Reviewing the history of language teaching : emphasizing on the role of the teacher

Abstract

The main aim of this work relies on the revision of every existing method so far in order to carry out the analysis of the several and different roles that teachers have performed along the history referring second language teaching. To accomplish the goal, we will focus on methods from the Grammar-translation Method to the raise of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Having reviewed every single method and having reflected on every role that teachers adopted over the history of language teaching, this study might show us which could be the most adequate role for teachers to face the process of teaching second languages. Moreover, as this paper seeks to determine which would be the most adequate role of a teacher, a teaching proposal is designed on the basis of the Communicative Approach and the implementation of ICTs in the classroom. Consequently, the teaching proposal presented in this paper will stand out due to the fact that all the different tasks have been developed using different technological tools. We would see that the design of a teaching proposal similar to the one proposed in this research might be key for teachers succeeding in second language teaching. As this paper focuses on the role of the teacher in combination with the application of new technologies we may take into account several things. First of all, this research may be seen as an open door to further investigation as technology is in constant development and consequently leaners’ needs are no longer the same as were twenty or thirty years ago. Furthermore the last and most important aspect would be to consider teacher’s education necessary for the application of the forthcoming designed teaching proposal and future methodologies.