SILENT WAY METHOD

Silent Way Method

The silent method was created by Caleb Gattegno in 1972

OBJECTIVES

* To help beginning-level students gain basic fluency in the target language, with the ultimate aim being near-native language proficiency and good pronunciation. * Practice the autonomy * Develop independence

THEORY OF LANGUAGE

It is based on the premise that the teacher should be silent as much as possible in the classroom but the learner should be encouraged to produce as much language as possible.

Theory of learning

Learning is facilitated only: • If the learner discovers or creates rather than remembers and repeats what is to be learned. • By accompanying physical objetcs, • By problema solving involving the material to be lerned • The learner is a principal actor • The rods and the color coded pronunciation charts provide physical foci for student learning and also create memorable images to facilitate student recall

main techniques

* Cuisenaire rods * Teacher´s silence * Peer correction * Fidel chart * Structured feedback * Self – correction gestures

Teacher´s role

• Silence as much as posible
• Gestures
• Monitor
• Provides excercise
• Evaluation in the Silent Way is carried out primarily by observation, never does a formal test

Student´s role

• To use what they know
• Independent
• Exploring the language
• Active participation
• Attention to the teacher

• Students learn by themselves.
• Students increase and improve the vocabulary.
• Help students Reading and oral skills.
• Students are able to fix their own pronunciation base on the teacher´s guidance.
• Learning through problem solving fosters creativity, Discovery, an increase in intelligence potency and long term memory,
• The self – esteem of the students will be increased and this will enhance learning.
• Feel comfortable
• Active in class

aDVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES

• There is lack of sound and pronunciation knowledge, so it is sometimes confusing
• The Silent Way is often criticized of being a hard method.
• The learner works in isolation
• There is lack of teacher´s guidance
• Method should be used in small groups of students
• The material (the rods and the charts) will fail.
• How successfully it might be used at more advanced levels is questionable
• Language is separated from its social context and taught through artificial situations usually by rods.

DISADVANTAGES

• There is lack of sound and pronunciation knowledge, so it is sometimes confusing
• The Silent Way is often criticized of being a hard method.
• The learner works in isolation
• There is lack of teacher´s guidance
• Method should be used in small groups of students
• The material (the rods and the charts) will fail.
• How successfully it might be used at more advanced levels is questionable
• Language is separated from its social context and taught through artificial situations usually by rods.

HOW TO USE IN CLASS

Teaching: sentences structure, sentences stress, preposition of position and place, colors, ABC, size or length, degrees of comparison, part of speech, tenses, telling stories using cuisenaire rods, practice weak forms and/or contractions and role plays.

Click and watch the video

REFERENCES

Aguilar, K. (2016). The silent way method [Diapositiva de PowerPoint]. Prezi. https://prezi.com/aqfilzg9i7b_/the-silent-way-method/ Busyteacher. (n/d).How to teach English using cuisenaire rods. Busyteacher.org. Retrieved from https://busyteacher.org/2471-how-to-teach-english-using-cuisenaire-rods-15.html Busyteacher English With Jay. (n/d). The Silent Way [ video]. Yputube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUPPGrnrJv4 School of Teaching ESL. (n/d). School of Teaching ESL Cuisenaire Rods Demonstration [ video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBloNkbJjGI Pint, J. (2022). Teaching Foreing Languages de Silent way. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/12313207/Teaching_Foreign_Languages_The_Silent_Way Nolitarose18. (n/d). Silent Way Method [ video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXZB5N1Qn6s Pint, J. (2022). Teaching Foreing Languages de Silent way. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/12313207/Teaching_Foreign_Languages_The_Silent_Way Alkhateeb, M. (n/d). Teaching approaches: what is the silent way? Retrieved from https://www.uobabylon.edu.iq/eprints/publication_3_8497_1861.pdf

Thank you!