A New Approach to Teaching English as a Foreign Language: The Bottom-Up Approach
Title
A New Approach to Teaching English as a Foreign Language: The Bottom-Up Approach
A New Approach to Teaching English as a Foreign Language: The Bottom-Up Approach
Keywords: No Keywords
Author
Dr. Ataillah Maleki
Dr. Ataillah Maleki
Bio Data
Dr. Maleki is an Assistant Professor of TEFL at
University of Medical Sciences at Zanjan. He received his Ph.D. from Tehran University in 1996, and holds a B.A. degree in English, an M.A. in TEFL, and Diploma in Applied Linguistics, Phonetics, and the Teaching of English. He has taught English at different levels for 20 years, and has published a number of books and articles on language in general and the English language-related topics in particular
Abstract
Much has been said and written over the years about the merit or other of the traditional teaching methods. Most language teaching methods have closely adhered to the ad hoc top-to-bottom listening-speaking-reading-writing order (e.g. the Audio-lingual Method) or have been single-faceted methods which sacrifice many parts of language in favour of one part (e.g. the Reading Method). The Bottom-Up Approach is a revolutionized way of teaching foreign languages in which the traditional order has been reversed. In the current thinking the bottom of language is writing, which is considered secondary to other language skills. However, it is emphasized here that this is a misconception. A major obstacle to foreign language learning is the fear of making mistakes, especially when one presents oneself in public. Writing is a private negotiation with the self. It eliminates fear and anxiety, and creates an atmosphere in the light of which students gain confidence as they progress towards total language.
Much has been said and written over the years about the merit or other of the traditional teaching methods. Most language teaching methods have closely adhered to the ad hoc top-to-bottom listening-speaking-reading-writing order (e.g. the Audio-lingual Method) or have been single-faceted methods which sacrifice many parts of language in favour of one part (e.g. the Reading Method). The Bottom-Up Approach is a revolutionized way of teaching foreign languages in which the traditional order has been reversed. In the current thinking the bottom of language is writing, which is considered secondary to other language skills. However, it is emphasized here that this is a misconception. A major obstacle to foreign language learning is the fear of making mistakes, especially when one presents oneself in public. Writing is a private negotiation with the self. It eliminates fear and anxiety, and creates an atmosphere in the light of which students gain confidence as they progress towards total language.
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See pages: 127 – 135
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Category: Monthly Editions, Volume 3
