Audiolingualism Effects on Role-plays, Lesson Planning and Activities

Audiolingualism is a teaching methodology that emphasizes the learning of language through listening and speaking. It relies heavily on drills, repetition, and the reinforcement of grammar rules and vocabulary to enhance students’ oral proficiency. This well-established method has had a profound influence on the English Language Teaching (ELT) classroom, particularly when designing role-plays, planning lessons, and forming classroom activities. Let’s delve into these specifics.
Role-Plays:
Role-play scenarios reflect real-life situations that students might encounter, helping them practice the language in a meaningful context. The impact of audiolingualism in role-playing is seen how lessons might focus on repetition and mimicry to rehearsal pre-determined phrases and responses. For instance, the teacher might provide a dialogue role-play in a restaurant, where students are guided to repeat and mimic phrases until they can perform them smoothly. 
However, it’s important to note that audiolingualism in role-plays might restrict student creativity, as it often follows a structured and rigid script rather than promoting free-flowing conversation. In contrast, modifications to this method involve offering a general context or scenario and allowing students to find their own words and sentences, thereby encouraging creative language usage.
Lesson Planning:
In the context of lesson planning in the ELT classroom, audiolingualism dictates a strict linear sequenced teaching methodology. The structure typically starts with an introduction of a new grammar point or vocabulary, followed by drills and repetitive practice. The “listen-and-repeat” nature plays a central role in lesson design.
However, while this structure ensures a focus on the predetermined language goals, it can be repetitive and mundane for students over time, potentially affecting their motivation. Furthermore, the focus on accuracy over fluency in lesson planning might hinder learners from being able to apply their language skills in real-world situations. 
Activities:
Audiolingualism favours activities that focus on pattern drills, memorisation, dialogue repetition, and the use of language labs. For example, language games involving phrase and sentence repetition, like “Chinese Whispers,” are commonplace.
While these activities are beneficial as they provide a structured approach to practice speaking and listening skills, they might limit student interaction and contextual learning. The overemphasis on perfecting pronunciation and mimicking native speakers may overshadow the importance of communicative competence.
In conclusion, audiolingualism has a significant impact on the ELT classroom from the way role-plays are conducted, to lesson planning, and the selection of classroom activities. It provides valuable structure, drills, and repetition, which are crucial, especially in initial stages of language learning. Yet, it’s equally important to acknowledge its limitations, encouraging ELT educators to adopt an integrated or eclectic approach, combining audiolingualism methods with other techniques to create a more engaging, flexible, and communicative language learning experience.