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ПЕДАГОГИЧЕСКИЕ НАУКИ
_THE SILENT WAY OF TEACHING ENGLISH_
DOI: 10.31618/ESU.2413-9335.2019.3.68.444
Khalilova N.
Ph.D. student
War College of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces
ABSTRACT
The paper is aimed to differentiate the alternatives of the twentieth century's approaches and to use a new method. Students can discover the language by themselves with the help of Silent Way method. Colored wooden sticks called Cuisenaire Rods help students to use their imaginations and illustrate new items. By using the rods they can assimilate the structure and enhance their speaking skills.
Key words: approach, method, Cuisenaire rods, Silent Way, structure, assimilation.
1. Introduction
Teaching the English Language is widely spread, as it is the international language all over the world. Variety of methods was applied in teaching second language. All the methods are based on the views and linguists' different approaches to teaching. Here are some methods that are used in teaching:
One of the first method in teaching is the Grammar-Translation Method. In the Grammar-Translation Method the main goal is to learn a language in order to read its literature. Textbooks consists of sentences patterns, grammar rules, list of vocabularies and sentences for translation. The grammar rules are presented and illustrated in typical Grammar-Translation text and are taught deductively.
The Direct Method is a common applied method in English teaching. The principles of this method are to teach grammar rule inductively, to build up oral communication skills, to emphasize the correct pronunciation etc.
In Co-operative learning method, the language teacher involves the learners in group and they initiate deliberations on the given task, where the group participation and shared thought process will have a say at the end of the participation, resulting in an improvised result at the end. In this approach, the assignments are done and handled by the teams.The language teacher takes the role of facilitator and learners, alone will explore the avenues to learn the language elements. Language learners, group behavior, contribution to group, the process of learning through co-operative methods etc. are practically on usage [1, 177].
2. "The Silent Way" Method
Above we discussed some of the methods and approaches that are being used in English Teaching.
These are very common among English teachers. However, in order to improve the effectiveness of language teaching efforts have often been focused on changes in teaching methods.
While some of the teaching methods that have gained prominence at different times represented the consensus of academics, language teaching specialists, and educational institutions and hence were often widely adopted, others have been the product of individual educators advocating a personal view of teaching and learning. Such is the case with the Silent Way. The Silent Way is the name of a method of language teaching devised by Caleb Gattegno. Gattegno's name is well known for his series Words in Color, an approach to the teaching of initial reading in which sounds are coded by specific colors [2, 289].
Dr. Caleb Gattegno is one the most significant contributors to the advancement of the field of education. He was born in Egypt, in 1911 and died in Paris, in 1988. As an educator, he was widely known for his ability to achieve remarkable results with students of all ages and abilities. For many of those who studied with him, Gattegno was much more than an educator. He worked closely with Georges Cuisenaire developing and promoting the use Cuisenaire Rods [3].
Though he was a mathematician, his "The Silent Way" method was also applied to teach English Language as well. The main tools of this method are 'Words in Color' and Cuisenaire Rods. These rods were used in maths at first. While teaching he noticed that his students came across with the hardships to comprehend the tasks. He was satisfied with the previous methods, like grammar-translation. He experimented and developed this method.
Here are the Words in Color and Cuisenaire Rods:
Eepa3uucKuu COK>3 YneHbix (ECY) # 11 (68), 2019
5
ran rat after run rust red sister rest stri my mind wild mine ask kit kill kid kiss any skip skill si/k milk sick neck track truck dress strike find - y time mile like love -d fur were word world -d
The teacher involves all the students and they have to be on board in the process. The teacher tries to disappear in the classroom and observes the process. The role of the teacher is a facilitator who only shows the sequence of the tasks with gestures. The use of the word "silent" is also significant, as Silent Way is based on the premise that the teacher should be as silent as possible in the classroom in order to encourage the learner to produce as much language as possible. Students don't repeat, memorize or learn from the teachers, but they discover themselves. The silence induces students to verbalize the sounds, later they become sentences.
The Silent Way takes a structural approach to the organization of language to be taught. Language is seen as groups of sounds arbitrarily associated with specific meanings and organized into sentences or strings of meaningful units by grammar rules. Language is separated from its social context and taught through artificial situations, usually represented by rods. [2, 290]
As it is mentioned above this method is as a highly structural approach, with language taught through sentences in a sequence based on grammatical complexity. Students use the structural patterns which taught by teachers or through the grammar rules.
3. Design of lesson in this method
When we look through some of the lesson plans of this method we notice that the structure of this lesson is totally different from the others. Teachers don't use any textbook and its steps are based on the willingness of students.
Cuisenaire rods are often used to illustrate meaning. The teacher introduces the objects, ideas and grammar structures with examples. The teacher clarifies the example until students can assimilate them. For example, the sentence "Show me a red rod". By pointing the new item students have to continue the sentence, like "Show her a green rod" etc. One of the students can lead the lesson and others rotate the sentences with making a new one.
