Eclectic Method

Prepared by: Mbarek EL-farhaoui

Supervised by: Mr. Ahmed Atlagh

‘A thousand teachers, a thousand methods’

Outline

I. Basic Concepts

II. General overview of the method

III. Advantages of the method

VI. Criteria for Effective teaching Methods

I. Basic Concepts

Approach

Provides principles to decide what kind of content and what sort of procedures are appropriate.

Method

It is HOW the teaching is to be conducted. It is a practical realization of an approach

Technique

Any of a wide variety of activities or devices in the language classroom for realizing lesson objectives. It must be consistent with ‘a method ’ and in harmony with an ‘approach’

II. General overview of the method

A main proponent of the eclectic approach is Rivers (1981). According to him, an eclectic appraoch allows language teachers to « absorb the best techniques of all the well known language teaching methods into their classroom procedures, using them for the purposes for which they are most approproate »

Origin: late 17th century (as a term in philosophy): from Greek eklektikos, from eklegein ‘pick out’, from ek ‘out’ + lege in ‘choose’

Only well-trained teachers can become eclectic: teachers with no theoretical thinking about the advantages and drawbacks of any approach cannot use it.

The eclectic method is a combination of all the teaching approaches

III. Advantages

Multiple tasks, high interaction, lively learning and fast results are the salient features of this method

A main proponent of the eclectic approach is Rivers (1981). According to him, an eclectic appraoch allows language teachers to « absorb the best techniques of all the well known language teaching methods into their classroom procedures, using them for the purposes for which they are most approproate  » p.55

Flexibility in choosing any aspect or method that teachers think suitable for teaching

Giving a chance to students to see different kinds of teaching techniques that break monotony

It helps connect life experiences to the ideas presented

Teachers have the chance to choose different kinds of teaching techniques in each class

VI. Criteria for effective teaching methods

It must be simple for both teacher and learner, and must be within the capabilities of all teachers. Also, the teacher must feel that pupils are progressing satisfactorily.

It must bring about a balance between the spoken and written or printed word (and must be flexible enough for the teacher to concentrate on the area (s)he wants).

 It must overcome the conflict between fluency and accuracy.

It must reflect the linguistic habits the child has already acquired by learning his/her mother tongue and their ability to assimilate a new language.

It must enable work done with modern teaching aids (e.g. audio-visual aids, computer) to be an extension of the method used in class.

It must be sufficiently flexible to cope with various class conditions ( as far as pupils' specific / general interests are concerned )

It must ensure that pupils are given the opportunity of having the greatest number of meaningful contacts possible both with and in the foreign language