Participatory Educational Research (PER)

Special Issue 2016-IV, pp., 144-153 November, 2016

Available online at http://www.partedres.com
ISSN: 2148-6123

Action-Oriented Approach In Foreign Language Teaching

Murat DELBA* and Rfat GNDAY

French Department, OndokuzMays University, Samsun, Turkey
murfbhat@hotmail.com

Abstract
Today, increasing communication among people from various countries of the world
increase not only the need of foreign language learning but also the methods,
approaches and techniques. In parallel with these needs, Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages (C.E.F.R.) suggests Action-Oriented
Approach where the learners are social agents (C.E.F.R., 2000,9). Learners/users are
responsible for their own learning in this approach where the social dimension is first
mentioned in language teaching. The need to use the language that emerged while
fulfilling the tasks makes learning process effective and the learner active. Action
oriented approach considers the learner as a social agent in classroom where learning
is a social learning environment and develops linguistic and pragmatic skills besides
communicative skills. The creation of social language environment where the learner
will be able to jointly communicate with each other in the middle of pluricultural and
plurilingual environment depends on teachers skills and knowledge. Because the
tasks in classroom or out of classroom must be parallel to the needs of the learners and
these are the teachers who make learner feeling these needs which facility their
learning process and direct them. If considered that language learning is divided into
two as knowledge and skills, Action-Oriented approach is the name of these two
processes from the constructive learning where the learner is autonomous and directs
his own process in which knowledge is constructed that Piaget, Vygotsky and Bruner
emphasized till to the process that the skills are acquired commonly and
internationally.

Keywords: action oriented approach, acquisition, foreign language teaching

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Introduction

Foreign language teaching / learning on the basis of which there is peoples need of
communication with each other has constantly changed in parallel with the development of
technology and people's needs. In foreign language teaching/learning there isnt any approach
which failed until today. Thus, if we take into account the approach used in language
teaching, learners accomplish to learn a new language in a limited way to some extent
whatever approach they use in language learning.

Language teaching is also an area that is difficult to evaluate the success. Looking at
the structure and language usage formats that they use, we might classify learners as adequate
or inadequate language user. Indeed, language has the cultural, social, and linguistic features
in addition to reception and producing skills. In the old language teaching program in which
used the approach based on only the skills of reception, later in the production skills-based
approach the results were quite successful, but today this approach does not meet the current
needs.

The needs of people on earth have constantly making the profile of language user
change. When considered the time between from the translation of religious books to the
usage of language for military purposes and from communicative approach to action oriented
approach, the most important thing to be considered is to find the answer of what kind of a
language learner needed. At this point it is observed that a number of partnerships in which
people can travel in a relaxed way across countries, make trade and benefit from educational
services in the framework of cooperation are needed. Thus, language speaking individuals are
expected to have social, pragmatic and linguistic skills in addition to their communication
skills.

It is thought that cultural differences can be tolerated, differences in language teaching

can create wealth and they can be considered as common universal values. In this context,
action-oriented approach adopted by the European Union should be adopted first by language
tutorial and necessary programs should be prepared to raise language users with these
acquisitions.

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Foreign language teaching is based on skills intrinsically. However when the action-
oriented approach carefully examined, it is observed that the language of instruction focused
on both in skills and knowledge. Therefore, action-oriented approach creating a common
point in the phase of acquisition of skills and learning the knowledge calls the learners as
social actors (C.E.F.R., 2000, p. 9). Actor means a person performing and animating some
duties. Since foreign language is learned through some duties and actions as well, it handles
the learners as (social) people who should perform tasks (Deliba, 2013, p. 1). Learning and
acquisition are the modification implicit or deliberate in subconscious and conscious mind
occurred with the help of the skills and knowledge in the process of fulfilment of this task.
That a large part of our brains are subconscious and that the lack of forgetting in this part
makes it appropriate for language acquisition. Since 90 percent of the brain is devoted to the
subconscious mind, only 10 percent is involved with conscious thoughts (Elliot, 2012, p.
22). And also while our subconscious mind is sensitive to the image and action, conscious
mind focuses on vocabulary and writings in learning process.

When these facts are taken into account, Subconscious mind must to be active in this
action oriented approach. And this is possible f given much more attention to the acquisition
of skills than learning of knowledge. Therefore actions in action-oriented approach facilitate
the language acquisition process. In this process language users are likely to be unwittingly
exposed to the linguistic skills they will need when performing these actions, both as a sender
and as a receiver. This makes language learning to be learnt in a subconsciously way.

