Foreign Language Teaching Methods for Introductory Slavic

Introduction: Why Foreign Language Teaching Matters

Globalization and the concept of the "global village" have brought about significant developments in language teaching. It is now widely recognized, for example, that contact with one or more natives from foreign countries during an average lifetime is more likely than not. Furthermore, the information age means that knowledge from across the globe is integrated into the academic world. This implies that not all academic texts will be in English, and that some foreign language skills are necessary to access scholarship in certain fields. Businesses also generally offer expanded opportunities to those willing to relocate to foreign countries, and the success of such ventures often depends upon the ability to communicate with the target country's native population. The question is therefore not so much whether foreign languages belong in a curriculum, but rather how they should be taught.

A great deal of debate surrounds this issue, and it has resulted in the evolution of language teaching methods to include several new approaches. One of these is the integrated method, by which school children are taught a foreign language not only in the language classroom itself but also through their other school subjects (Novotna & Hofmannova, 2007). At the college introductory level, this is unlikely to be a practical option. However, integration is indeed possible in terms of combining established foreign language instruction methods. When teaching Slavic at the college introductory level, for example, a variety of methods are available to the teacher. Integrating these effectively can be a challenge, as college students bring with them a variety of considerations, including their individual purposes for learning the new language (Pufahl, Rhodes, & Christian, 2001). It is also important to recognize that some students are more highly developed in language learning skills than others, and that different students have different learning styles. Taking these variables into account, integrating different language teaching methods has the benefit of catering to a wide variety of student needs — something that a single approach will probably not accomplish.

The discussion that follows assumes the Slavic language proficiency of students taking the course to be more or less non-existent. A selection of nine different language teaching methods is then examined briefly to determine which are most appropriate for such a course, and how they can be integrated to achieve optimal results. Information for all the teaching approaches discussed is derived from Dr. Jill Kerper Mora (2002).

Total Physical Response and Grammar Translation

According to Dr. Mora, the Total Physical Response method uses the kinesthetic sensory system to transfer information in the target language. By combining movements and demonstrations with words in the target language, students are expected to understand the new language before learning to speak it. Information is mainly communicated by means of imperatives. Students are also provided with an individual readiness period, after which they begin to speak when they feel confident enough.

This appears to be an especially effective language teaching method for students at the college level. The fact that students can independently choose when to enter into conversation helps develop their confidence in using the target language — confidence they can transfer to other aspects of their college life and beyond. The specific language skills targeted here are listening and speaking. There is little grammatical structure apart from the imperative; however, this is a good method with which to begin language instruction, especially since early success and high volume of input results in a high success rate and therefore strong motivation. The combination of movement with words also makes instruction engaging and promotes retention.

The Grammar Translation Method is almost the direct opposite of the Total Physical Response method. The focus is entirely on grammar, with little practice application in the classroom. It is therefore a very good supplement for Total Physical Response, where grammar teaching is largely absent. Grammar is mainly taught through reading passages, vocabulary exercises, and isolated grammatical rules.

As a standalone method, it does little to motivate students or cultivate enthusiasm. These gaps are filled by the Total Physical Response method. The Slavic teacher can then combine Grammar Translation activities with the rest of the course activities to provide students with a holistic language learning experience. In this way, speaking and listening skills are supplemented with intensive, targeted reading and writing activities from the Grammar Translation method.

Audio Lingual and Communicative Approaches

The Audio Lingual Method uses pre-prepared materials as a mode of instruction. According to Dr. Mora, this method is based on the principle of habit formation. The new language is learned as a series of habits, in which grammar is acquired inductively rather than through direct instruction, as in the Grammar Translation method.

All language skills are addressed through this method: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Vocabulary is learned in context. While perhaps less immediately engaging than Total Physical Response, the Audio Lingual Method is beneficial in that it directly teaches a wider range of correct speaking sequences while also addressing all the language arts. One limitation is its strong emphasis on preventing learner error and its tendency to ignore the context of speech. For an introductory college-level Slavic class, it may therefore be productive to combine the engagement of Total Physical Response with the broader scope of the Audio Lingual Method.

The study of how children acquire language gave rise to the Communicative Approach. Tracy Terrell and Stephen Krashen developed the approach to focus on language acquisition in a naturalistic way rather than in a pre-formatted one, as the Audio Lingual Method does. The Communicative Approach recognizes three stages in learning a language: (1) aural comprehension, (2) early speech production, and (3) speech activities. Like Total Physical Response, Communicative language teaching begins with a silent period during which students build their comprehension of speech, followed by a gradual "immersion" in the target language, where students participate when they feel ready.

The focus on grammar is minimal in this approach. It is altogether less formal than either Total Physical Response or the Audio Lingual Method, and error correction does not occur aloud in class, as this is regarded as inhibiting the learning process. This method is appropriate for introductory-level Slavic students; however, it should be incorporated with more formal approaches to ensure that correct language forms are learned. The primary focus of this method is listening and speaking, with reading and writing taking a secondary role.

Conclusion: Integrating Methods for Introductory Slavic

Determining the appropriate methods for teaching an introductory Slavic course at the college level presents the teacher with a considerable challenge. This can be largely attributed to the fact that students at this stage of life have established widely different learning styles and bring with them a varied set of life and learning experiences. The teacher should therefore be creative in selecting teaching methods to ensure that at least most of the needs represented in the classroom are met. The best way to accomplish this in a language course is to integrate a variety of different approaches.

In light of the discussions above, it is perhaps best to begin with simpler approaches and increase complexity as students grow more confident in the target language. The Total Physical Response and Audio Lingual methods, for example, are good approaches with which to start the course: they introduce the language in a non-threatening way, and the wider range of speech patterns from the Audio Lingual Method can supplement Total Physical Response. Once students have mastered basic speech patterns, more complex approaches such as the Communicative, Functional Notional, and Community Language Learning methods can be introduced to raise the level of challenge. At this stage, reading and writing skills can also become more targeted. The Grammar Translation and Reading methods will prove useful for developing these skills.

At the college level, it is important that students receive balanced language instruction (American Education Research Association, 2006). In a language course, speaking, listening, reading, and writing can all be integrated with learning about the culture and country connected to the target language. The Reading and Direct approaches are particularly well suited to this, and can therefore be incorporated throughout the course of language instruction.

In any language course — and indeed in any subject — it is essential to keep the students' needs in mind. The teacher should monitor these needs on a continual basis. At the college level this becomes somewhat easier, as more mature students tend to be more aware of their own needs and requirements than younger learners. Remaining attentive to student needs will help the teacher determine the best course of action throughout the teaching process and maintain the most effective methods for the specific group of foreign language students.

American Education Research Association. (2006, Spring). "Foreign language instruction: Implementing the best teaching methods." Research Points, 4(6).

Mlikotin, Anthony M. (1967, October). "Soviet methods of teaching foreign languages." The Modern Language Journal, 51(6), 337–343. Retrieved from JSTOR.

Mora, Jill Kerper. (2002). "Second-language teaching methods."

Novotna, Jarmila, & Hofmannova, Marie. (2007). "Teacher training for content and language integrated learning." Presented at ICMI 15.

Pufahl, Ingrid, Rhodes, Nancy C., & Christian, Donna. (2001, September). "What we can learn from foreign language teaching in other countries." Center for Applied Linguistics.