Anthony's Model Approach, Method and Technique

Anthony's Model Approach, Method and Technique

In 1963, American applied linguist Edward Anthony proposed a scheme known as Anthony's model in an attempt to dispel terminological confusions over "methods" and "techniques" as well as to differentiate between the philosophy of language teaching and actual classroom. Procedure. He clarified that an approach is the large system of ideas and beliefs underlying a teacher's lesson plans. Method refers to specific ways to teach a target language and cache method uses a variety of specific techniques. 

In Anthony's own words:

... An approach is a set of correlative assumptions dealing with the nature of language teaching and learning. An approach is axiomatic. It describes the nature of the subject matter to be taught....... Method is an overall plan for the orderly presentation of language material, no part of which contradicts, and all of which is based upon, the selected approach. An approach is axiomatic, a method is procedural.

Within one approach, there can be many methods.... A technique is implementational - that which actually takes place in a classroom. It is a particular trick, stratagem, or contrivance used to accomplish an immediate objective. Techniques must be consistent with a method, and therefore in harmony with an approach as well.

              (Anthony 1963, cited in Richards and Rodgers, 2001, p. 19)

In a review of Anthony's ideas, two later thinkers - Jack Richards and Theodore Rodgers - suggest a rethinking of this hierarchy. They point out that Anthony model

“fails to give sufficient attention to the nature of a method itself. Nothing is said about the roles of teachers and learners assumed in a method, for example, nor about the role of instructional materials...” (p. 20).

Anthony's package can be improved, they suggest, by eliminating the notion of technique from the framework, and adding design and procedure. The following two categories replaced technique at the bottom of their hierarchy.

Design

The two thinkers propose that design is that level in which objectives, syllabus, and content are determined, and in which the roles of teachers, learners and instructional materials are specified."

Procedure

The implementation phase of language classes is where the activities that help language learning occur. Rather than use the term implementation, they prefer the “slightly more comprehensive term procedure."

Thus, as Richards and Rodgers (2001) clarify in their proposed framework, "...a method is theoretically related to an approach, is organizationally determined by a design, and is practically realized in a procedure."

The revised Framework of Richards and Rodgers (Approach, Design and Procedure)

                    Method

                   /     |   \

   Approach    Design Procedure

Approach

Approach is theoretical position and belief about the nature of language, the nature of language learning, and the applicability of both to pedagogical settings. The theory of language presents an account of the nature of language as viewed from structural, functional and interactional perspectives.

The structural view says that language is a system of structurally related elements for the coding of meaning. So it emphasizes the learning of different structural elements like phonological units, lexical items and grammatical operations. From the functional perspective, language is a vehicle for the expression of functional meaning.

It emphasizes learning content through the categories of meaning and function rather than structure and grammar. From the interactional perspective, language is seen as a vehicle for realization of interpersonal relations and social transaction. Here language teaching content is organized by patterns of exchange and interaction.

The theory of language learning provides an account of psycholinguistic and cognitive processes involved in language learning. It also gives an account of the conditions that allow to successful use of these processes. Process-oriented theories build learning processes, such as habit formation, induction, inferencing hypothesis testing and generalization. Condition-oriented theory the other hand, emphasize the nature of the socio-cultural contexts in which language learning takes place.

Design

Design is the syllabus or curriculum for carrying out a particular language programmed. It includes the specification of teacher and student roles, objectives, syllabus, selection and sequencing of instructional materials and types of activities to meet the needs of a designated group of learners in a defined context.

Objectives

Design recounts the general and specific objectives of the method setting the criteria for the selection and organization of linguistic and/or subject matter content. Different methods might set out to achieve different objectives. Traditional methods set out linguistically oriented or product-oriented objectives focusing on basic grammar, vocabulary, oral skills, pronunciation, general communication skills, etc. More recent methods such as task-based language teaching focus on the processes or abilities the learner is supposed to acquire as a result of instruction.

Learner Roles

Design also determines learner roles taking into account several factors: a. types of learning or learning tasks set for learners; b. degree of control learners have over the content of learning; C. patterns of learner groupings that are recommended or implied; degree to which learners influence the learning of others; e. the view of the learner as a processor, performer, initiator, problem solver etc.

Teacher Roles

Design determines teacher roles considering the following factors: a. types of functions teachers fulfilled. degree of cancer influence over learning: c. degree to which teacher mines the content of learning; d. types of interaction between teachers and learners.

Syllabus

The choice of a syllabus is a major decision in language ang, and it should be made as consciously and with as much information as possible. Several distinct types of language all these different types may be implemented in various situations. We discuss six different types of teaching syllabi separately below but it should be remembered that syllabi exist, and these different types may teaching syllabi separately below almost all actual language teaching syllabi are combinations of two or more of the types mentioned here.

