Аудиолингвальный метод обучения иностранным языкам

Method of teaching foreign languages
The audio lingual method or Army Method is a method used in teaching foreign languages. It is based on behaviorist theory, which postulates that certain traits of living things, and in this case humans, could be trained through a system of reinforcement. The correct use of a trait would receive positive feedback while incorrect use of that trait would receive negative feedback. This approach to language learning was similar to another, earlier method called the direct method. Like the direct method, the audio lingual method advised that students should be taught a language directly, without using the students' native language to explain new words or grammar in target language. However, unlike the direct method, the audio lingual method did not focus on teaching vocabulary. Rather, the teacher drilled students in the use of grammar. Applied to language instruction, and often within the context of the language lab, it means that the instructor would present the correct model of a sentence and the students would have to repeat it. The teacher would then continue by presenting new words for the students to sample in the same structure. In audio lingualism, there is no explicit grammar instruction: everything is simply memorized in form. The idea is for the students to practice the particular construct until they can use it spontaneously. The lessons are built on static drills in which the students have little or no control on their own output; the teacher is expecting a particular response and not providing the desired response will result in a student receiving negative feedback. This type of activity, for the foundation of language learning, is in direct opposition with communicative language teaching. Charles Carpenter Fries, the director of the English Language Institute at the University of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States, believed that learning structure or grammar was the starting point for the student. In other words, it was the students' job to recite the basic sentence patterns and grammatical structures. The students were given only “enough vocabulary to make such drills possible.” (Richards, J. C. et al. 1986). Fries later included principles of behavioural psychology, as developed by B. F. Skinner, into this method.

Drills and pattern practice are typical (Richards, J. C. et al., 1986):
Repetition: the student repeats an utterance as soon as she hears it. Inflection: one word in a sentence appears in another form when repeated. Replacement: one word is replaced by another. Restatement: the student rephrases an utterance.

The method is the product of three historical circumstances. For its views on language, it drew on the work of American linguists such as Leonard Bloomfield. The prime concern of American linguists in the early decades of the 20th century had been to document all the indigenous languages spoken in the US. However, because of the dearth of trained native teachers who would provide a theoretical description of the native languages, linguists had to rely on observation. For the same reason, a strong focus on oral language was developed. At the same time, behaviourist psychologists, such as B. F. Skinner, were forming the belief that all behaviour (including language) was learnt through repetition and positive or negative reinforcement. The third factor was the outbreak of World War II, which created the need to post large number of American servicemen all over the world. It was, therefore, necessary to provide these soldiers with at least basic verbal communication skills. Unsurprisingly, the new method relied on the prevailing scientific methods of the time, observation and repetition, which were also admirably suited to teaching en masse. Because of the influence of the military, early versions of the audio lingualism came to be known as the “army method.”

As mentioned, lessons in the classroom focus on the correct imitation of the teacher by the students. The students are expected to produce the correct output, but attention is also paid to correct pronunciation. Although correct grammar is expected in usage, no explicit grammatical instruction is given. Furthermore, the target language is the only language to be used in the classroom. Philip Smith's study from 1965 1969, termed the Pennsylvania Project, provided significant proof that audio lingual methods were less effective than a more traditional cognitive approach involving the learner's first language.

Each skill (listening, speaking, reading, writing) is treated and taught separately. The skills of writing and reading are not neglected, but the focus throughout remains on listening and speaking. Dialogue is the main feature of the audio lingual syllabus. Dialogues are the chief means of presenting language items. They provide learners an opportunity to practice, mimic and memorize bits of language. Patterns drills are used as an important technique and essential part of this method for language teaching and learning. The language laboratory was introduced as an important teaching aid. Mother tongue was not given much importance, similar to the direct method, but it was not deemphasized so rigidly

Skills are taught in the following order: listening, speaking, reading, writing. Language is taught through dialogues with useful vocabulary and common structures of communication. Students are made to memorize the dialogue line by line. Learners mimic the teacher or a tape listening carefully to all features of the spoken target language. Pronunciation like that of native speaker is important in presenting the model. Through repetition of phrases and sentences, a dialogue is learned by the first whole class, then smaller groups and finally individual learners. Reading and writing are introduced in the next stage. The oral lesson learned in previous class is the reading material to establish a relationship between speech and writing. All reading material is introduced as orally first. Writing, in the early stages, is confined to transcriptions of the structures and dialogues learned earlier. Once learners mastered the basic structure, they were asked to write composition reports based on the oral lesson.

Oral skills are used systematically to emphasize communication. The foreign language is taught for communication, with a view to achieve development of communication skills. Practice is how the learning of the language takes place. Every language skill is the total of the sets of habits that the learner is expected to acquire. Practice is central to all the contemporary foreign language teaching methods. With audio lingual method, it is emphasized even more. Oral learning is emphasized. Stress is put on oral skills at the early year of the foreign language course and is continued during the later years. Oral skills remain central even when, later, reading and writing are introduced. Learners are asked to speak only what they have had a chance to listen to sufficiently. They read only the material used as part of their practice. They have to write only that which they have read. Strict order of material, in terms of the four skills, is followed.

Listening and speaking skills are emphasized and, especially the former, rigorously developed. The use of visual aids is effective in vocabulary teaching. The method is just as functional and easy to execute for larger groups. Correct pronunciation and structure are emphasized and acquired. The learner is in a directed role; the learner has little control over the material studied or the method of study.

The behaviorist approach to learning is now discredited. Many scholars have proven its weakness. It does not pay sufficient attention to communicative competence. Only language form is considered while meaning is neglected. Equal importance is not given to all four skills. It is a teacher dominated method. It is a mechanical method since it demands pattern practice, drilling, and memorization over functional learning and organic usage. The learner is in a passive role; the learner has little control over their learning.