[MUSIC] Welcome back to Teach English Now. In today's video, we're going to discuss basic elements that will give you a way of understanding an approach to teaching language. These basic elements are purpose, content, and technique. Within each of these basic elements or categories, we will also invite you to ask key questions that will help us answer primary questions such as who, what, why, and how. The first category we want you to look at is purpose. When I mention purpose, I mean the reasons a language is both learned and taught. In other words, why do you teach a language? While it might seem obvious to you, as to why a learner might want to learn English. There are actually a number of very different reasons that people try to learn languages. Through our discussions, you will see that different language teachers, over time, have had very different ideas of why a language should be taught. So, question number one is, why should we teach languages? The second question doesn't ask why a language is learned, but rather who is learning a language. The second question, who should we teach is also related to purpose. By asking this question, you will see that different groups of learners themselves have different aims and reasons for learning a language. And that a teacher's purpose is heavily influenced by the learners that walk through the classroom door. Let's move on to the category of content. When we discuss purpose we think of the question words, why and who. Can you guess what question word we ask when we think about content? The answer, as you may have already guessed, is what? What do you need to teach a language? What are the materials that are required? By asking these questions, we can come to a better understanding of the nuts and bolts of language teaching. By discussing content, we will be thinking about the things you would actually bring to class. Books, diagrams, maps, audio recording and so forth. You will see that each approach varies in the kind of content that is considered most useful in class. The third and final category we wish to impress upon is technique. Technique refers to the strategies and activities that a teacher uses in order to convey language forms. Or, in other words, technique refers to the ways a teacher teaches. While purpose refers to why and who, and content refers to what, technique refers to how a language is learned and taught. You can probably guess by now what our next questions are. The questions are, how does a learner learn a language? And how should a teacher teach? The last question is a little less intuitive, but relates to the overall philosophy of teaching. The question is how do we help students to remember a language? Before we begin our exploration of the different methods and approaches to language teaching through time, let me offer a small word of advice. One of the very fundamental ideas we want to impress upon you is the idea that purpose shapes both content and technique. Let me say that again, purpose shapes both content and technique. What I mean is that often when you uncover the teacher's answer to the questions of why and who. Many times the reasoning behind their strategies will become clear. However, just as soon as the purpose changes, the techniques and content will not only no longer seem clear, they may seem unreasonable. This insight should help you realize how important it is to examine your own philosophy of teaching. Not only what materials you might use and what strategies you might employ. But more fundamentally, what is the reason you teach English and what are the purposes that your learners have for gaining language proficiency. Anyway, it is something to think about throughout this next course and honestly, throughout your entire teaching career. In the next video, we will discuss precisely how we are going to take you on this journey through time. A time machine, you say? Now, that sounds exciting. We'll see you right around the bend on Teach English Now. [MUSIC]