Krashen explains this feature of acquisition a language by saying Language

acquisition is a subconscious process; language acquirers are not usually aware of the fact that
they are acquiring language, but are only aware of the fact that they are using the language for
communication (2009, p. 10). He also makes clear the difference between learning and using
a language. In this process of acquisition and learning language is not only a means of
communication but a tool of social action at the same time (Alrabadi, 2012, p. 1).
Bourguignon is also emphasize the same characteristic by saying In action oriented approach
communication is at the service for action (2006, p. 64). It shouldnt forget the action came
before the language in the process of the evolution of humanity and it constitutes the first
stage of the interaction between the people, first the action is revealed then the language
develops (Moreno; Dkme; as cited in Saynsoy, 2003, p. 116). This phrase shows the
learner and the teacher how important the action is.

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Learner- Teacher, Learning and Acquisition in Action Oriented Approach

In this approach in which knowledge and skill blended, the learner can no longer be
called only the constructor of knowledge, but can also be called as the one who can put
together new information with existing and can carry acquired knowledge to future learning
process. Teachers are the facilitators and guides that guide the learning process, form the
need, take an active role with the learners in the learning process and their task is to facilitate
the acquisition of real or near-real learning environments for the acquisition of language
skills.

While acquisition word emphasizes the acquisition of the language in a natural way,
the learning word emphasizes the dominance of the knowledge dimension. Beside those who
think that foreign language can be acquired like Krashen, there are also the ones who argue
that this is not possible. Some second language theorists have assumed that children acquire,
while adults can only learn. The acquisition-learning hypothesis claims, however, that adults
also acquire, that the ability to "pick-up" languages does not disappear at puberty. This does
not mean that adults will always be able to achieve native-like levels in a second language. It
does mean that adults can access the same natural "language acquisition device" that children
use (Krashen, 2009, p. 10). But it is possible for adults to acquire a second language, though
not as fast as children. For them it is only need to establish either natural language
environments or the environments which are closed to natural language environments. These
language environments are also built in terms of both tasks and needs in action oriented
method.

It is possible to control the individual from outside and direct him / her to learn
through creating needs that we can give the name of Language-Life Cycle. In this process,
the topics that the individual prioritizes in the foreign language are determined in advance,
and these subjects are equipped with social, cultural and linguistic knowledge and skills. The
learner is also included into this cycle. At this point, action oriented method not only provide
to acquire the language but also helps to learn the knowledge. If the grammar, which is a
knowledge dimension, is given purely, the learner focuses on the grammatical features of the
message rather than the content of the message during the reception and production skills. .
Language acquisition is very similar to the process children use in acquiring first and second
languages. It requires meaningful interactions in the target language-natural communication--

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in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages
they are conveying and understanding. Error correction and explicit teaching of rules are not
relevant to language acquisition (Brown and Hanlon, 1970; Brown, Cazden, and Bellugi,
1973, as cited in: Krashen, 2002, p. 1).

Action Oriented approach and the Common European Framework of Reference

The European Text prepared by Common European Framework of Reference created

in the context of suggestions to learners and teachers accept action-oriented approach as an
adopted approach to make language learning/teaching more efficient. This approach adopted
generally speaking, is an action-oriented one in so far as it views users and learners of a
language primarily as social agents, i.e. members of society who have tasks (not exclusively
language-related) to accomplish in a given set of circumstances, in a specific environment and
within a particular field of action.

While acts of speech occur within language activities, these activities form part of a
wider social context, which alone is able to give them their full meaning. We speak of tasks
in so far as the actions are performed by one or more individuals strategically using their own
specific competences to achieve a given result. The action-based approach therefore also
takes into account the cognitive, emotional and volitional resources and the full range of
abilities specific to and applied by the individual as a social agent When the description of
the text is examined carefully, it reveals that language learners have task in a different
situations and different places which are not only language-related. In order to fulfil these
tasks, the learner will need a number of knowledge, skills and abilities.

