The theory of learning is the basis for all teaching methods. The theory of language learning addresses two important questions which include (i) what processes including psycholinguistic and cognitive processes are involved in the process of language learning? (ii) What all conditions should be met for activating the process of learning a new language? The theories of learning lay stress in answering both the questions or at least one of the two. The language theories that are procedure oriented are built upon the learning methods like habit formation, testing of hypothesis, induction, inference and generalization. The theories that are condition oriented lay stress on the nature of the human being and the physical situation during which the learning process takes place.
A design is an analysis which leads an approach to a method. It can be defined as the level of analysis carried methodologically in which the objectives of the method and the procedure of selection and organization of content of the language forming a syllabus model are considered. Apart from these two the various tasks and types of learning and teaching inclusive of various kinds of activities, the roles of all the teachers, students and the information materials are taken into consideration.
The primary objective of Situational Language Training or the Oral Approach is to bring good accuracy in the vocabulary and grammatical aspects in the language skills of the learner to bring about practical proficiency in the four basic skills of language.
The objectives of Communicative Language Teaching include
1. An incorporated and content level of meaningful expression and communication.
2. An instrumental level and linguistic communication.
3. A healthy relationship between the communicators and good conduct.
4. Remedial learning based on the analysis of the mistakes.
5. Elevated levels of education based on extra linguistic goals.
The curriculum of Situational Language Training is framed by designing an effective word list and structural activities. Grammar is taught by presenting new sentences and words and these patterns are practised rigorously. The teacher tarts teaching simple structures of sentences followed by complex ones and from oral use of these sentences to the verbal use of the sentences.
The syllabus of a communicative language teaching approach is the central part of the teaching approach. The syllabus specifies semantic grammatical sections and categories of communicative functions that are expressed by the learners.
In the Situational Language Teaching Approach (SLTA)or the Oral Approach, the language teaching begins with providing an idea on the style and accent of the language followed by the presentation and revision of structures and vocabulary of the language. Later, the teacher provides oral practise and the practical usage of the language skills. Finally, the teaching of the language ends with the reading and writing activities.
The types and number of learning activities in the CLT approach is unlimited. The activities enable the learners to attain communicative knowledge and confidence and help the learners to use their communication skills to provide and share information, negotiate the meaning and interact with others.
The role of the target language learner is decreased to a large extent in the initial stages in the Situational Language Teaching approach as the learner is made to listen and repeat what the teacher says and reciprocate to the commands and questions put forward to the learner by the teacher. The learner is not given any control over the curriculum and content of learning or over the learning environment.
The role of a teacher in the Communicative Language teacher is very important. According to the Communicative Language Teaching Approach, the teacher has two main roles that include (i) facilitating the process of communication amidst all the learners in the classroom (ii)acting as an independent participant within the group of learners in the classroom. The teacher also takes up the role of an analyst, counselor and group process manager in this approach of teaching.
During the presentation stage of the lessons for teaching the target language, the teacher acts as a model, creating and setting up instances and situations in which the necessity for the structure of target is established and then the model created by the teachers for a new structure is made to be repeated by the students. The teacher in the Situational Language Teaching Approach is more like a highly talented and skilled conductor of an orchestra, planning out wonderful songs with good music for the performers.
The role of instructional materials in the Communicative Language teaching approach is important. The materials involved in this approach include textbooks, task based materials and realia. The textbooks refer to the syllabus and content covered in the process of learning of a language. Task based materials refer to a variety of games, simulations, drams and activity based materials to learn a language using the communicative Language teaching Approach. Realia include authentic from life materials in the classroom that comprises of maps, symbols, charts, graphs, other physical objects etc.
An effective teaching and learning in the Situational Language Teaching approach or the Oral Approach depends equally on the textbook and visual aids used during the teaching process. The textbook will have to consist of various simple and complex grammatical structures expressed in various lessons easily graspable by the students. The Visual aids that are produced by the teachers or by commercial companies used in the teaching process include charts, flash cards, stick figures, pictures, models etc.,
The oral approach or Situational Language Teaching Approach (SLTA) was developed by the British during the period of 1930sto1960s. The approach had a great impact on language courses during the time and some of which are still in use today. The Situational Language Teaching Approach (SLTA) and oral approach methods purely depended on the structure of the language. According to these methods, speech and structure form the basics of the language especially when it comes to enhance one- speaking ability of a concerned language.
The Communicative Language Approach finds its origin in the British Language teaching tradition during the late 1960s until the birth of the Communicative Language teaching approach, the Situational Language teaching approach was practised all over the world and in the year 1971, a group of language experts developed language courses on a unit credit system. The group used the documents prepared by the European language learners and the documents prepared by British Linguist D.A Wilkins which laid the proposal for a Communicative Language Teaching. According to Wilkins, analysis of the communicative meanings that a language learner needs to understand and express is important more than the description of the core of language through traditional concepts of grammar and vocabulary, Wilkins attempted to demonstrate the systems of meanings that lay behind the communicative uses of language.
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