Audio-Lingual Method

The Audio-Lingual Method (ALM) of teaching second languages has a long history in bilingual education and English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction. It has its roots in World War II, when the U.S. military developed the army method for teaching foreign languages so that students would learn them quickly. Charles Fries, of the University of Michigan, was instrumental in developing this method, which is also sometimes referred to as the “Michigan Method.” It was also widely called the “aural-oral” method, because students were to listen first before speaking.

It was developed in reaction to the grammar-translation method predominant at the time, the effectiveness of which had come into question because so many students had failed to achieve foreign-language speaking and listening proficiency. The audio-lingual method became the dominant method for teaching modern foreign languages in U.S. schools from approximately 1947 to 1967 and was especially prominent during the immediate post-Sputnik era (late 1950s and early 1960s), when, galvanized by dramatic advances in the Soviet Union's rival aerospace program, the National Defense Education Act promoted increased attention to foreign-language teaching and learning.

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