The concepts “méthod” and “approach” in the teaching learning process of the foreign language didactics

Abstract

Among the foreign language teaching (FLT) community, the most frequent discussions are about the best ways to teach and/or what materials to use. Sometimes, though, discussions are directed to more theoretical topics and various specific concepts. At Pedagogical Universities, the discussion about the use of terminology is crucial since disciplines like General Didactics and Foreign Language Teaching Methodology integrate their practice and theory for students to get better prepared for their future work as foreign language teachers. The concepts Method and Approach have been part of this discussion since teachers and student teachers are sometimes hesitant on what word to use when referring to the history of methods/approaches, and when comparing FLT Methodology to General Didactics. The present work discusses these two concepts and offers some thoughts that could be helpful when analyzing our planning.