1.

INTRODUCTION
English has become the main language in many countries in Asia as a

result of centuries of British colonization. Malaysia cannot run from the fact that English has been brought here during that period. English is a second language widely used in this country in every field especially after the independence. It exists alongside native languages such as Malay, Mandarin and Tamil as they .have a role in communication among Malaysians. Moreover, English is an important subject taught in schools besides these native languages. Students in Malaysian schools are taught only basic and simple conversational English using British grammar and spelling. The need of English proficiency is on high demand in this globalised era because of the battle in the work force. This language plays an important role in the personal advancement of the individual and in nation progress. In order to achieve these visions, the teaching methods at the school stage have to be very efficient. There has been a great deal of debate over what methods present the most effective and appropriate means of aiding students in the acquisition of second language skills. This debate has led to the development of a surprisingly large and diverse collection of teaching methods. I would like to emphasise on two significant methods which I think suitable to be implemented in Malaysian schools.

2.0

TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR) METHOD

This method was developed by Dr. James J. Asher for learning

languages, math and science which became popular in the 1970's. It is based on the coordination of speech and action. The method emerges from the way infants acquire their first language. When the parents speak to the infant, the infant will respond physically to them such as looking, smiling, laughing and so forth. Dr. Asher (1982) calls this "a language-body conversation". This occurs for many months before the infant can utter few simple words. Although the infant is not

yet speaking, the child is imprinting a linguistic map of how the language works. This situation is similar to the classroom setting whereby the teacher acts as the parent and the pupils as the infant. The second language acquisition is parallel to the first language acquisition as the infant is trying to acquire his first language which he does not know before, and so does the second language learner. An analogy for second language acquisition is when a stranger appears in a primitive tribal village. Though he cannot speak the language of the tribe, the primitive tribe can tell that he is lost and hungry. As the tribe gather around the fire in the evening to share food and stories, the stranger joins them. While he does not understand the words in the stories, he still understands some of their meaning by the feeling that is instilled in them by the storyteller, through body language and the reactions of listeners. When this activity becomes a routine, the stranger can catch up some words and use the tribes language to speak later on. Therefore, body language and affective filler are important aspects in second language acquisition. Asher (1982) pointed out that there are three objectives of Total Physical Response. The three objectives are to teach oral proficiency at a beginning level, use comprehension as a means to speaking and use action-based drills in the imperative form. As we can see, oral or speaking skill is very important as pupils will need to use the language in daily interactions and for job purposes in the future. It is necessary for teachers to integrate this skill in the classroom and one interesting way is by using the TPR method. When the pupils understand what they have learned in class, they can speak confidently using the language. According to Nida (1957), learning to speak a language is very largely a task of learning to hear it. This means before the pupils can speak English, they have to listen from people who speak the language. This is where the TPR method comes in. The teacher who gives instructions to pupils is likely to expose the English words and sentences to them. After they listen to the instructions, they will have to understand them and then they would be able to use the language they learned in the spoken form.

The main activity in TPR is giving and obeying commands. The teacher who plays the role of a parent starts by saying a word jump or a phrase open the book and then she demonstrates the action. The teacher will say the command again and the pupils do the action. After repeating a few times it is possible to extend this by asking the pupils to repeat the word as they do the action. When they feel confident with the word or phrase, the teacher can then ask them to direct each other or the whole class. It is more effective if the pupils are standing in a circle around the teacher and the teacher can even encourage them to walk around as they do the action. The teacher should also use vocabularies which are connected with the actions such as smile, chop, headache and so forth. Other than that, the tenses and continuous aspects can also be taught using this method together with the imperatives and instructions.

3.0

THE AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD (ALM)

The history of Audio-Lingual Method can be traced back to World War 2.

During that time, the United States of America encouraged its people to become orally proficient in the languages of both their allies and their enemies. The U.S. military then funded the special, intensive language courses that focused on aural and oral skills. This method was known as the Army Specialised Training Program or the Army Method. The oral activity emphasized in this method consists of pronunciation and pattern drills and conversation practice. This new methodology came to be known in the 1950s as the Audio-Lingual Method. The overall goal of the Audio-Lingual Method was to create communicative competence in learners. Moreover, this method also aims for pupils to possess accurate pronunciation and grammar ability to respond quickly and accurately in speech situations. The pupils are hoped to acquire the knowledge of sufficient vocabulary to use with grammar patterns. Therefore, it was thought that the most effective way to do this was for pupils to learn the language through extensive repetition and a variety of elaborate drills.

