The History of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, from a British

and European Perspective

By Howatt & Smith (2014)

Fariba Chamani, 2016

Purpose of studyAn overview of historical developments in EFL teaching methodology over the last 250 years.It is based on periods rather than methodsIt is a UK-focused or a European view rather than a USA-centric perspective.It presents a synoptic overview of EFL history

Research into the history of English language teaching

Howatt (1984) Howatt & Smith (2000; 2002) Smith (1999; 2003; 2005b) Doctoral works on the history of EFL teaching Some monographs about English teaching in particular countries

Synoptic Overview Stage I: Modern Language Teaching in Europe (1750–1920)

1. The Classical Period 1750–1880 2. The Reform Period 1880–1920

Stage II: English Language Teaching beyond and within Europe (1920–2000+)

3. The Scientific Period (1920–70) 4. The Communicative Period (1970–2000+)

Stage I: Modern Language Teaching in Europe (1750–1920)

1. The Classical Period (1750–1880) Core Concern: Emulating the teaching of classical languages Associated Teaching Methods:

• The Grammar-Translation Method

Stage I: Modern Language Teaching in Europe (1750–1920)

2. The Reform Period (1880–1920) Core Concern: Teaching the spoken languageAssociated Teaching Methods: (reform methods)

• The Natural Method (Heness, Sauveur) & The Berlitz Method

• The Direct Method

Reform MethodsThe Reform Movement was inspired by Wilhelm Vietor’s pseudonymous pamphlet. Vietor argues for a lesson design that puts exposure to the foreign language first.Grammar is dealt with ‘inductively. The ‘spoken language’ is understood essentially as the spoken version of a written text.

The Natural Method and The Berlitz Method

These methods were used to teach conversation to adult language learners.They depend on the teacher’s ability to teach the meaning of new words by object lessons, pictures, etc. The Berlitz Method is based on “Natural Method”.

The Direct Method Direct Method = No translation is allowed It began to be used by language school proprietors to get round the Berlitz ‘ban’. Direct Method’ was also inspired by of Gouin’s (1880) ‘Series’ : action sequences like ‘I’m walking to / opening / closing the door’.

Stage II: ELT beyond and within Europe (1920–2000+) 4. The Scientific Period (1920–70)

Core Concern: Scientific basis for teaching Associated Teaching Methods: Oral Method (Palmer)

• The Multiple Line of Approach (Palmer) • The Situational Approach (Hornby)• The Oral Approach (Fries) • The Audiolingual Method

Background

After the First World War teaching of EFL shifted from Europe and the USA and Asia. Palmer pioneered an experimental orientation to the development of methods and materials. Charles Fries developed his ‘Oral Approach’ via appeals to structural linguistics, and where advocates of the ‘Audiolingual Method’ and associ- ated language laboratories later added in references to behaviourist psychology

The Oral Method & The Multiple Line of Approach

Palmer’s (1921) The Oral Method of Teaching Languages constituted a serious attempt to synthesize and systematize Direct Method ideas on the teaching of conversation independently of texts. Most of the exercises are in drill form and follow what later became known as a stimulus-response model.In Japanese school, Palmer engaged teachers in trialling specially produced resources and materials in accordance with a principled, eclectic system which he termed ‘The Multiple Line of Approach’.

The Situational Approach Hornby coined the term ‘The Situational Approach’ to show how a teacher can convey meaning through inventing a classroom situation.

The Situational Approach, or ‘Situational language teaching’, was the dominant approach in British TEFL in the 1960s

Audiolingual Method & Audio-Visual Method

Audiolingual Method from the USA, which seemed little different from Hornby’s Situational Approach apart from the relative lack of contextualization, the lack of meaning-focus. Audio-Visual Method from France used a filmstrip technology to present social situations accompanying tape-recorded dialogues.

Stage II: ELT beyond and within Europe (1920–2000+)

4. The Communicative Period (1970–2000+) Core Concern: Aiming for ‘real-life communication’ Associated Teaching Methods:

• Communicative Language Teaching • Task-based Language Teaching

Driving forces for CLTCouncil of Europe project to create an internationally valid language assessment system. English for Specific Purposes projects New kinds of communicative activity or ‘task’ A new focus on the learner and on learning that resulted in a focus on purposeful use of language in the classroom.

The notional-functional syllabus

Notional-functional syllabus focuses on the notions and language functions as the semantic content of a teaching syllabus. Threshold Level project, as a substantial framework for the teaching of meaning, was developed within a major research and development project in Europe

English for Specific Purposes

ESP projects around the world attempted to modernize the teaching of English and relate it more effectively to the perceived needs of different groups of learners. The demand for such instruction in English came as a consequence of the growing role of the language worldwide.

Communicative activities & tasks

The ultimate aim of CLT was successful linguistic interaction in the foreign language in the ‘real world’. However, spontaneous interactive speech is never easy to organize in the classroom, so the new approach made considerable use of activities like role-playing, problem-solving or task-based work that paved the way for TBLT.

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