For a given course, one type of syllabus usually dominates, while other types of content may be combined with it. Furthermore, these types of syllabi are not entirely distinct from each other. For example, the distinction between skill- based and task-based syllabi may be minimal. In such cases, the distinguishing factor is often the way in which the instructional content is used in the actual teaching procedure. The characteristics of individual syllabi are defined as follows:

1. "A structural (formal) syllabus." The content of language teaching is a collection of the grammar items and structures of the target language. Examples include nouns, verbs, adjectives, statements, questions, subordinate clauses, and so on. 

2. "A notional/functional syllabus." The content of the language teaching is a collection of the functions that are performed when language is used, or of the notions that language is used to express. Examples of functions include: informing, agreeing, apologizing, requesting; examples of notions include size, age, color, comparison, time, and so on.

3. "A situational syllabus.” The content of language teaching is a collection of real or imaginary situations in which language occurs or is used. The primary purpose of a situational language teaching syllabus is to teach the language that occurs in the situations. Examples of situations include: seeing the dentist, complaining to the landlord, buying a book at the book store, meeting a new student, and so on. 

4. "A skill-based syllabus." The content of language teaching is a collection of specific abilities that may play a part in using language. Skills are things that people must be able to do to be competent in a language, relatively independently of the situation or setting in which the language use can occur. While situational syllabi group functions together into specific settings of language use, skill-based syllabi group linguistic competencies (pronunciation, grammar, and discourse) together into generalized types of vocabulary, behavior, such as listening to spoken language for the main idea, writing well-formed paragraphs, giving effective oral presentations, and so on.

5. “A task-based syllabus. The content of teaching is a series of

complex and purposeful tasks that the students want or need to perform with the target language. Language learning is subordinate to task performance, and language teaching occurs only as the need arises during the performance of a given task.

Tasks integrate language (and other) skills in specific settings of language use. Task-based teaching differs from situation-based teaching in that while situational teaching has the goal of teaching the specific language content that occurs in the situation (a predefined product), task-based teaching has the goal of teaching students to draw on resources to complete some piece of work (a process). Examples include: applying for a job, talking with a social worker, getting housing information over the telephone, and so on.

6. "A content-based-syllabus." The primary purpose of instruction is to teach some content or information using the target language. The students are simultaneously language students and students of whatever content is being taught. An example of content-based language teaching is a science class taught in the target language, possibly with linguistic adjustment to make the science more comprehensible.

In general, the six types of syllabi or instructional content are presented beginning with the one based most on structure, and ending with the one based mostly on language use. Although the six types of syllabus content are defined here in isolated contexts, it is rare for one type of syllabus or content to be used exclusively in actual teaching settings. Syllabi or content types are usually combined in more or less integrated ways, with one type as the organizing basis around which the others are arranged and related. In discussing syllabus choice and design, it should be kept in mind that the issue is not which type to choose but which types, and how to relate them to each other. 

Materials

Design also ascertains the role of instructional materials. For this purpose it specifies the primary functions of materials, the form of materials (e.g. textbook, audiovisual). the relations of materials to our inputs and the assumptions made about teachers and learners. craning activities: Teaching and learning activities used in determine success or failure in achieving the objectives.

Teaching learning activities

Teaching a the classroom determine success or failure in achieving the objectives of a language programme. Different methods may adopt different sets of classroom activities: Since different methods have different objectives, activities they use will also vary.

For example, the Grammar Translation method which aims to attain reading comprehension, translation skills and grammar knowledge will use translation and grammar activities alongside reading literary extracts, The Audiolingual method which aims to achieve structural knowledge and oral skills will adopt structure drills and dialogue practice, Communicative language teaching which promotes the development of communication skills, on the other hand, will employ role plays, free discussions and debates as classroom activities.

Theories of language and language learning may also influence choice of activities. For example, proponents of the Total Physical Response believe that learning should be fun and as stress-free as possible and therefore, use physical activities in class while advocates of Desuggestopedia who believe that language learning is adversely affected by psychological barriers (such as fear) attempt to tap into students' mental potential to learn through positive suggestion, visualization and peripheral learning.

Procedure

Procedure, sometimes called 'technique in a narrow sense, is any of a wide variety of exercises, activities, or devices used in the language classroom for realizing lesson objectives. It is the level at which approach and design are realized through classroom practices and behaviors. There are three dimensions to a method at the level of procedure: a) the use of teaching activities, such as drills, dialogues, information-gap activities, etc.; b) the ways in which teaching activities are used: and c) giving feedback to learners concerning the form or content of their utterances.

Conclusion

Although we have described Method in terms of approach, design and procedure, Richards and Rodgers (2001) remind us that in practice "very few methods are explicit with respect to all of these dimensions” (p. 32). Teaching methods often develop spontaneously without explicating their model specifications.

Moreover, methodological development is supposed to proceed from approach, through design, to procedure, but it may not happen all the time (ibid, p. 34). They clarify that methods can develop out of this formulaic transition, without any order or with reverse order. For example, one can invent at first a set of teaching procedures and later formulate its design and, even later, explain its underlying approach.