COMPARISON OF THE AUDIO LINGUAL METHOD AND THE SILENT WAY

The Audio Lingual Method
This method based on the principles of behaviour psychology.
The Audio Lingual Method, like The Direct Method we have just examined, is also an oral-based approach.
Based on the principles that language learning is habit formation, the method fosters dependence on mimicry, memorization of set phrase and overlearning.
The language teacher uses only the target language in the classroom. Actions, pictures, or realia are used to give meaning otherwise.
Use of the mother tongue by the teacher is permitted , but discouraged among and by the students.
Skills are sequenced : listening, speaking, reading, and writing are developed in order.
Dialogs or short conversations between two people are often used to begin a new lesson
The view of language in the Audio-Lingual Method has been influenced by descriptive linguists.
Vocabulary is kept to a minimum while the students are mastering the sound system and grammatical patterns.
The purpose of The Audio-Lingual Method is to enable the students to communicate in target language automatically.

The Silent Way
One of the basic principles of the Silent Way is that ‘Teaching should be subordinated to learning’. This principle is in keeping with the active search for rules ascribed to the learner in the Cognitive Approach.
Studentshould be able to use the language for self-expression-to express their thought, perceptions, and feelings. In order to do this, they need to develop independence from the teacher, to develop their own inner criteria for correctness.
The teacher is a technician or enginer. ‘Only the learner can do the learning, ‘but the teacher , realying on what his students already know, cn give what help is necessary.
The role of the students is to make use of what they know, to free themselves of any obstacles that would interfere with giving their utmost attention to the learning task, and to actively engage in exploring the language.
Since the sounds are basic to any language, pronunciation is worked on from the beginning. It is important that students acquire the melody of the language. There is also a focus on the structures of the language, although explicit grammar rules may never be supplied. Vocabulary is somewhat restricted at first.
Meaning is made clear by focusing the students’ perceptions, not by translation. The students’ native language can, however, be used to give instructions when necessary, to help a student improve his or her pronunciation, for instance. The native language is also used (at least at beginning levels of proficiency) during the feedback sessions.