Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching

The Audio-Lingual Method

• Theoretical and Historical Background
• When the American military suddenly needed a quick and effective way to teach foreign language skills during World War II, they turned to professional linguists. The military’s call for help came at a time when the science of Behaviorism was at its peak.

The Audio-Lingual Method

• The field of behaviorism included the work of classical conditioning behaviorists such as Ivan Pavlov (1849–1936) in Russia and the American operant conditioning behaviorist B. F. Skinner (1904–1990).