Contemporary Language Teaching Methods for Children in Their Early Years

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CONTEMPORARY LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODS FOR CHILDREN IN THEIR EARLY YEARS Beatrice de Salles, Monterey Institute of International Studies - MIIS Language teaching came into its own as a profession in the last century. Fundamental to this process was the surfacing of the concept of methods of language teaching. The method concept in language teaching; the notion of a systematic set of teaching practices based on a particular theory of language and language learning - is a powerful one, and the search for better methods troubled teachers and applied linguists throughout the 20th century. Howatt documents the history of changes in language teaching throughout history, up through the Direct Method in the 20th century. One of the most lasting legacies of the Direct Method has been the notion of “method” itself. Methodology in language teaching has been characterized in different ways but all suggest that methodology links theory and practice. Total Physical Response is a strategy for learning second languages developed by James J. Asher. The Tomatis program, developed in France by Alfred Tomatis, is a method for treating dyslexia and communication problems and is also used for teaching basic elements of foreign languages. Suggestology is a psychotherapeutic system based on yogic techniques of physical and mental relaxation, created in Bulgaria by Georgi Lozanov. It is the application of suggestology to education, and specifically to foreign language instruction. Although seemingly different, the three methods have important elements in common: They are based on the way children learn their native language, that is, by acquiring listening comprehension before speaking, reading, and writing skills. They also share the premise that learning a second language should be a natural experience with emphasis on communicative competence and realistic utterances. They
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