The Audio-lingual Teaching Method

The Audio-lingual
Teaching Method
With the outbreak of World War
II armies needed to become
orally proficient in the languages
of their allies and enemies as
quickly as possible. This teaching
technique was initially called the
Army Method, and was the first
to be based on linguistic theory
and behavioral psychology.

Explanation

Based on Skinner’s Behaviorism
theory, it assumed that a human
being can be trained using a
system of reinforcement .
Correct behaviour receives
positive feedback, while errors
receive negative feedback.
This approach to learning is
similar to the Direct Method, in
that the lesson takes place
entirely in the target language.
Emphasis is on the
acquisition of patterns in
common everyday
dialogue.
The Audio-lingual Method was
widely used in the 1950s and
1960s, and the emphasis was
not on the understanding of
words, but rather on the
acquisition of structures and
patterns in common everyday
dialogue.
These patterns are elicited,
repeated and tested until the
responses given by the student
in the foreign language are
automatic.

Some characteristics of this
method are:

Drills are used to
teach structural
patterns

Set phrases are
memorised with a
focus on intonation

Grammatical
explanations are
kept to a minimum

Vocabulary is taught
in context

Audio-visual aids are
used

Focus is on
pronunciation

Correct responses
are positively
reinforced
immediately

Modern Usage

The Audio-lingual Method is still
in use today, though normally as
a part of individual lessons
rather than as the foundation of
the course. These types of
lessons can be popular as they
are relatively simple, from the
teacher’s point of view, and the
learner always knows what to
expect.
Some of the most famous
supporters of this method were
Giorgio Shenker, who promoted
guided self learning with the
Shenker method in Italy, and
Robin Callan, who created the
Callan method.

Developments &
Problems

This extensive memorization,
repetition and over-learning of
patterns was the key to the
method’s success, as students
could often see immediate
results, but it was also its
weakness.

It was discovered that
language was not
acquired through a
process of habit
formation.

The method’s insistence on
repetition and memorization of
standard phrases ignored the
role of context and knowledge in
language learning. As the study
of linguistics developed, it was
discovered that language was
not acquired through a process
of habit formation, and that
errors were not necessarily bad.
It was also claimed that the
methodology did not deliver an
improvement in communicative
ability that lasted over the long
term.