The purpose of the Audio-Lingual method in an ESL classroom is to help language learners overcome tendencies they have in their native language. This is achieved by having the students do different drills to properly learn English grammar patterns. By being drilled, students familiarize themselves with English grammar patterns and can thus create new habits needed to be English speakers. This method focuses mostly on everyday communication. The students' native language is never used in a classroom using the Audio-Lingual method, rather, the teacher uses gestures and picture cues to help students understand what is being said.
The way students are drilled is by using different short dialogues which they are to say out loud in class. By saying the dialogue over and over, students will grasp the grammatical pattern of English sentences. The class begins with the teacher reading the complete dialogue a few times for the class to hear. Then perhaps the teacher will have the class repeat after them and say the whole dialogue out loud all together. Afterwards, different students can take turns saying the dialogue together for the class. Example:
Person #1 (Stacy): Hello, Kevin.
Person #2 (Kevin): Hello, Stacy. How are you?
Person #1 (Stacy): I'm good, and you?
Person #2 (Kevin): I'm good, thanks.
Person#1 (Stacy): Where is your sister?
Person #2 (Kevin): She's in the car.
Once students familiarize themselves with the text by reading the lines, the teacher can take away the words, and have them try to remember the lines themselves with the use of picture cues. The picture cues would be projected for the whole class to see.
Once students master this dialogue, the teacher can switch a line, for example, where Kevin's sister is. In the last sentence of the dialogue, instead of saying "She's in the car," the teacher can have the students say different locations.
A few examples are:
1. She's in the library.
2. She's in the kitchen.
3. She's in class.
4. She's in the pool.
By projecting different pictures representing these different locations, students will learn new vocabulary and how this grammar pattern functions within everyday English conversation.
POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS:
The internet is not necessarily needed for this lesson as the picture cues can be part of a PowerPoint presentation. However, the teacher must make sure to have access to a projector and access to PowerPoint in order to prepare the presentation for the class.
The way students are drilled is by using different short dialogues which they are to say out loud in class. By saying the dialogue over and over, students will grasp the grammatical pattern of English sentences. The class begins with the teacher reading the complete dialogue a few times for the class to hear. Then perhaps the teacher will have the class repeat after them and say the whole dialogue out loud all together. Afterwards, different students can take turns saying the dialogue together for the class. Example:
Person #1 (Stacy): Hello, Kevin.
Person #2 (Kevin): Hello, Stacy. How are you?
Person #1 (Stacy): I'm good, and you?
Person #2 (Kevin): I'm good, thanks.
Person#1 (Stacy): Where is your sister?
Person #2 (Kevin): She's in the car.
Once students familiarize themselves with the text by reading the lines, the teacher can take away the words, and have them try to remember the lines themselves with the use of picture cues. The picture cues would be projected for the whole class to see.
Once students master this dialogue, the teacher can switch a line, for example, where Kevin's sister is. In the last sentence of the dialogue, instead of saying "She's in the car," the teacher can have the students say different locations.
A few examples are:
1. She's in the library.
2. She's in the kitchen.
3. She's in class.
4. She's in the pool.
By projecting different pictures representing these different locations, students will learn new vocabulary and how this grammar pattern functions within everyday English conversation.
POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS:
The internet is not necessarily needed for this lesson as the picture cues can be part of a PowerPoint presentation. However, the teacher must make sure to have access to a projector and access to PowerPoint in order to prepare the presentation for the class.