This approach which doesnt ignore the social and cultural nature of the language as
well as its communicative nature deals with a new social dimension in the direction of
progress in the process of inclusion in Europe. This social dimension is to prepare the
learners not only to live together but also to work with strangers in their own country or in a
foreign country with different cultures and different languages spoken. It is now being talked
about communicating with the others, using a foreign language "(Puren, 2002, p. 58-71). For
this reason, there has been a transition from the communicative approach.to the action-
oriented approach.

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The action-oriented approach is a complementary approach to the communicative

approach from the social aspects. And this is also this social dimension making the different
action-oriented approach from the task-based methods in teaching English. In the task-based
methods, tasks are focused on learning while in the action-oriented approach; tasks are
focused on social life. Puren said, "The action-oriented approach is opposite to that of the
communicative approach, and so complement each other (2014, p. 4). He makes this
contradictory situation clear by visualizing via a puzzle.

As can be understood from the example, the action-oriented approach is an approach

complementing and improving the missing aspects of the communicative approach. Language
teaching has gained a new factional dimension, especially when the actions that play an
important role in producing and receptive skills in a language are included in language
teaching/learning. Puren expresses the importance of actions in communication by saying
"This is action that determines communication"(2006, p. 38). Bourguignon supported this
opinion by adding "There is no point in establishing communication on its own. But it
becomes meaningful when it mediates actions (2006, p. 69). in this approach based on
action "The concept of action leads us to think of learning as a social action and learner as
social agent (Springer, 2009, p. 512) In this social process learner is an autonomous, the
question may come to mind immediately whether learners autonomy in this approach based
co-action and co-culture makes learner autonomous or not . Springer (2009, p. 514) brought
this issue to the agenda. "Learning is of course alone; But isnt it collaborative at the same
time? Learning is an alone because learner is responsible for his own learning in this process.
Collaborative, because the learner will surely need someone else to fulfil the tasks in the

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learning process. Learners will be the agents in a social environment where they will be able
to build their own knowledge and skills.

Components of Action-Oriented Approach

The action-oriented approach has cultural, factional, linguistic, pragmatics and

sociolinguistic components. With these components there is also the social actors who
perform the tasks together, and the social environment (class) in which these social actors are
performed their tasks. In 2010, Pecheur showed the Action-oriented approach as follows.

This triple relationship of the scheme is as follows

1. Pass from man as an actor reacting to an acting actor

2. The interaction between the user and the environment is thought of as a task to be
accomplished. Grammar is considered secondary to the task at hand;

3. This scheme applies to both the user and the learner. Indeed, the learner is a user who
performs tasks using the language and the language class is considered the first social
environment or the first situational context in which the learner will have tasks to
perform, such as tasks between learner-teachers and, between learners themselves. (as
cited in Alrabadi, 2012).

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The schema is like summarizing the action-oriented approach. The social agent who
learns in a learning environment uses various knowledge, skills and abilities when performing
tasks. Every place where language learning considered as a social process takes place is the
social learning environment therefore this social environment can be a classroom, home,
shopping centre. Learner is an autonomous as a languages user in this social environment but
collaborator as a social agent.

In this process Language user naturally wonder what he doesnt have (target culture), and
try to explain what he has (his own culture). So this leads to all social learners to gain a new
perspective pluricultural. Such a learning environment both facilitates language teaching and
allows the emergence of new needs. Teachers who guide learners as an observer should
enable them to acquire linguistic, social and practical knowledge and skills necessary for
these needs. This will contribute both to the acquisition of language and to the interest and
motivation of learners.

Conclusion

Action-oriented approaches which handle language without ignoring its social context
give priority usage of language and action rather than grammar. t eases the load of purely
linguistic knowledge by means of actions. The difference between usage and learning words
closely related with pragmatic components of language. It emphasized the importance of daily
usage of language by learners. Because this new language being learnt perhaps the only
common point that individual who is different in terms of culture and mother tongue. This
common point should be controlled and oriented by teacher meticulously. It shouldnt be
forgotten that this approach is based on the tasks.

All tasks have a great deal of skills and the other components being essential for social
agent. All tasks should contain the needs of learner and this is the teacher who creates the
needs and make learner feel it. This is the cycle of blending preliminary knowledge and skills
with the one to be acquired. So the nature, correctness and controllability of the preliminary
information are of utmost importance in the learning process, which is seen as actively
blending newly learned information with preliminary information. If the pre-information

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learnt by the individual is wrong, the information of the individual at the end of the process
will be wrong no matter what information he adds later.

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