Techniques & Principles

in Language Teaching

The Silent Way

Presented by - Myo Thiha, Swan Htet Naing
Sai Zaw Htun,Thiha Zaw
Kyaw Win Maung,
Nyeinchan May, and Thander Htet Zaw
Contents
 Intro
 Observing
 About observation
 Review the principles
 Review the techniques
 Conclusion
 Activities
 references
Intro
• Language must not be considered a product of habit formation,
but rather of rule formation by Chomsky
• Learners are responsible for learning, and engaged in formulating
hypotheses to discover the rules of the target language
• Learning is a process which we initiate by mobilizing our inner
resources to meet the challenge
• The silent way and Cognitive Code Approach share certain
principles
• “Teaching should be subordinated to learning.”
 Observing the silent way teaching method
Classroom settings - 24
secondary school students in
Brazil
Materials - metal pointer, a
sound-color chart in which
small rectangular blocks
represented vowel sounds and
consonant sounds, and word
chart
 First
 Teacher points to five different blocks of color and repeats
the pattern but no one says anything, later teacher says /a/
then the others are pronounced /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/ by the class as
the teacher points the five blocks
 Teacher glides the pointer for diphthongs and uses gestures
to lengthen vowel sounds /eı/, /i:/, /ƏƱ/, and /u:/.
 Teacher hands the pointer to a girl and have her points to the
blocks then the class responds correctly the diphthongs.
 But the student has trouble finding the last block and points
to a fault one, a few students yell, ‘NO!’, and a student help
her in their native language.
Second
 Teacher points some new blocks, two or three students
yell ‘Pedro’ which is a student’s name
 In this way, the students have learned the location of
consonants’ sounds on the sound-color chart.
 Teacher points to a girl and taps out eight colored
rectangles then the class say her name ‘Carolina’.
 The teacher follows the procedure for some others’
names.
Third – a new activity introduced
 Teacher asks eight students to sit with him around a table
 He puts a pile of blue, pink, and green wooden rods
 The teacher point to a rod then points to three rectangles
of color on the sound-color chart, and students attempt to
say “rod”.
 Next, teacher points the block representing the word ‘a’
and uses gestures to produce a new sound then the
students chorus, ‘a rod’.
 The teacher points to a particular rod and taps out ‘a blue
rod’ then a student says ‘a blue rod’.
 Teacher uses a different chart – the word chart.
 Then the teacher points to a particular rod and points to
the word ‘blue’ on the word chart till students says ‘A blue
rod’
 Teacher repeats the action for a new word ‘ A pink rod’
 A student has trouble with the pronunciation of ‘pink’,
teacher uses fingers to represent each word of the phrase,
and shows how the phrase is segmented then taps out his
second finger where the student has trouble.
 The teacher mouths the vowel sound and, with gestures,
show the students which are imitated by the student for
self-correction.
 The teacher repeats the procedure with other groups of
students
 He uses same procedure with different longer words
 After the activity has finished, he asks the class in native
language for their reaction to the lesson.
 A student replies that he has learned that language is not
difficult, another student says that he is finding it difficult,
a third student adds that she felt as if she were playing a
game, and a fourth student says he is feeling confused.
Observation Principle
The teacher points to five color blocks Start From students already know the
silently . language to unknow

Students says /a/,/e/,/i/,/o/,/u/ as the Teachers only give help in necessary

teacher points the blocks situation

Teacher uses gestures but not model Students learn the language by
the new sounds developing their own “inner criteria”

Students take turns tapping out the Students’ action can tell the teacher
sounds . whether or not they have learned

Students help each other Students should rely on each other and
themselves
Observation Principle

Teachers work with gestures and The teacher work with the students
sometimes give instructions in native while the students work on the language
language

Students respond whatever the teacher Learning involves transferring what one
points know to new contexts

Teacher sits down at the table silently Silence is tool .

and a girl points to a rod and say ‘ rod”
Observation Principle
Teacher taps out’ blue rod’ on the Focusing student’s perception is
sound – color chart priority not translation

Teacher remains silent even though the Teacher’s silent encourages group
student has trouble , just need to look cooperation
at others students
Teachers accept the student’s correct Teacher’s praise or criticism can
pronunciation interfere student’s self- reliant
When another student has trouble in Errors are necessary to show teacher
pronunciation , teacher help her the unclear part of the lesson
individually by using gestures
Observation Principle
Teacher corrects the sound but not Students need to learn to listen to
vocalize it themselves
Teacher works with the sound by Teacher looks for the progress , not
herself before the lesson start perfection
The teacher listens attentively . Teacher observe the students’ behavior
silently
Teacher says ‘Take the green rod’ only Student attention is a key to learning
once
Students take turns to take a rod of a Students engage with meaning practice
certain color without repetition
Observation Principle
Students practice commands with Language expands logically by
compound objects expanding upon what students already
know
Students tap out the sentences by taking Students gain language autonomy by
turns exploring and making choices simple or
complex
Students tap out the commands by their Language is for self- expression
own choice simple or complex
Teacher asks the students for their Teacher gain the valuable information
reaction from student feedback
Observation Principle
No Homework Students naturally work on the day’s
lesson
In subsequent lessons , students learn The syllabus is composed of linguistic
linguistic structures structures

