BOOK REPORT AND REVIEW - Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching (Second Edition)

 Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching (Second Edition)

Written by: Diane Larsen-Freeman

Year: 2000

City: New York

Publisher: Oxford University Press

ISBN: 0194355748

TECHNIQUES AND PRINCIPLES IN LANGUAGE TEACHING (SECOND EDITION)

            As the introduction, Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching is a kind of ways how we can teach language well in class. We can learn about how we know the theories in teaching language, especially English well based on the theories that have been provided. We also know what the principles in teaching language well. So it is very useful and helpful for us, especially for the teacher to be in improving our teaching skill, especially in English.

            The purposes or the goals of this book are: One of the goals of this book is for you to learn about many different language teaching methods. I will use the term ‘language teaching method’ to mean a coherent set of links between actions and thoughts in language teaching. The actions are the techniques and the thoughts are the principles in the title of this book: Technique and Principles in Language Teaching. A second goal is to help you uncover the thoughts that guide your own actions as a teacher. They may not be ones of which you are aware. Seeking to determine which principles of the methods of you read about here are most (dis)harmonious with your own thinking will help you to uncover some of your implicit thoughts and beliefs about teaching. A third goal is to introduce you to a variety of techniques, some of which will be new. Although certain techniques may require further training, others can be immediately implemented. Feel free to experiment and adapt those techniques to your teaching context.  

            There are 12 (twelve) units on this book. The units are about the method of teaching English. The contents of this book are: Acknowledgment; To the Teacher Educator; 1 Introduction; 2 The Grammar-Translation Method; 3 The Direct Method; 4 The Audio-Lingual Method; 5 The Silent Way; 6 Desuggestopedia; 7 Community Language Learning; 8 Total Physical Response; 9 Communicative Language Teaching; 10 Content-based, Task-based, and Participatory Approaches; 11 Learning Strategy Training, Cooperative Learning, and Multiple Intelligences; 12 Conclusion; Appendix. The content of each unit are: Introduction, Experience, Thinking about the experience, Reviewing the principles, Reviewing the techniques, Conclusion, Activities, References and Additional Resources. This is a complete book and a good guidance book for the readers.

            This book is very useful for Students who want to be a teacher because this book provides the material of techniques and principles in language teaching. It can be a preparation for students as guidance. This book also can be references to write final project, thesis, journal, etc. This book is also very useful for teachers because the material of this book is proper to be applied in language teaching during the class, the techniques and methods of teaching language.

            As the evaluation, the Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching book is very good book to be a reference for students and teachers. Students can learn effectively about techniques and principles in language teaching, especially English. This book has strengths that very useful for readers to be read, but this book also has weaknesses that we can find as our evaluation. The strengths of this book are: (1) This book is very useful and has specific goals that it can be the readers’ standard to measure have they reached the purposes of book or have not yet, (2) This book is complete. This book provides 10 methods of teaching that very important for students and teacher to be applied in teaching process. Every unit also provides complete parts: Introduction, Experience, Thinking about the experience, Reviewing the principles, Reviewing the techniques, Conclusion, Activities, References and Additional Resources, (3) The content of this book is easy to be understood. Every unit in every method of teaching provides the experiences that can be read by readers and can be applied in teaching and explains the specific points of each method, (4) This book provides exact references, even in each unit the references are provided. So, it can be good references too for students or students to study more. It also can be references for students or teachers in compiling final project, thesis, journal, etc. The weaknesses of this book are (1) This book does not provide many pictures as illustrations, just some. So, it will not be too interesting for readers, especially for beginner because picture also has effect to explain the content of the book visually, (2) This book does not provide many exercises, just some. Exercises have role to know the readers’ understanding about the book. If the book lack of exercises, so the readers’ understanding cannot be measured specifically. 

            As the interpretation, the Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching Book is a useful book. We can find many methods of teaching language that will improve our teaching skill. It is because actually this book emphasize in teaching methods of teaching language as the main purpose of this book itself. By learning this book, it will increase the criticism of students as the teacher to be and the teachers themselves in organizing the class during the learning process. Students and teachers will have many experiences of teaching activities with variety ways of teaching like using The Grammar-Translation Method. In this method, vocabulary and grammar are emphasized. Reading and writing are the primary skills that the students work on. These are much less attention given to speaking in listening. The most of interaction in the class room is from teacher to the students and little interaction students to students. If the students do mistakes, the students will correct it. Students are emphasized in memorizing like vocabulary, synonym, antonym, and grammar, and students have to translate passage into other language. Then, The Audio-Lingual Method. Using this method, it is expected that the students to be able to use the target language communicatively. There is student to student interaction in chain drills or when students take different roles in dialogs, but this interaction is teacher-directed. So, using this method will make the students communicative actively. In this method, the memorization is also emphasized, etc. Each method on this book has its strengths and weaknesses in technique of teaching language. So, this book is very useful book.

            As the conclusion, The Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching book is a proper book as a lesson and a guidance book for students as teachers to be and for teachers themselves. It is proper to be applied in Indonesian education to be good references in teaching language in variety of methods and techniques. This book is also very useful for students as teachers to be and teachers to uplift the criticism ways of teaching language with different ways and methods. This book provides many references that can be used for compiling final project, thesis, journal, etc, even each unit. Each unit of this book provides points that be explained in detail. Although there are some weakness of this book, but there are also many strengths of this book that make this book interesting to be read.  After learning these methods we know that in teaching language is not easy, it is need effort to master the method proper with the theories and principles that have been provided. So, it can be concluded that learning theories and principles in language teaching is very important for teachers to be and teacher themselves. It will improve the teaching skill in language well.

            As the recommendation, after reading and reviewing this book, it is recommended for you to read this book because this book is very effective to improve the teaching skill well. The purposes of this book also can be afforded to be reached. Thus, the purpose of teaching process can be reached specifically. So, if you want to be a teacher or you are a teacher, this book is very proper for you as a guidance to teach more creative with variety ways of teaching, methods, and techniques that have been provided.