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Silent Method

The Silent Way (SW) is a language teaching method developed by Caleb Gattegno in 1963 that makes extensive use of silence. It takes a humanistic and cognitive approach as an alternative to mainstream language education that emphasizes discovering and creating language through problem-solving rather than repetition. The teacher's role is to facilitate learning by providing materials and intervening only when necessary, while students develop independence, peer-correct each other, and explore the language on their own. Advantages include fostering creativity and long-term memory through problem-solving, while disadvantages can include a lack of teacher guidance and potential confusion without explicit pronunciation instruction.

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Zikica Spanac
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89 views

Silent Method

The Silent Way (SW) is a language teaching method developed by Caleb Gattegno in 1963 that makes extensive use of silence. It takes a humanistic and cognitive approach as an alternative to mainstream language education that emphasizes discovering and creating language through problem-solving rather than repetition. The teacher's role is to facilitate learning by providing materials and intervening only when necessary, while students develop independence, peer-correct each other, and explore the language on their own. Advantages include fostering creativity and long-term memory through problem-solving, while disadvantages can include a lack of teacher guidance and potential confusion without explicit pronunciation instruction.

Uploaded by

Zikica Spanac
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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APPROACHES AND

METHODS
The Silent Way (SW)
Definition
• Caleb Gattegno, 1963

• “Teaching Foreign Languages in Schools:


The Silent Way”

• Extensive use of silence as a teaching


method
• Humanistic approach

• Cognitive approach

• Dissatisfaction with mainstream language


education.
• Alternative teaching method

• Teaching subordinated to learning.


Key principles
How is learning facilitated?

1. Discovering and creating, rather than


remembering and repeating.
2. Accompanied physical objects
3. Problem-solving, involving the material to
be learnt
All four skills are important:
• Reading
• Writing
• Speaking
• Listening

Work on pronunciation using sound-color chats.

• Errors – show what is unclear


Teacher’s role
• Provide materials

• Facilitate learning

• Be silent and neutral observer

• Giving help only when absolutely


necessary
Students’ role
• Develop independence from a teacher
• Peer Correction: encouraged to help each
other in a cooperative and non-competitive
spirit.

• Explore the language, deduce its rules


Advantages of SW
• Learning through problem solving fosters
creativity, discovery, an increase of
intelligence potency and long-term
memory
• Students learn by themselves

• Students are able to fix their


pronunciation.
Disadvantages
• Lack of teacher’s guidance

• Lack of pronunciation knowlegde. It can be


confusing.
Sound-colour chart
THE END

Ana Tomić

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