Students practice making sentences by Structures are not arranged in a linear

combining these structures . fashion , but being recycled

Students will practice writing the The skills of speaking , reading and
sentences they create writing reinforce one another
What are the goals of teacher who use the Silent Way ?
To become independent by relying on themselves
What is the role of the teacher ? What is the role of the
students ?
Role of teacher – technician or engineer. Teachers rely on what
his students already know and focus their self awareness .
Role of Students – Students are forced to figure out all kinds of
things on their own
 What are some characteristics of the teaching / learning
process ?
First step – introduced the sound color – char ( relying on what sounds students
already know )
Second step – students learn the spellings that corresponds to the sounds
Third step – Make situation call for “ the use of rod “ , in this stage Students
are guided to produce the structure with minimal spoken cues
Fourth step – Teachers use the students errors to make
sure where the language is unclear to them but he remains
in silence
Students gain autonomy by exploring and making choices
Fifth step – Teacher ask the students feedback on the
lesson .
What is the nature of student- teacher interaction ?
What is the nature of student- student interaction ?
In Student – teacher interaction , teacher is silent.
Student – student verbal interaction is desirable .

How are the feelings of the students deal with ?

Students are encouraged throughout each lesson to
cooperate with one another .
Comfortabl
Relaxed Enjoyable
e
How is the language viewed ? How is the culture
viewed ?
Their culture as reflected in their own unique world
view , is inseparable from their language .

What areas of the language are emphasized ?

Pronunciation
What language skills are emphasized ?

Reading Writing
 What is the role of the students’ native
language ?
Native language is used to give instruction and feedback
sessions

How is the evaluation accomplished ?

Whether or not students have learned is their ability to

transfer what they have been studying to new contexts
How does the teacher respond to students
errors ?

Teacher uses students errors as a basis for deciding

where further work is necessary .
Teacher works with the students to self- correct
 Reviewing the Techniques
Sound-Color Chart
• It contains blocks of colors, each one representing a sound
in the target language
• Pointing to blocks of color on the chart to form syllables,
words, and even sentences
• Allows students to produce sound combination
• Draws students attention and to concentrate on the target
language, not to the teacher
• Students know what they have learned and what they yet
need to learn; it relates to the issue of learner autonomy
Teacher’s Silence
• The teacher gives as much help as is necessary and then is
silent
• Even in error correction, he only supplies a verbal answer
as a last resort
Peer Correction
• Students are encouraged to help another student when
he/she is experiencing difficulty.
• Any help be offered in a cooperative manner, not a
competitive one.
• Teacher does not interfere.
Rods
• Provides visible actions, or enable students to practice
• Used to teach colors and numbers then more
complicated structures.
• By pointing to each rod in turn, while remaining silent,
the teacher can elicit the sentence from the students.
• They allow students to be creative and imaginative, and
allow for action to accompany language.
Word Chart
• The teacher points to words on the word-
chart in a sequence; students can read
aloud the sentences.
• The way the letters are colored – the
colors from the sound-color chart are
used – helps the students with their
pronunciation.
• There are 12 English charts containing
about 500 words.
• Students can work with wall pictures and
books to expand their vocabularies and
facility.
Structured Feedback
• The teacher accepts the students’ comments in a non-
defensive manner
• The students learn to take responsibility for their
learning and learning strategies in class.
• The length and frequency of feedback sessions vary
depending on the teacher and the class.
 Conclusion The Silent way
Can be used for beginner, intermediate and advanced students.
Proponents claim it is ineffective, but it can be utilized implicitly
for sure.
Teaching should be subordinated to learning. Students should be
able to transfer what they have studied.
Encourage learners’ autonomy- students use learning strategies
Students self-correct ( Teacher’s help is just by using correct
language)
Compare with other students’ answers.
Teacher is always assessing the students all the time.
 Checklist for understanding the Silent Way

Reasons for the teacher’s silence have been stated and others have
been implied. State the reasons.

What does the phrase, “Teaching is subordinated to learning”

mean?
“The teacher works with the students; the students work on the
language” What does this mean?
 Application of the Silent Way

Use short target language verse

Choose a suitable grammar structure. Plan a lesson to teach

the structure.

Think of students with a particular native language

background.