This section of the site looks at how theories of language acquisition have been applied in methodological practice. Generally speaking, when we talk about 'methodology', we include approaches, methods, techniques, procedures and models.

• Approach refers to 'theories about the nature of language and language learning that serves as the source of practices and principles in language teaching.' An approach describes how people acquire language and states the conditions which promote successful language learning.
• A method is the practical realisation of an approach. A method is devised by deciding about types of activities, roles of teachers and learners, the kinds of material to use, and a model of syllabus organization that relate to the approach.
• A technique is used in a single activity during a lesson. For example, a useful technique for correcting pronunciation is 'back chaining'. The teacher holds up a number of fingers corresponding to the number of syllables in a word. He points to the raised finger on the right (students' view) and utters the last syllable for students to repeat. The same is repeated for the penultimate syllables, and so on.
• A procedure is a sequence of activities, employing a range of techniques.
• A model is used to describe a typical procedure or sets of procedures. Models are mainly conveyed to teachers in training, as a guide to teaching practice.

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ELT Methodology in a Nutshell