This is an approach that focus on the learner mastering the patterns of the sentences. It presents the idea of structures, which are the different arrangements of words in a accepted style or the other. The approach includes various modes in which clauses, phrases or word might be used. It is based on the assumptions that language can be best learnt through a scientific selection and grading of the structures or patterns of sentences and vocabulary.
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It is also known as Aural-oral Approach. Each language has its own pattern of structure. The structural approach is an outcome of the experiments carried out in language teaching in the army campus during World War II. Meaningful words are used in particular order. Every structure embodies an important grammatical point. A sentence needs a grammatical background.
The different arrangements or patterns of words are called structures. Here words are used in particular order to convey their sense and meaning. In this way structures are the tools of language and should not be confused with sentences. According to Brewington “Structural approach is a scientific study of the fundamental structures of the English language, their analysis and logical arrangement”. The structural approach to English is teaching the learner certain selected structures in a certain order. The different arrangement or patterns of words are called structures. Structure may be complete patterns or they may form a part of a large pattern. Language is viewed as structurally related elements for the encoding of meaning the elements being phonemes, morphemes, words, structures and sentence types.
Kripa K. Gautam
This approach as Kripa K. Gautam states “is based on the belief that language consists of ‘structures’ and that the mastery of these structures is more important than the acquisition of vocabulary. Since structure is what is important and unique about a language. The early practice should focus on mastering phonological and grammatical structures. Not on mastering vocabulary.” Kulkarni “emphasizes the teaching and learning of the basic items or materials that constitute the framework of language.” Whereas according to Yardi ‘structures’ as an “internal ordering of linguistic item”, and further adds that structures may be defined as “device that we use to make signal, to convey meanings, and indicate relationship.”
Menon and Patel
According to Menon and Patel the following are the objectives of the new structural approach:
- It lays the foundation of English by establishing through drill and repetition about 275 graded structures.
- enables the children to attain mastery over an essential vocabulary of about 3000 root words for active use.
- correlates the teaching of grammar and composition with the reading lesson.
- teaches the four fundamental skills, namely understanding, speaking, reading and writing in the order names.
- lays proper emphasis on the aural – oral approach, activity methods and the condemnation of formal grammar for its own sake.
Principles of the structural approach:
- The importance of framing language Habits – The structural approach lays stress on the importance of forming language habit, particularly the habit of forming words in English.
- Importance of speech – The structural approach is based on the principle of effective used of speech.
- Importance pupil’s activity – The structural approach is based on the principles of the pupils’ activity. The importance of pupil’s activity rather than the activity of the teacher is the sure way to learning English.
- The principle of oral work – Oral work is the sheet anchor of the structural approach. The basis and all the rest are built up from oral work.
- Each language has its own grammar. Instead of teaching the grammar of the L2, its structures are to be taught. Each language has its own grammar.
Importance of language in the modern world
English plays an important role in our present Educational system and also in our National life. it has become one of the common language and a person one who is fluent in speaking English can be a world citizen. India is a multi-lingual country were there are many languages spoken in different parts of our country. English language helps to communicate with ease .through structural approach we can learn English or any other language fluently. structural approach teaches to learn sentences in a systematic manner which involves the structure, sequencing and pattern arrangement of a words to make a proper and complete sentences with meaning. Today the importance of English cannot be overestimated. It is a global language and it is the language of opportunities for the millions of youth around the world.
Maximum use of the foreign language
The emphasis by structural approach on the teaching of the graded structures of a language means that the classroom should have the maximum foreign language environment. This is characteristic feature in structural approach. Where grammar-translation method is used, the classroom is characterized by two factors: 1) practice in reading and writing and 2) maximum use of mother-tongue. In reaction to these practices structural approach advocates methods which would include – a) practice in the speech-skills, not because reading and writing should be neglected (as would be the case in the direct method), but that the teaching of the graded structures can be better undertaken through aural-oral work.
According to Puwarno
The arrangement of words in English is very important. The meaning of an utterance changes with a change in the word order. For instance:
There is a sentence ‘You are there’. Consider two other sentences made of two words but put in different order ‘Are you there?’ and ‘There you are’. The three sentences, although built of the same vocabulary items give different meaning because of a different way in which the words are arranged. These different arrangement or patterns of words are called ‘structures’.
Structures may consist of full utterances or they may fall on a part of a large pattern. F.D. French has defined a sentence pattern in these words: The word-pattern means a model from which many things of the same kind, and shade can be made like house or shoes which look the same. A sentence pattern is, therefore, a model for sentences, which have the same shade although made up of different words. For instance, there is a sentence in English: ‘I wrote a letter’. The formula of this sentence is SVO (Subject – Verb – Object). We can frame innumerate sentence on this pattern.
Researcher in the field of language teaching in the UK and USA have established that it is more important for the learner of the language to get mastery over the structures more than on vocabulary. So far we have concentrated more on the teaching of vocabulary than that of structures. A lot of work has been done on the selection and gradation of vocabulary but little work has been done on the selection and gradation of structures. It is as important to learn how to put words together as it is to know their meaning.
Getting Used to the Structural Approach
Unless the learners become familiar with the pattern of English, he will not be able to use vocabulary. Hornby has made a study of Sentence Patterns or Structures in English. He has found that there are approximately 275 structures in English and the learners of the language must master all of them. It should be remembered that the structure approach of language teaching is not a matter of language teaching but only an approach, which tells us what to teach while a method tells us how to teach. The Oral Method or the Audio-Lingual Method are the ones employed.
The structure approach is based on the following principles:
1. The important of a speech as the necessary means of fixing firmly all the ground works.
2. The important of forming language habits particularly the habit of arranging words in English sentence patterns to replace the sentence patterns of the learners own language.
3. The pupils’ own activities rather than the activity of the teacher.
My Own Approach
If you enjoyed reading about the Structural Approach, check how I created my own approach (The Ernesto Method) and see some of the ideas of the Structural Approach in it.
