Language Teaching Methodology: Product- and Process- Oriented Teaching Model

The development of language learning theories has an inevitable impact on the use of language teaching methodology. Therefore, it is important to understand different models of language teaching and how to put them together in order to achieve the goal of language education.

The first methodology of language teaching is product-oriented teaching model. This model is influenced by the behaviorism psychologists theories which is based on classical experiments conducted by Pavlov and Thorndike, studies by Watson and Rayner, and also Skinner’s theory regarded as a reference of this field of study. The behaviorists believe that humans may give response to the variables in their environment with a controlled effect. In language teaching, product-oriented models are generally featured by formal procedure, product/performance-oriented, and difficult-based order of language structure. The teacher plays a dominant role in determining procedures and directions of learning activity.

On the other hand, another model which needs to be taken account as an important paradigm in language education is process-oriented teaching model. The notion of concerning on the process is based on the principles established by social theorists. This model asserts the social nature of human being and  how human creates social interaction. Practically, those principles lead to the development of cooperative learning. Based on hundred studies done by scientists and practitioners, cooperative learning is able to improve students’ learning achievement significantly since it successfully promotes students’ confidence and motivation to be actively involved in learning process.

Furthermore,  the differences of students’ characteristics and needs bear a great challenge for teachers to utilize the most suitable teaching model. Therefore, this fact encourages teachers to find out how to select or combine various kinds of teaching model. Combining both models above means to extract the benefits from each model. The benefit of product-oriented model seems to create the learner’s ability to master the language. Meanwhile, process-oriented model lead the learners to have an ability to use language in reality. Thus, the combination of both models will significantly contribute to the acceleration of our language education.

Reference:

Suherdi, Didi. (2012). Rekonstruksi Pendidikan Bahasa: Sebuah Keniscayaan bagi Keunggulan Bangsa. Bandung: Celtics Press