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This unit discussed the various methods of teaching English as a foreign language from the past to the present. It began with the grammar-translation approach, which focused on directly translating languages. This method was unatural so more methods were created in the hopes to make English learning easier to absorb. These newer methods were creative approaches that lead to the method most commonly used today known as ESA. Methods such as audio-lingualism, which focused on drilling and listening to materials, the silent way, which focused on the students using colored sticks to learn the language, and even suggestopaedia, which used different music to make students feel more comfortable in class, were some of the creative sources leading up to ESA. ESA stands for the three step process, Engage, Study, and Activate. The Engage step is used to promote your students to speak English and warm up before they begin studying new materials. Games such as Hangman, or counting games are good for this phase. The Study phase is to teach new materials, correct pronunciation, and to elaborate in detail grammar points. This phase is also a point to check students understanding of the new material. Activities such as word gaps, fill in the blank, and word order worksheets are all good for this phase. Finally the Activate phase should be where your students take what they know and use it to communicate in a natural setting using roleplays, debates, and discussions. Overall, I think this information will be very useful in formulating future lesson plans for my students.
