What is Situational Language Teaching

Question: What is Situational Language Teaching (SLT)? Discuss the approach, design and procedures of Situational Language Teaching.

Situational Language Teaching (SLT)

Situational Language Teaching (SLT) is called oral approach. In this method, vocabulary and grammar are taught through oral practice. It is much more clinical method that relies less on direct communication. SLT was developed by applied linguists from 1930s to 1950s. It became the accepted British approach to English language teaching by the 1950s.

Approach

There are four basic objectives or purposes or approaches of SLT:

1. Practical command of the four basic skills of a language through structure.
2. Accuracy in both pronunciation and grammar.
3. Ability to respond quickly and accurately in speech situations.
4. Automatic control of basic structures.

Design or Syllabus:

1. Basic words and phrases.
2. Basic sentence structures and patterns.
3. Everything is to be taught against the backdrop of situations.

More Notes of ELT

Procedure or Features:

A situational presentation of new sentence patterns and repeated drills of the patterns are central for SLT. According Richards and Rodgers (2001), the followings are the features of SLT:

1. Speaking and listening begins from the very outset.
2. As medium of instruction, the target language is to be used in classroom.
3. New chapters are introduced and practiced in accordance with the backdrop of situations.
4. Only essential vocabulary is covered.
5. Grammar is taught step by step that means from simple to complex.
6. Reading and writing are gradually introduced after establishing basic grammatical and lexical concept.

Finally, it is to be said that SLT is an interesting second language teaching method which is widely used throughout the world.