This method is said to result in rapid acquisition of speaking and listening skills. The Audio-Lingual Method drills pupils in the use of grammatical sentence patterns. When this method is developed, it is thought that the way to acquire the sentence patterns of the second language is through conditioning or helping learners to respond correctly to stimuli through shaping and reinforcement. According to Sletten (2005), the principles of this method are speaking and listening competence preceded reading and writing competence, the use of ones native language is highly discouraged in the classroom and the development of language skills is a matter of habit formulation. Other principles include pupils practice particular patterns of language through structured dialogue and drill until response is automatic. Structured patterns in language are taught using repetitive drills and it emphasizes on having pupils produce error free utterances. In addition, only everyday vocabulary and sentences are taught and concrete vocabulary is taught through demonstration, objects, and pictures. The first procedure for this method is assisting the pupils to hear a model dialogue. Then, pupils have to repeat each line of the dialogue. They may have changed certain key words or phrases in the dialogue. The pupils practice substitutions in the pattern drills with key structures from the dialogue serve as the basis for pattern drills of different kinds. As we can see here, two major learning techniques in this method are dialogues and drills. I can see the importance of teaching using this method that is to equip pupils with grammar and vocabulary. Both will be used in the speaking skill and pupils who can master the grammar part and have sufficient vocabulary will be able to speak the language confidently.

4.0

THE RELEVANCE OF BOTH APPROACHES TO MALAYSIAN CONTEXT 4.1 Total Physical Response

Every teaching method has both advantages and disadvantages in its application. One advantage of this method is that it is fun and interesting. Children are likely to engage in physical activities rather than just sitting there and listen to the traditional teaching method. According to Pica (2006), when children demonstrate the meaning of words physically, their understanding of the words is immediate and long-lasting. This means, if the pupils in the classroom responds correctly to the teachers commands, it shows that they understand the words and can remember better. For instance, when children portray such action words as stomp, pounce, stalk or slither and such descriptive words as smooth, strong, gentle or enormous, the words have much more relevance than they would as part of a vocabulary or spelling list. They will save the word list in their memory for a longer period as they pay their attention to the TPR activity. Another advantage for this method is that it meets the need of kinaesthetic pupils. Pupils who fall in this type of learning style will learn best if they do movements and hands-on activities in the classroom. According to Cabello (n.d.), the magic of TPR is that when the target language is internalized through body movements, pupils not only comprehend what the teacher is saying but they comprehend what they see in print. Kinaesthetic pupils will understand the words better through their body movements and later on, they will able to understand the same words when the teacher provides them with written materials. Furthermore, TPR can be carried out in the class full of pupils of different language abilities. Conroy (1999) stated that TPR is aptitude-free, working well with a mixed ability class, and with students having various disabilities. The teacher does not have to think of planning many activities in order to suit the

different needs of all pupils. The pupils who possess their own language levels can learn without the stress of coping with higher level of lesson. Other than that, TPR may also be a useful alternative teaching strategy for pupils with dyslexia or related learning disabilities, who typically experience difficulty in learning second language with traditional classroom instruction. Thus, TPR offers an equal opportunity for all pupils in Malaysia to learn language despite of their disabilities. However, TPR also has some disadvantages. According to Frost (2004), pupils who are not used to such things might find it embarrassing. Introvert pupils may have the unpleasant feeling in performing the physical movement as they are shy. During my school experience, I observed that primary school pupils are shy to answer simple questions that I asked. Therefore, pupils like them will definitely shy to do TPR in the classroom. This can be the case initially but that if the teacher is prepared to perform the actions, the students feel happier about copying. Also the students are in groups and don't have to perform for the whole class. These are adjustments in order to make TPR suitable for introvert pupils. Another disadvantage of TPR is that, according to Frost (2004), the teacher cannot teach everything with it and the possibility of becoming repetitive is higher. This means although the teacher can integrate many aspects of the language such as vocabularies, tenses, continuous aspects and so on, there are many other language aspects remain untouchable. It is because not all aspects can be taught using this method. Besides, the lesson can be a boring one if the teacher uses TPR for all the times. This is called repetition of the teaching method and pupils may lose their interest easily.

