Approach, Method, Strategy, Technique: the Differences

Approach, Method, Strategy, Technique: the Differences. Hi.. When you are learning a language, you will frequently meet the terms approach, method, strategy and technique. Some may not be really familiar with those terms and hardly find the differences.

I still remember my lecturer when explaining those terms during a class session. The following I will try to rewrite what she explained in the classroom. I forget the references, but I just hope that this will help you. So here we go.

Technique is a procedure or skill for completing a specific task.

Method is a way something is done. Perhaps used for routine tasks.

Strategy usually requires some sort of planning. You'd probably use strategy when faced with a new situation, e.g. the strategy to win a game.

Approach is treating something in a certain way.

Methods are the way we teach, approaches explain why we teach that way. These individual strategies might be used within any other method or approaches they are frequently intended to help foster maintain creativity.

Approaches deal with general philosophies of teaching; methods deal with more practical nuts and bolts; and strategies deal with specific actions. Nevertheless, the terms approach and method sometimes overlap when the term method becomes too broad or the term approach too narrow. Over the years, the objective of many teachers has changed from trying to find an ultimate "best method" to identifying compatible approaches and then deciding on strategies for actually doing what needs to be done in the classroom.

Experiments must be approached the same way to repeat desired results. Approaches deal with general philosophies of teaching; methods deal with more practical nuts and bolts; and strategies deal with specific actions. Nevertheless, the terms approach and method sometimes overlap when the term method becomes too broad or the term approach too narrow. Over the years, the objective of many teachers has changed from trying to find an ultimate "best method" to identifying compatible approaches and then deciding on strategies for actually doing what needs to be done in the classroom.

The teacher has a spectrum of roles in these methodologies ranging from language model and commander of classroom activities in systems like Grammar Translation and Total Physical Response to background facilitator and classroom colleague in Communicative Language Teaching and Dogme all the way to minimally present in the Silent Way. In a similar manner the role of the student may vary from that of passive recipient in Grammar Translation, childlike follower in Total Physical Response to active driver and decider in Dogme.

An examination of some of these methodologies may bring the reader to the conclusion that some appear counter-intuitive - not to say downright weird. While teachers should obviously view things with an open mind, a certain level of scepticism is sometimes appropriate.

It is likely that, over time, experienced teachers select whatever elements of these methodologies work for them and adapt them to their particular teaching style or students' learning style. It also seems highly probable that something which works well for one teacher (or with one student) will not work for another.

The kind of approaches in language teaching:
•    Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
•    Competency-Based Language Teaching
•    Content-Based Instruction
•    Cooperative (Collaborative) Learning
•    Dogme
•    Lexical Approach
•    Multiple Intelligences
•    Natural Approach
•    Neurolinguistics programming
•    Task-Based Language Teaching
•    Whole Language Approach

The kind of methods in language teaching:
•    Audiolingual
•    Counseling Learning
•    Direct Method
•    Grammar Translation
•    Silent Way
•    Situational Language Teaching
•    Suggestopedia
•    Total Physical Response (TPR)

The kind of strategies in language teaching:
•    Blackboard
•    Debate
•    Dialog journal
•    Field experience
•    Flowchart
•    Free writing
•    Graphic organizer
•    Group read
•    Interactive language task
•    Interview
•    Jigsaw
•    Know - want to know - learned (K-W-L)
•    Laboratory investigation
•    Language experience approach
•    Learning cycle
•    Learning log
•    Literature, history and storytelling
•    Mini-museum
•    Modeling
•    Numbered heads together
•    Predict, observe, explain
•    Problem solving
•    Reflective thinking
•    Role-play and simulation
•    Think, pair and share
•    Venn diagram
•    Webbing