Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
1.3.ReactionstotheGrammar-TranslationMethod
21
unsystematicatfirst,butattheturnofthetwentiethcenturyitbegantofollow
amoredefinitesetofprinciples:emphasisonthespokenlanguage,theuseofpho-
neticnotation,presentingthemeaningthroughpictures,gestures/dramatization
andobjects(realia),inductivelearningofgrammar,andtheuseofcontemporary
textsabouteverydaylifeandhighcultureoftheforeigncountry.
TheGouinSeries.Fran˜oisGouin,aFrenchman,publishedhisbookontheartof
foreignlanguageteachingabout1880,inwhichheaddedanewelementtoforeign
languageinstruction,namelyphysicalactivity.ThebookwaswritteninFrenchand
translatedintomanylanguagestoexertgreatinfluenceinGermany,GreatBritain,
andtheUnitedStates.Hisideasresultedfromhisownfrustrationsandfailuresto
learnGermanfromgrammarbooks,dictionariesandrulesaswellasinspiredby
observationsofhisson,splayfulactivitiescoupledwiththeboy,sverbalcommentary
onwhatwasgoingon.Asaresult,Gouindevelopedhisownmethodofforeignlan-
guageteaching.Thepivotofhismethodwastheverbinasentence.Hecreatedteaching
unitswhichwereseriesofconnectedsentencesbuiltaroundanactivitybrokendown
intominutestages,eachexpressedinasentence.Inthisway,thesentencereflected
alogicalsequenceofevents.Teachingconsistedofsayingthesesentencesandper-
formingtheirmeaning.Thesentencesweretobepresentedandexplainedbythe
teacher,withthenativelanguageusedforthepurpose,andlaterpractisedbythe
learners,firstinspeechtheninwriting.Characteristicallyofhismethod,thelearners
weresayingthesentenceswhileperformingwhattheymeant.Whatisknownasthe
GouinSeriesbecamestandardprocedureintheDirectMethod.
Hiskeyideawaslearningthroughthesenses,playandactivityinfamiliarevery-
daysituations.AspointedoutbyMackey(1965),foreignlanguagelearninginthis
waywouldtake900hours.Spokenlanguagewasstressedinthatthepresentationof
thematerial,explanationandpracticehadtobeoralfirstandwrittenlater.The
vocabularycomponentrelatedtotheactivitiesamountedto8,000wordsandwas
groupedaroundfivetopics:home,society,nature,science,occupations(Mackey,
1965).AsamplelistisquotedafterHowatt(1984:163):
Themaidchopsalogofwood
Themaidgoesandseeksherhatchet,
themaidtakesalogofwood,
themaiddrawsneartothechopping-block,
themaidkneelsdownnearthechoppingblock,
themaidplacestheblockofwooduprightuponthisblock.
Themaidraisesherhatchet,
themaidbringsdownherhatchet,
thehatchetcleavestheair,
thebladestrikesthewood,
thebladeburiesitselfinsidethewood,
thebladecleavesthewood,
thetwopiecesfalltotheground.
Themaidpicksupthesepieces,
themaidchopsthemagainandagaintothesizedesired,
themaidstandsupagain,
themaidcarriesbackthehatchettoitsplace.
Inthisway,thesentencesinacyclecanbepractisedandrememberedmoreeasily
becausea)thematerialislogicallylinkedandb)dramatizationislinkedtotheverbal
material.Keyprocessesareassociationofthelearningmaterial,imitationofthesen-