We can have a look of one demo lesson structure:
After the teacher greets the students, the teacher is reviewing some of the words students will use that day by pointing to them on a "Fidel" (a color-coded word chart on which each English sound is assigned a distinctive color). He focuses on the differences in pronunciation between thee and the. By beginning the lesson with the Fidel Chart, something with which the students are familiar, the teacher can build from the known to the unknown. The teacher next constructs a floor plan with Cuisenaire rods. He elicits from the
students the relevant vocabulary. He has the basic structure in mind, but he lets the students take responsibility for guiding the construction of the floor plan. The teacher respects the intelligence of his students and gives only what help is necessary [4, 32].
Aspects of Silent Way can be used differently in modern classrooms. Cuisenaire rods are also popular with some teachers and can be used extremely creatively for various purposes from teaching pronunciation to story-telling. The idea of modelling a new structure or item of vocabulary just once may also have some justification as it encourages learners both to listen more carefully and then to experiment with their own production of the utterance.
As we mentioned above some experimental lessons we also held some demo lessons for analyzing advantages and disadvantages of this method during the course. The class was the beginner level and the students were focused on learning simple sentences. In one group the turnout was seven and in the second group there were nine students. The objective of the lesson was demonstrative pronouns "this/that and these/ those"and their usages with verb form "to be".
In the beginning of the lesson the instructor explained the role of Cuisenaire rods and how to make a sentence with them. The instructor chose three colors of rods for S+V+O. Then they made sentences like "This (a red color) is (a blue color) a classroom (a yellow color)". While showing the colors they discovered any sentences. The instructor was silent after the explanations. They all made sentences by themselves and could assimilate the structure of the sentences. That helped the students remember the grammar and new vocabulary as well.
After accomplishing both lessons the instructor analyzed the results of them. The duration of these lessons was 45 and 60 minutes. In demo lesson the instructor came into conclusion that she could fulfill what she planned. However, the lessons showed us that we could apply this method in specific lessons not all
УДК 378.01
ГРНТИ 14.35
the time. Because for assimilation of one part of the lesson the instructor spent 45 and 60 minutes.
4. Conclusion
This method is considered as a structural approach, as the students use the sentence sequence based on grammatical rules. Teachers can use the aspects of Silent Way in different ways. However, this method can not be applied for all levels.
According to the demo lesson the Silent Way method can be considered to be applied to beginner's level. As none of the textbook is used during the lesson the duration of the lesson was longer than the normal lesson. That's why simple sentence structures can be made by showing them with Cuisenaire rods or on the Fidel chart. This method can't be appropriate all the time, because it takes long time to accomplish the needed tasks. In short-term education system students will not be able to complete all the material during the course. Because while having the demo lessons we faced that assimilation of one sentence structure took us sixty minutes in one group. There is no doubt this method gives not quantity but it helps to increase the quality. However, quantity is also substantial in short-term course like a four month course.
References
1. A.N. Guru Prasad, Recent Pedagogical Approaches and Methodologies in English Language Teaching, IJELLH, International Journal of English Language, Volume II Issue I, 2014
2. Jack C. Richards and Theordore S. Rodgers, Approaches and Methods in Language teaching, 2014 (Cambridge University Press)
3. http://www.educationalsolutions.com/caleb-gattegno-biography/
4. Diane Larsen-Freeman, Language Teaching Method, Teacher's Handbook for the Video Series, 1990, (Office of English Language Programs Material Branch)
МЕТОДИКА ОВЛАДЕНИЯ ТЕХНИКОЙ И КОНТРОЛЕМ ЛЕГКОАТЛЕТИЧЕСКИХ ВИДОВ НА _ЗАНЯТИЯХ ФИЗИЧЕСКОЙ КУЛЬТУРОЙ В ВУЗАХ_
DOI: 10.31618/ESU.2413-9335.2019.3.68.424 Анохин Герман Игоревич
Старший преподаватель кафедры «Физвоспитание и спорт» ФГАОУ ВО «Севастопольский государственный университет»,
г. Севастополь
АННОТАЦИЯ
В. предлагаемой публикации определены и охарактеризованы уровни технической подготовленности в спринтерском беге у студентов высших учебных заведений. Установлено, что обучение студентов технике спринтерского бега происходит эффективнее с применением технологической (учебной) карты.
ABSTRACT
тае article is devoted to determine levels of technical readiness in sprinter run of students of university. The education of students in sprint race is more efficient technique using technology (training) card.
Ключевые слова: технологическая карта, физическое воспитание в вузе, педагогический контроль, методика физической культуры и спорта.
Key words: technology card, physical education, pedagogkal monitoring, methods of physical culture and sports.
