Silent Way Method

THE SILENT WAY

Submitted to fulfill the task of Technique and Principles in Language Teaching

Lecturer: Muntaha, M. Pd

Arranged by:

Khoirul Latifah                        153221113

Ismiya Widyaningsih               153221125

Sonya Lianti Suparno             153221134

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

ISLAMIC EDUCATION AND TEACHING TRAINING

FACULTY

THE STATE ISLAMIC INSTITUTE OF SURAKARTA

SURAKARTA

2017

PREFACE

First of all, thanks to Allah SWT because of His help, the writers could finish writing the paper entitled “The Silent Way” right in the calculated time. The purpose in writing this paper is to fulfill the assignment that was given by Mr. Muntaha, M.Pd as the lecturer in Technique and Principles in Language Teaching. The writers truly get a lot of challenges and obstructions in arranging this paper. By getting enough help from many people, those obstructions could pass.

The writers would say thank you to all the people who help during the process. The writers realize that this paper still imperfect in arrangement and the content. Thus, the writers look forward to the criticism from the readers so that it can help the writer in improving the arrangement of the next paper. The last but not the least, this paper is supposed to be able to help the readers to gain more knowledge about TEFL major.

Surakarta, September 25^th 2017

                                                                         The Writers

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

The Silent Way is a language teaching method created by Caleb Gattegno that makes extensive use of silence as a teaching technique. It is not usually considered a mainstream method in language education. It was first introduced in Gattegno’s book Teaching Foreign Languages in Schools: The Silent Way in 1963. Gattegno was skeptical of the mainstream language education of the time, and conceived of the method as a special case of his general theories of education. The method emphasizes the autonomy of the learner; the teacher’s role is to monitor the students’ efforts, and the students are encouraged to have an active role in learning the language. Pronunciation is seen as fundamental; beginning students start their study with pronunciation, and much time is spent practicing it each lesson. Evaluation is carried out by observation, and the teacher may never set a formal test. The teacher uses silence for multiple purposes in the Silent Way. It is used to focus students’ attention, to elicit student responses, and to encourage them to correct their own errors. Even though teachers are often silent, they are still active; they will commonly use techniques such as mouthing words and using hand gestures to help the students with their pronunciation. Teachers will also encourage students to help their peers.

CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

A.           The History of The Silent Way

The Silent Way is one of teaching method that created by Caleb Gattegno in 1963.  This is an extensive use of silence as a teaching.  From Gattegno, the basic principles of the Silent Way is that “Teaching should be subordinated to learning”. In other word, Gattegno believed that to teach means to serve the learning process rather than to dominate it.

Gettegno looked at langueage learning from the perspective of the learner by studying the way babies and young children learn. He concluded that learning is a process which initiate by our selves by mobilizing our  inner resources (our perception, awareness, cognition, imagination, intuition, creativity, etc) to meet the challange at hand. In the course of our learning, we integrate into our selves whatever “new” that we create and we use it as a stepping stone for further learning.

B.            The Principles of Silent way

Silent Way has a great many principles. Perhaps we can come to a fuller understanding of them if we consider the answer to our ten question.

1.             What are the goals of teacher who use The Silent Way?

Student should be able to use the language for self-expression-to express their thought, perception, and feelings.  Students become independent by relying on themselves.

2.             What is the role of the teacher? What is the role of the student?

The teacher is a technician or an engineer.  Teacher relies on what is the student already know and give what help is necessary.  The role of 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. Gattegno says “The student works with the student; the student works on the language.”

3.             What are some characteristics of the teaching/learning process?

The teacher sets up situation that focus student attention on the structures of the language. The situation provides a vehicle for student to perceive meaning. The teacher works with them, striving for pronunciation that would be intelligible to a native speaker of the target language. The teacher uses the student’s error as evidence of where the language is unclear to student and, hence, where to work.

4.             What is the nature of student - teacher interaction? What is the nature of student-student interaction?

For much of the student-teacher interaction, the teacher is silent. Student-student verbal interaction is desirable (student can learn from one another) and is therefore encouraged

5.             How are the feelings of the student dealt with?

The teacher constantly observe the student. Where their feelings interfere, the teacher tries to find ways for the student to overcome them. The students have an opportunity to express how they feel and teacher helps them to overcome negative feelings which might otherwise interfere with the learning.

