ‘method’ more precise or for aban-
doning it. The traditional distinction is between overall approaches, such as the oral
approach, methods, such as the audio-lingual method, and teaching techniques, such
as drills (Anthony, 1963). Richards and Rodgers (1986) see approaches as related
through design to procedures. Marton (1988), on the other hand, talks about four
overall teaching ‘strategies’: the receptive strategy, which relies primarily on listening;
the communicative strategy, in which students learn by attempting to communicate;
the reconstructive strategy, in which the student participates in reconstructive activi-
ties based on a text; and the eclectic strategy, which combines two or more of the oth-
ers. Allen et al. (1990) distinguish experiential activities, which rely on language use
within a situation, from analytic activities, which use language study and practice.
To avoid the various associations and prejudices that these terms conjure up, I
prefer the more neutral terms ‘teaching technique’ and ‘teaching style’, which will
be used in this chapter. The actual point of contact with the students is the teach-