Basic Concept of Approach in Education

 

Approach, Method, WTF Pusiiing

Learning English is something, but learning English as a language is something else. The teachers have to prepare some elements that can support their goals before conducting the teaching-learning process. One of the most important things to be decided is determining the approach with its methods that support the approach. By implementing appropriate approach and its method in teaching learning activity, hopefully, the students will understand the material and also the context more easily.

In teaching English, actually there are some approaches that can be implemented by the teachers to support their activities in teaching English. According to Murcia (2001) an approach in language teaching is something that reflects a certain models or research paradigm. There are nine approaches in teaching language. Those are grammar-translation, direct, reading, audiolingualism (US), oral-situational (Britain), cognitive, affective-humanistic, comprehension-based, and communicative. Hence, the approach should be flexible, with a theoretical rationale and coherent principles and a philosophy of exploration and reflection.

There are some principles which could be considered by the teachers in implementing an approach in the teaching learning activities, for instance, engage all learners in the lesson; make learners, and not the teacher, the focus of the lesson; provide maximum opportunities for students participation; develop learner responsibility; be tolerant of learners’ mistakes; develop learners’ confidence; teach learning strategies; respond to learners’ difficulties and build on them; and use a maximum amount of students-to-students activities (Richard and Rodgers, 2014).

The approach which is used by teachers in their teaching learning activities will reflect their model or way in teaching. Becoming clear on where they stand, teachers can choose to teach differently from the way they were taught before. They might be able to see why they are attracted to certain approach or methods and repelled by others. The point is that teachers will have the understanding to do so, if they are able to and want to (Freeman and Diane L., 2001). In order to achieve the goal of learning activity, the teachers have to be able to select and capable to choose the best approach and method to be implemented in their class.