English Language Teaching in its Social Context

THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFL METHODOLOGY 151(Palmer 1921). However, it is Skinner who is generally credited as laying down the mostcomplete theoretical basis for this assumption in his Verbal Behavior, where he asserted that:We have no reason to assume . . . that verbal behaviour differs in any fundamentalrespect from non-verbal behaviour. (Skinner 1957: 10)The role of the learner in Audio-Lingualism came to be portrayed as that of an ‘empty vessel’who needs do no more than take part in the drills organised by his/her teacher to learn thetarget languagc (see Figure 8.2 for example).This is to some degree unfair; it was certainlynot what the exponents of the method had in mind. Fries outlines the role of the studentas an active one:The student must be willing to give himself whole-heartedly to the strenuous businessof learning the new language. (Fries 1945)What’s your job?Exercise 1Look at 13. Look at 14. Look at 15.What‘s his job? What’s her job? What are their jobs?He’s a manager. She’s a receptionist. They’re waiters.Look at 16.?Look at 17 Look at 18. Look at 19.? 7?Use these words:cleanerscooksecretaryporterFigure 8.2 A typical audio-lingual drill