Characteristics of Effective ESL Methods

Characteristics of Effective ESL Methods Name Institution Characteristics of Effective ESL Methods The ability of an English learner to become proficient in the language lies largely on the teacher. As such, teachers have to understand the basic characteristics that are effective in enhancing language proficiency. The first characteristic is the focus not only on reading and writing but also on listening and speaking. This is evident from the failure of the Grammar Translation method which was rejected for its lack of emphasis on oral proficiency (Richards & Rodgers, 2001). Thus, in order to enhance language proficiency in English learners, teachers should ensure that students have the four basic skills of language learning. However, more attention should especially be placed in speaking. According to Richards and Rodgers (2001), the central principle of the audiolingual method was that “Language skills are learned more effective...