chapter 11 copare methodschapter 11 compare methodschapter 11 compare methodschapter 11 compare methods.ppt

Chapter 11 Comparing and Evaluating Methods An approach or method is more than simply a set of instructional practices based on a particular view of L and L learning. Implicit in a method are the claims that (a) the method brings about effective second or foreign L learning, and (b) it will do so more efficiently than other methods. But in order to assess the value or effectiveness of methods, it is necessary to consider them in relation to a L course or program having specific goals, objectives, and characteristics. Questions of immediate concern Who the learners are; What their current level of L proficiency is; What sort of communicative needs they have; The circumstances in which they will be using English in the future, etc. Such information provides the basis for L curriculum development, which requires needs analysis, development of goals and objectives, selection of teaching and learning activities, and evaluation of the outcomes of the L program. Needs Analysis Needs analysis is concerned with identifying general and specific L needs that can be addressed in developing goals, objectives, and content in L program. It may focus either on the general parameters of a L program (e.g. by obtaining data on who the learners are, their present level of L proficiency, teacher and learner goals and expectations, the teachers’ teaching skills and level of proficiency in the L2, constraints of time and budget, available instructional resources, as well as social expectations) or on a specific need, such as the kind of listening comprehension training needed for foreign students attending graduate seminars in biology. Needs analysis focuses on what the learner’s present level of proficiency is and on what the learner will be required to use the L for on completion of the program. Its aim is to identify the type of L skills and level of L proficiency the program should aim to deliver. It acknowledges that the goals of learners vary and must be determined before decisi