4.2

The Audio-Lingual Method

The advantage of using this method comes from the activity itself. A sentence or new vocabulary word is broken down in parts or syllables. According to Bower (2007), the pupils start from the end of the final word in a sentence and repeat each word within the sentence working backward. Another way to do it is

by starting with the final syllable of the word and repeating each syllable, again working backward until the entire word is pronounced. Bower (2007) also said this is highly effective when done correctly. This process helps pupils to simplify English words so that they can understand better. The teacher is able to give the pupils help in producing the troublesome line. Working on the line in small pieces, the pupils are also able to take note of where each word or phrase begins and ends in the sentence. This is suitable to be implemented in Malaysia as pupils need to repeat a word for several times in order for them to remember. When I did my observation during the school experience, pupils of a class did not remember what had been taught the day before. However, Audio-Lingual Method has been criticised for its effectiveness. The repetition technique is said to be ineffective. According to Bruske (2001), audio-lingual methodology forced pupils to repeat things until they can say them at native speed. The pupils are cautioned not to proceed to the next lesson until they have mastered the current one at native speed. In order to do so, pupils must be able to scan the given sentences quickly so as to repeat them quickly. Teachers in Malaysia should not have to teach pupils in a fast manner. They have to ensure that pupils are really understand the lesson before proceed to the next one. Other disadvantages include the ineffectiveness of habit formation and the error-free principle. Brown (2007) discovered that language was not really acquired through a process of habit formation and that errors were not necessary to be avoided at all costs. From this point of view, Brown tried to say that the process of routine pattern is not really needed in language acquisition. One principle of Audio-Lingual Method is to encourage pupils to produce error-free utterances. Making errors is a part of learning, therefore, errors cannot be avoided when a person is learning something. However, making too many errors shows that the pupil does not understand the lesson. In Malaysian context, teachers should identify the errors made by their pupils and try to reduce them.

The Audio-Lingual Method has a strong theoretical base in Linguistics compared to TPR. ALM is used to teach pupils about grammar and its rules, while TPR is not really used to teach grammar as it is to make a lesson an interesting one. TPR does not stress on vocabulary compared to ALM. Malaysia is an exam-oriented country; therefore, ALM is suitable to be used so that pupils have a strong foundation in grammar in order for them to survive in higher learning education. In contrast, Audio-Lingual Method is quite stressful for pupils to learn because it only focuses on the theoretical part. This is where Total Physical Response is a better choice. TPR offers very interesting activities for pupils during their teaching and learning session. Pupils can learn their lessons and at the same time they can enjoy themselves. ALM requires the pupils to be focused on the grammar rules and pupils cannot move on to the next lesson until they have mastered the lesson that is being taught.

5.0

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, each teaching method is no good than the other. Both have

advantages and disadvantages that requires for improvement in this educational field. Whether it is Total Physical Response or Audio-Lingual Method, both are ways and means to teach pupils the language. They share the same aims which are to make English language learning easier and for pupils to catch up the lesson better. It is our choice as English language teachers to pick and use any method that we feel we can use it to the fullest.

REFERENCES
Asher, J. J. (1982). Learning another language through actions. Los Gatos, CA: Sky Oaks Productions. Bower, D. (2007). Learning spanish part nineteen: the audiolingual method . Retrieved on August 16, 2009 from http://www.bharatbhasha.com/travel.php/67805 Brown, H. D. (2007). Human learning: The audiolingual method. Principles of language learning and teaching. New York: Pearson Education. Bruske, A. (2001). Customer review on audiolingual method. Retrieved August 16, 2009 from http://www.amazon.com/review/R2VVJ7UUO39Q57 Cabello, F. J. (n.d.). The ABC's of the total physical response. Retrieved August 16, 2009 from http://www.tpr-world.com/ABC.html Conroy, P. (1999). Total physical response: an instructional strategy for secondlanguage learners who are visually impaired. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, v93 n5 (p315-18). Frost, R. (2004). Total physical response TPR. Retrieved August 16, 2009 from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/total-physical-response-tpr Nida, E. (1957). Learning a foreign language. In Chitravelu, Nesamalar (2 nd Ed.), ELT methodology: principles and practice (pp. 39). Malaysia: Laser Press. Pica, R. (2006). 10 reasons to promote emergent literacy through movement and active learning. Retrieved August 16, 2009 from http://www.movingandlearning.com/Resources/Articles28.htm Sletten, K. (2005). The audiolingual method. Retrieved August 16, 2009 from http://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/hutt/esl/amtheory.htm

INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN GURU KAMPUS ILMU KHAS

ELT 3101 (R) ASSIGNMENT 1WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT
LANGUAGE LEARNING APPROACHES IN MALAYSIAN CLASSROOM
PREPARED BY: STUDENTS INDEX NO : N7261039 STUDENTS IC NO : 890928-12-5749 CLASS : B.Q 1.2 LECTURER : MDM ROSEI SHEERIN MAHPOR