THE AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD, LIKE THE DIRECT METHOD WE EXAMINED, HAS A GOAL VERY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD. THE AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD WAS DEVELOPED IN THE UNITED STATES DURING WORLD WAR II. AT THAT TIME THERE WAS A NEED FOR PEOPLE TO LEARN FOREIGN LANGUAGES RAPIDLY FOR MILITARY PURPOSES.
AS WE HAVE SEEN, THE GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD DID NOT PREPARE PEOPLE TO USE THE TARGET LANGUAGE. WHILE COMMUNICATION IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE WAS THE GOAL OF THE DIRECT METHOD, THERE WERE AT THE TIME EXCITING NEW IDEAS ABOUT LANGUAGE AND LEARNING EMANATING(PRODUCE OR SHOW) FROM THE DISCIPLINES OF DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS AND BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGY.
PRINCIPLES
Language learning is a process of habit formation. The more often something is repeated, the stronger the habit and the greater the learning (The students repeat each line of the new dialogue several times).
One of the language teacher's major roles is that of a model of the target language. Teachers should provide students with a native-speaker-like model.
It is important to prevent learners from making errors. Errors lead to the formation of bad habits. When errors do occur, they should be immediately corrected by the teacher (The students stumble over one of the lines of the dialog. The teacher uses a backward build-up drill with this line).
The learning of a foreign languages should be the same as the acquisition of the native language. We do not need to memorize rules in order to use our native language. The rules necessary to use the target language will be figured out or induced from examples.
PRINCIPLES
The teacher should be like an orchestra leader-conducting, guiding, and controlling the students' behavior in the target language .
Students should "over learn," i.e., learn to answer automatically without stopping to think (When the students can do it, the teacher poses the questions to them rapidly).
Positive reinforcement helps the students to develop correct habits(The teacher says, "Very good," when the students answer correctly).
The major objective of language teaching should be for students to acquire the structural patterns; students will learn vocabulary afterward(New vocabulary is introduced through lines of the dialogue; vocabulary is limited).
