How

Memorization of vocabulary. Memorization of rules. Explanation of grammatical rules. Translation exercises.

Memorization of dialogues. Repetition of structures by means of different techniques: drilling, substitution drills, choral repetition.

Physical activity or movement in response to instructions or imperative phrases given by the teacher or other students. Interaction dialogues.

Objects, pictures and gesture to convey the meaning of words and phrases. Demonstration techniques (not explanation) to make students understand. Translation into the mother tongue is never used.

Teaching is grammatically sequenced. Planning a syllabus is just a matter of selecting structural items and grading them in suitable order for teaching.

It emphasizes aural-oral skills and rejects the use of students’ mother tongue at all. Reading and writing appear late in the programs since it is considered that written symbols lead but to confusion.

Acquisition only takes place when people understand messages in the second language, when they are exposed to language that is comprehensible but yet beyond their level of production.

The technique consists in the teacher giving instructions in the foreign language for students to give a physical response, a feedback that shows understanding (or misunderstanding).

Language is seen as a system for the expression of meaning. Only comprehensible pronunciation is searched for. Mistakes are seen as part of the learning process.

One of the main jobs for the teacher can be seen as setting up situations where information gaps exist and motivating the students to bridge them in appropriate ways.