Diane Larsen-Freeman

66 The Silent \Va)'
the tools he has available. When the teacher docs spea k, it is to give
clues, nor to model the language.
Srudc nr-srudcnt verbal interact ion is desirable (students ca n learn
from one another) and is therefore encouraged. The teacher's silence is
one way to do th is.
5 How are the feelin gs of the stud ents dealt with?
The teac her constantly observes the students. When their feelings
interfere, the teacher tries to find ways for the stude nts to overcome
them. Also, th rough feedback sessions at the end of lessons, stu dents
ha ve an opportunity to express how they feel. T he teacher takes what
the y say into consideration and wo rks with the students to help them
overcome negative feelings which might oth erwise inte rfere with their
learn ing. Finally, because students are encouraged througho ut eac h
lesson to cooperate with one another, it is hoped tha t a relaxed, enjoya
ble learn ing environment will be created.
6 How is language viewed? How is cultu re viewed?
Languages of the wo rld sha re a numb er of featu res. Ho wever, each funguagc
also has its own unique realit y,or spirit, since it is the expression
of a pa rticular group of people. Th eir culture, as reflected in their own
unique wo rld view, is inseparable from th eir language.
7 What areas of language are emphasized? What language skills are
emphasized ?
Since the sounds are basic to any lan guage, pronunciation is worked
on from the beginni ng. It is important that students acquire the melody
of the language. T here is also a focus on the structures ofthe lan guage,
altho ugh explicit grammar ru les may never be supplied. Vocabulary is
somew hat restr icted at first.
There is no fi xed, linear, str uctural syllab us. Instead, the teacher
starts with what the stu dents kno w and builds fro m one st ructure to
the next, As the learners' rcpertoi rc is ex panded, previously introduced
structures ar c continually being recycled. T he syllabus develop s
according to learning needs.
All four skills are worked on from the beginning of the co urse.
although there is a sequence in that students learn (0 read and wr ite
wha t they have already produced orally. T he skills reinforce what srudents
are learning.
8 What is the role of the students' native language?
The Silent Wa)' 67
Meaning is made clear by focusing the students' perceptions, not by
translation. T he students' native language can, however, be used ro
give instructions when necessa ry, ro help a student improve his or her
pronunc iation, for instance. The na tive language is also used (at least
at beginning levels of proficiency) during the feedback sessions.
More importan t, knowledge stude nts already possess of their
native language can he exploited by the teacher of the target lang uage.
For exa mple, the teacher knows tha t many of the sounds in t he st u­
dents ' nati ve langua ge will be similar, if not identical, to sounds in the
ta rget language; he assumes, then, tha t he can build upon this existing
knowledge to int rod uce the new sou nds in the target language.
9 How is evaluation accomplished ?
Altho ugh the teacher may never give a forma l test. he assesses stu den t
learn ing all the time. Since 'teaching is subordina ted to learn ing: the
teacher must he responsive to immediate learn ing needs. T he teacher's
silence frees him to attend (0 his students and to be aware of these
needs. The needs will be apparent to a teache r who is observant of his
stude nts' behavior, O ne criterion of whet her or not students have
learn ed is their a bility to tran sfer what they have been studying to
new contexts.
The teacher docs not praise or criticize student behavior since this
would interfere with students' develop ing their own inner criteria. He
expects students to learn at differen t rates. T he teacher looks for
steady progress, not perfection.
10 How does the teacher respond to student errors?
Student erro rs are seen as a na tural, indispensable part of the learn ing
process. Erro rs arc inevitabl e since the stude nts are enco uraged to
ex plore the language. T he teacher uses student erro rs as a basis for
decidin g where furth er work is necessary.
The teacher wo rks with the students in gett ing them to self-correct.
Studen ts arc nor thought to learn much if the teacher merely supplies
the co rrect lan guage. Stu dents need to learn to listen to them selves
and to compa re their own production with their develop ing inne r cr i­
teria. If the stude nts arc unabl e ro self-correc t and peers ca nnot help ,
then the teacher would supply the correct language , but only as a last
resort.