TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND OR FOREIGN LANGUAGE

- Introduction

English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. According to esl-languages website, it reaches number one as the world’s most spoken language by total of speakers, number of countries where the language is official or the second most important, languages of the internet and publishing. Nowadays, especially in Brazil, the amount of people interested in learning English has increased considerably in the past 10 years, and even more now because of the upcoming World Cup 2014 and the Olympic Games 2016 which will be held in our country.

We cannot deny that English is a difficult language to learn and to teach and nowadays it is up to the teachers to use a methodology that will help each and every one of the students. Many methods for teaching English as a second language have developed over the years, which has ultimately aided the progression of teaching methods as a whole. An approach to teach is a theory, a perception based on multiple assumptions about how people learn and how they respond to new languages. It is the “method”, how those theories are put into practice, which sets objectives and presents an organized role for both teacher and student.

There is no single “best” way of teaching English as each method has some advantages and disadvantages. The successful language teacher will not limit themselves to one single method, excluding all the others, on the other hand, they will know how to use the appropriate method based on what they think the student will learn more and the feedback will be better, since it is obvious that what may work for one, may not work for others as well.

The most used methods and approaches for English language teaching are: The grammar translation method, the direct method, the audio-lingual method, communicative language teaching, language immersion and directed practice. We are going to go through each method and its advantages and disadvantages for the students when learning a foreign language.

- The Grammar Translation Method

This was the predominant method in Europe in the 19th century. It instructs students in grammar and provides vocabulary with direct translations to memorize. Most teachers now, acknowledge that this method is ineffective by itself. Its practice makes it possible to recognize a text as a coherent whole and conditions the training of a foreign language. Grammar makes it possible for each one to understand how the mother tongue functions, in order to give the students the capacity to communicate their thoughts.

Advantages: Paying attention to reading and writing

Disadvantage: Less paying attention to speaking, teacher-based and no interaction between teacher and student or student and student.

- The Direct Method

This method operates on the idea that second language learning must be an imitation of first language learning, as this is the natural way humans learn any language - a child never relies on another language to learn its first language, and thus the mother tongue is not necessary to learn a foreign language. This method worries a lot on correcting pronunciation and the target language from the beginning. According to this method, printed language and text must be kept away from second language learner for as long as possible, just as a first language learner does not use printed word until he has good grasp of speech. Learning of writing and spelling should be delayed until after the printed word has been introduced, and grammar and translation should also be avoided because this would involve the application of the learner's first language.

Advantages: Paying attention to speaking, interaction between teacher and students.

Disadvantages: Less paying attention to writing, reading, and comprehension, not based on a scientific method.

- The Audio-Lingual Method

This