skill, is supplied from the given dialogue or example. In conclusion, well performance of the teacher’s teaching style in serving new languages will
decide the learners’ competence in producing communication.
3. The Characteristics and Features of Audio-Lingual Method
The characteristics of Audio-Lingual Method, according to Freeman, they are: “new vocabulary and structures are presented through
dialogs. The dialogs are learned through imitation and repetition. Drills such as repetition, backward build-up, chain, substitution, transformation,
and question-and-answer are conducted based upon the pattern presents in the dialog. Students’ successful responses are positively reinforced.
Grammar is induced from the examples given; explicit grammar rules are not provided. Cultural information is contextualized in the dialogs or
presented by the teacher. Students’ reading and written work is based upon the oral work they did earlier”.
56
The features of Audio-Lingual Method are as follows: a.
lessons begin with dialogs b.
mimicry and memorization are used, based on the assumption that language is habit formation
c. grammatical structures are sequenced and rules are taught inductively
d. skills are sequenced: listening, speaking, reading, writing postponed
e. pronunciation is stressed from the beginning
f. vocabulary is severely limited in initial stages
g. a great effort is made to prevent learner errors
h. language is often manipulated without regard to meaning or context
i. the teacher must be proficient only in the structures, vocabulary, etc.
that she is teaching since learning activities and materials are carefully controlled
57
To have more knowledge comprehensively about the features of Audio-Lingual Method, Finocchiaro and Brumfit mention in detail of it as
follows: a.
attends to structure and form more than meaning b.
demands memorization of structure-based dialogs c.
language items are not necessarily contextualized d.
language learning is learning structures, sounds, and words e.
mastery or over-learning is sought
56
Larsen-Freeman, Techniques and …, p. 43.
57
Celce-Murcia, Teaching English …, p. 6.
f. drilling is a central technique
g. native-speaker-like pronunciation is sought
h. grammatical explanation is avoided
i. communicative activities only come after a long process of rigid drills
and exercises j.
the use of the student’s native language is forbidden k.
translation is forbidden at early levels l.
reading and writing are deferred till speech is mastered m.
the target linguistic system will be learned through the overt teaching of the patterns of the system
n. linguistic competence is the desired goal
o. varieties of language are recognized but not emphasized
p. the sequence of units is determined solely by principles of linguistic
complexity q.
the teachers control the learners and prevents them from doing anything that conflicts with the theory
r. language is habit so errors must be prevented at all costs
s. accuracy in terms of formal correctness is a primary goal
t. students are expected to interact with the language system, embodied
in machines or controlled materials u.
the teacher is expected to specify the language that students are to use v.
intrinsic motivation will spring from an interest in the structure of the language
58
J. Teaching Passive Voice of Present Progressive Tense by Using
