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1. Theories of Language Teaching
Language teaching is an important part of language education.Teaching emphasizes a process of
“showing or helping someone to learn how to do something, giving instructions, guiding in the study of something, providing with
knowledge, causing to know or understand ”. Tyson and Carol 1970:9 describe
“Teaching as a way of working with the students; teaching is a process of interaction. The teacher does something to students, and the students get or learn
something, and the relationship between them must be friendly, cooperative, and conducive to give and take in class work”. Teaching is accompanied by telling
and pursuing, by showing and demonstrating, by guiding and directing the learners’ efforts, or by a combination of these actions. It does not only concern the
teachers but also the learners since the teaching objective deals with the learners ’
learning. Teaching is the process or art of guiding and facilitating learning, enabling the learner to learn, setting the conditions for learning.
Nathan Gage 1964 cited in Brown 2000 believes that “to satisfy the
practical demands of education, theories of learning must be ‘stood on their head’
so as to yield theories of teaching”. Brown 1987 argues that teaching cannot be
defined on its own, it must include learning. Language learning and language teaching are complementary and connected. Learning may occur without
conscious teaching, but teaching is intended to result in personal learning for students, and is worthless if it does not do so. The concept of teaching is
understood as a process that is intrinsically and inseparably bound up with learning. Language teaching is therefore, activities which are intended to bring
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about language learning Stern, 1996:21. Widdowson 1991: 3 contends that “Language teaching is a research activity whereby experimental techniques of
instructions are designed to correspond with hypothetical principles of pedagogy”. Language can be taught and learned in various places, including informal settings,
as well as other formal contexts, e.g. classrooms. Language teaching is designed to provide learners the opportunity to learn
and practice the language communicatively.This comprises students’ learning,
assessment, communication, critical thinking, lesson planning, teaching organization, teaching techniques, teaching tools, ethical issues, teaching
resources, etc. Good teaching will only take place if these conditions are met and when competent teachers with non-discouraging personalities use non-defensive
approaches to language teaching and learning, and cherish their students. In planning language teaching programs, teachers are expected to make informed
decisions and the following questions are important: Who are the learners? What are their needs? What are their expectations? What material and resources are
available? However, Cook 2002 provides an open list of the goals of language
teaching as:
1. S
elf-development
.
The student becomes in some way a ‘better’ person
through learning another language.
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2.
A method of training new cognitive processes .
By learning another language, students acquire methods of learning or new perspectives on themselves and
their societies. 3.
A Way-in to the mother-tongue
.
The students awareness of their first language is enhanced by learning a second language.
4.
An entrée to another culture.
Students can come to understand other groups in the world and to appreciate the music and art of other cultures.
5
. A form of religious observance
. For many people a second language is part of their religion, whether Hebrew for the Jewish religion, Arabic for
Muslims, or indeed English for Christians in some parts of the world.
6. A means of communicating with those who speak another language.
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