Comparison Between The Audio Lingual Method and The Silent Way

 The Audio Lingual Method
• The goal of the audio lingual method is to enable students to communicate in the target language automatically
• Teacher is like an orchestra leader, directing and controling the language behavior of the students
• New vocabulary and structural patterns are presented trough dialogs (drills)
• There is no formal test
• Students errors are to be avoided if at all possible through the teacher awareness of where the students will have difficulties and restriction of what they are taught to say



The Silent Way
• The goal of the silent way is to make student be able to use the language for self expression
• The teacher is an technician or engineer. The students make use of what they know
• Students begin their study of the language through its basic building blocks, its sounds
• Although the teacher may never give a formal test he assasses students learning all the time
• The teacher uses student errors as a basic for deciding where further work is necessary. The tacher works with the students in getting them to self correct