The Silent Way

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The Silent Way

• Tell me and I forget
• Teach me and I remember
• Involve me and I learn
• Benjamin Franklin

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• Introduction
• Learning theories and educational philosophies
• Teaching materials and demos
• Teaching principles
• Conclusion

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Caleb Gattegno and the Silent way

• The silent way(SW), a method of language
  teaching, originated in the early 1970s and
  introduced by Caleb Gattegno, who, an Europe
  educator, is well known for the use of colored
  sticks called cuisenaire rods and for his
  approach to the teaching of initial reading in
  which sounds are taught by colors.

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Basic Premises for SW

• The method is based on the premise that teacher
  should be silent as much as possible and the
  learners should be encouraged to produce language
  as much as possible.
• The SW assumes that learners work with resources
  and nothing else, as they are solely responsible
  for what they learn.

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Basic Premises for SW

• Teaching should be subordinated to learning.
• Silence makes students to concentrate on what is
  to be learned.

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Learning Hypotheses

• Learning is facilitated if the learner discovers
  or creates rather than remembers and repeats what
  is to be learned
• Learning is facilitated by accompanying
  (mediating) physical objects
• Learning is facilitated by problem solving
  involving the material to be learned.

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Theory of Learning

• A successful learning involves commitment of the
  self to language acquisition through the use of
  silent awareness and then active trial.
• Silent Way learners acquire inner criteria.
• The Silent Way student is expected to become
  independent, autonomous and responsible.

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Independent Learners

• Independent learners are aware that they must
  depend on their own resources and realize that
  they can use the knowledge of their own language
  to open up some things in a new language.

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Autonomous Learners

• Autonomous learners choose proper expressions in
  a given set of circumstances and situations.

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Responsible Learners

• Responsible learners know that they have free
  will to choose among any set of linguistic
  choices, the ability to choose intelligently and
  carefully is said to be evidence of
  responsibility.

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Goals of the Silent Way Teacher

• Students are able to use the language for
  self-expression.
• They need to develop independence from the
  teacher, to develop their own criteria for
  correctness.
• They become independent by relying on themselves.
• The teacher should give them only what they
  absolutely need to promote their learning.

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Characteristics of the Teaching Process

• The teacher sets up situations that focus
  on the structures of the language. These are
  introduced through a language-specific
  sound-color chart.

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Characteristics of the Learning Process

• Student begin their study of the language through
  its sounds.

The students receive a great deal of practice
with a given target language structure without
repetition for its own sake.
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Nature of Student-teacher Interaction

• The teacher is silent. He is still very
  active, however-setting up situations toforce
  awareness, listening attentionally to students
  speech, and silently working with them on their
  production through the use of nonverbal gestures
  and the tools he has available.

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Nature of Student-Student Interaction

• Student-student verbal interaction is
  desirable (students can learn from one another)
  and is therefore encouraged.

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How to Deal with Feeling of Students?

• When their feelings interfere, the teacher tries
  to find ways for the students to overcome them.
• Through feedback sessions at the end of the
  lessons, students have an opportunity to express
  how they feel.
• It is hoped that a relaxed, enjoyable learning
  environment will be created.

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How to Accomplish Evaluation?

• Although the teacher may never give a formal
  test, he assesses student learning all the time.
• Since teaching is subordinated to learning, the
  teacher must be responsive to immediate learning
  needs.
• The teachers silence frees him to attend to his
  students and to be aware of these needs.

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The learning hypotheses

• Learning is facilitated if the learner discovers
  or creates rather than remembers and repeats what
  is to be learned.
• Learning is facilitated by accompanying
  (mediating) physical objects.
• Learning is facilitated by problem solving
  involving the material to be learned.

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Theory of learning

• A successful learning involves commitment of the
  self to language acquisition through the use of
  silent awareness and then active trial.
• Silent Way learners acquire inner criteria.
• The Silent Way student is expected to become
  independent, autonomous and responsible.

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Independent learners

• Independent learners are aware that they must
  depend on their own resources and realize that
  they can use the knowledge of their own language
  to open up some things in a new language.

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Autonomous learner

• Autonomous learners choose proper expressions in
  a given set of circumstances and situations.

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Responsible learners

• Responsible learners know that they have free
  will to choose among any set of linguistic
  choices, the ability to choose intelligently and
  carefully is said to be evidence of
  responsibility.

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The syllabus

• Structural syllabus
• Language items
• The imperative
• Numeration and prepositions of location
• Vocabulary

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Instructional materials

• Color-coded pronunciation charts (Fidel charts)
• Color-coded vocabulary wall charts
• Colored rods
• A pointer
• Reading/writing exercises

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Types of learning teaching activities

• The teacher models a word, phrase, or sentence
  and then elicits learner responses.
• Learners then go on to create their own
  utterances by putting together old and new
  information.
• Charts, rods, and other aids may be used to
  elicit learner responses.
• Teacher modeling is minimal, although much of the
  activity may be teacher directed.

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Fidel charts
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Word charts
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Colored Rods
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The principles

• Silence is a tool. It helps to foster
  autonomy, or the exercise of initiative. The
  teacher should give only what help is necessary.
•    Students need to develop their own inner
  criteria for correctness.
•    Students should rely on each other and
  themselves. The teachers silence encourages
  group cooperation.

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The principles

•      The teacher works with the students while
  the students work on the language.The teacher is
  responsible for creating an environment that
  encourages student risk taking and that
  facilitating learning. He is a neutral observer,
  neither pleased by correct performance nor
  discouraged by error.
•     Errors are important and necessary to
  learning. They show the teacher where things are
  unclear.
•     At the beginning, the teacher needs to look
  for progress, not perfection. Learning takes
  place in time. Students learn at different rates.

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The principles

•     Students should receive a great deal without
  repetition.
•     The elements of the language are introduced
  logically, expanding upon what students already
  know.
•    The teacher can gain valuable information
  from student feedback. Students learn how to
  accept responsibility for their own learning.

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The principles

•      Some learning takes place naturally as we
  sleep. Students will naturally work on the days
  lesson then.
•      The syllabus is composed of linguistic
  structures.
•     The skills of speaking, reading, and writing
  reinforce one another.

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3. Students need to develop their own
inner criteria for correctness. The teacher
should give only what help is necessary.

• to observe their students at work in order to
  learn how to work with them
• to evaluate progress from moment to moment
• to provide non-repetitive and motivating practice
  
• to provide meaning through direct perception, not
  through translation
• to create a relaxed atmosphere of mutual
  cooperation
• to take into account students' individual needs
  and varying levels of competence

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The Silent Way respects

• The learners and their learning processes -
  Because students have already mastered their
  native language, they are treated as
  sophisticated language learners.
• The impacts of teaching upon learning - The
  Silent Way techniques are designed to allow
  teachers to intervene without interfering with
  the learning processes.
• The language being learned - The materials and
  techniques are designed to bring students into
  contact the totality and complexity of the new
  language. Yet, used in specific ways, they
  provide opportunities for working analytically on
  very pinpointed issues.