6.             How is language viewed? How is culture viewed?

Languages of the world share a number of features. However, each language also has its own unique reality, or spirit, since it is the expression of a particular group of people. Their culture, as reflected in their own unique world view, is inseparable from their language.

7.             What areas of language are emphasized? What language skills are emphasized?

Since the sounds are basic to any language, pronunciation is worked on from the beginning.  All four skills are worked on from the beginning of the course, although there is a sequence in that students learn to read and write what they have already produced orally. The skills reinforced what students are learning.

8.             What is the role of the students native language?

Meaning is made clear by focusing the student’s perception, not by translation. The student native language can, however, be used to give instruction 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 session. More important, knowledge student already possess of their native language can be exploited by the teacher of the target language.

9.             How is evaluation accomplished?

Although the teacher may never give a formal test, He assesses student learning all the time.  One criterion of whether or not student have learned is their ability to transfer what they have been studying to new context. The teacher looks for steady progress, not perfection.

10.         How does the teacher respond to student errors?

Student’s error are seen as natural, indispensable part of the learning process. The teacher uses student’s error as a basis for deciding where further work is necessary.

C.            The Techniques and Materials of Silent Way

1.             Sound-color chart

The chart contains blocks of color, each one representing a sound in the target language. The teacher, and later the student, points to block of color on the chart to form syllables, words, and even sentences.  Finally, since the sound-color chart presents all of the sound of the target language at once, students know what they have learned and what they yet need to learn. This relates to the issue of learner autonomy.

2.             Teacher-silence

The teacher gives just as much help as is necessary and then is silent. Or the teacher sets up and an unambiguous situation, puts a language structure into circulation (for example, ‘take a ____ rod’), and then is silent. Even in error correction, the teacher will only supply a verbal answer as a last resort.

3.             Peer Correction

Students are encouraged to help another student when he or she is experiencing difficulty. It is important that any help be offered in cooperative manner, not a competitive one. The teacher monitors the aid so that it is helpful, not interfering.

4.             Rods

Rods can be used to provide visible action or situation for any language structure, to introduce it, or to enable students to practice using it. At the beginning level rods can be used to teach colors and numbers. Later on they can be used for more complicated structures; for example, statements with preposition and conditionals.

5.             Self-correction Gesture

Teacher can put his palms to gather and then move them outwards to signal to the students the need to length then the particular vowel they were working on. In other, the teacher indicated that each of his fingers represented a word in a sentence and used this to look it the trouble spot for the student.

6.             Word Chart

The teacher, and later students, points to words on the wall chart in a sequence so that they can read aloud the sentences they have spoken. The way the letters are colored helps the students with their pronunciation. Students with silent way wall pictures and books to further expand their vocabularies and facility with the language.

7.             Fidel Chart

The teacher and later students point the color-code fidel chart in order the students associate the sound of the language with their spelling. There are a number of charts available in other languages as well, in English there are eight fidel chart in all.

8.             Structure Feedback

Students are invited to make observation about the days lesson and what they have learn. The teacher accepts the students comment in non-defensive manner, hearing things that will help give him direction for where he should work in the next meeting. The length and frequency of feedback session vary depending on the teacher and the class.

D.           The advantages of silent way

1.             Silent way learners acquire (inner criteria).

2.             Creates a correctly, adequately working inter-language.

3.             The self-esteem of the students will be increased and this enhance learning.

4.             Learners gain practical knowledge and use of the target language.

E.            The disadvantages of silent way

1.             Method should be used in small groups of students.

2.             The rigidity of the system may be meaningless.

3.             How successfully it might be used at more advances levels questionable.

4.             Language is separate from its social context and taught through artificial situations usually by rods.

CHAPTER III

CONCLUSION

The Silent Way is commonly defined as a teaching method for foreign languages in which the teachers are mostly silent and use rods and charts as their main teaching tools. The purpose of silent way are students should be able to use the language for self expression, students need to develop their own inner criteria for correctness by each other or themselves without the dependence of the teacher, students become independent by relying on themselves.

REFERENCE

Larsen-Freeman, Diane. 2003.  Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. (2^nd edn). New York: Oxford University Press.