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Abstract：Different Teaching Approaches are used for different aims and will lead to different results in English class. The essay makes theoretical analysis of different approaches in foreign language teaching and points out the most important is to make flexible use of various approaches for different learning situations.
Key words：teaching approaches； learning situation；flexible use
People have different goals in using a foreign language； people need to be trained to different levels of a foreign language； people need different scopes of knowledge of a foreign language； people acquire knowledge of a foreign language through different ways， and different people learn a foreign language. The various situations together with the usual factors affecting foreign language teaching， such as students of different age groups， different teaching and learning conditions， the mother tongue interference， etc set us a harder task to try to improve our teaching by using the different approaches.
1.Different students
Students of different age groups and various levels of the target language require different ways of teaching. If we apply appropriate approaches to different kinds of students， we will certainly achieve better results in teaching.
Children learn better in object teaching， which easily arouses their interest in learning. And as their concentration is not likely to stay long， constant change in methods is needed. Since they lack conscious efforts in memorization， purposeful repetition is indispensable. Because they are also learning their native language and have not got the systematic knowledge of their mother tongue yet， listening and speaking of the target language is the main task of teaching. Therefore， speech is taught much more than language. And the Direct Approach， the Audio-Lingual Approach， and especially the Functional Approach are mostly used. As for adults， the interference of their first language is subtle and far-reaching in the course of their study of the second language. The key to the solution of the problem lies not in avoiding the conflict but in exposing it. They should be taught bilingually， if necessary. Since they are able to learn more consciously and give active thinking to learning， they can be trained integratedly with the four basic skills of listening， speaking， reading， and writing if the four skills are well organized in teaching. Therefore， the only Direct Approach might not suit them for the obvious reason that it would be ridiculous for the teacher to hold the picture of a mountain while asking repeated mimicking of the word "mountain" from the adult students. Instead the comprehensive approach based on the Translation Approach， the Cognitive Approach， the Audio-Lingual/Visual Approach and the Functional Approach can be applied flexibly in the course of learning.
Students with different levels of the target language should be trained with approaches chosen very carefully. It is not advisable to treat the very elementary-level students with no-mother-tongue teaching； and it is not wise to give inappropriate listening and oral practice to students with only some ability in reading but with little training of listening and speaking. Some first-year students of English major complain that they are give dictation with passages of great lengths full of long and complex sentences read aloud by the teacher at very fast speed. Therefore， it is important for us to apply scientifically different approaches to the different levels and ability of the students.
2.Different goals
Foreign languages are used widely in many specific areas and in a great number of different forms. Not only are school pupils and college students taught a foreign language， but also many people of other circles learn a foreign language with various goals. The speeding social development does not allow us to train all the students in the systematically organized teaching procedures in our major course. We have to work out effective ways to train students with different expectations.
A recent trend in the foreign language teaching in China has indicated an emphasis on the practical use of the language. Quite a few specialized courses are offered for specific practical purposes， e.g. English crash courses， oral English courses， commercial & business English， financial English， English for business management， secretarial English， hotel English， children （oral） English course， preparatory courses for high school English graduation examinations， preparatory courses for adult university entrance examinations， TOEFL courses， etc. The following are only a few examples for how the different approaches can be properly applied to different situations.
In many special crash courses and oral courses， the students usually urgently want to learn the necessary skills enough for their immediate needs of communication. In this case， parole has become the priority over language； oral skill has become the first need. Instead of using the systematic comprehensive teaching of a foreign language， very often the Direct Approach， the Audio-Lingual Approach， and the Audio-Visual Approach， in spite of their other weaknesses， prove effective for this purpose.
According to the behaviorist hypothesis， a child learns to speak by imitating the speech around him and his imitations reinforce his skills of using the language. So the S-R （stimulus-response） and the S-R-R （stimulus-response-reinforcement） models are suggested. In this kind of approach adequate oral pattern drills following the above models are given to the students since it is believed that the controlled training and constant reinforcements will accelerate the students' process from their mechanical imitation to their natural production.
The Functional Approach is also very practical for the students' purpose of learning language elements that they can immediately experience in use. Even the traditional Phrase and Sentence Approach is sometimes seen in short foreign language courses given to travelers or other persons who need to learn a few things to say in a short time. Foreign language learners， following this approach may end up learning effectively a few things that they can use without having a solid grasp of the language skills. Anyway， in this case， defective but effective communication is the goal.
The Cognitive Approach is found recommendable for language error analysis. Though it has been a controversial point in applied educational linguistics as to whether errors should be corrected and when and how they should be corrected， the Cognitive Approach treats the students' errors somewhat dialectically. It insists on analyzing the causes of the students' errors and giving different amount of attention to different kinds of errors. By describing their errors in linguistic terms， the teacher builds up a picture of the features of the language， which are causing the students learning problems. In this way the students are led to recognize his errors and from the study of their errors they become able to know the nature of their knowledge at that point in their learning career and discover what they still have to learn. In this respect the Cognitive Approach is no doubt more advanced than those approaches which oppose any kind of error correction.
For the goal of all-round development of the four basic skills， the Cognitive Approach is also recommendable. In contrast to the behaviorist hypothesis， the innate hypothesis， which has developed out of the generative transformational grammar， proposes that the ability to acquire a human language is part of the biologically innate equipment of the human being， and it is important to develop the learner's intelligence.
The Functional Approach is also applied widely for this purpose with its integrated teaching of the four skills； for the functionalists hold that listening， speaking， reading and writing are the final goals of foreign language teaching.
3.As the second language
Learning a foreign language is different not only because of the shorter period of learning and lack of real verbal environments of the target language but also because of the following important reasons.
On one hand， since the mother tongue interference is inevitable， we might as well make use of our mother tongue in the foreign language teaching. We may make comparisons between the native language and the foreign one （as many languages have some similarities） and make contrasts between them so as to provide the students with a clearer understanding of the target language. Besides， the aid of the native language has also proved helpful in the teacher's explanation of the target language system. And the discovered differences between the students' native language and the target language may also promote the students' thinking in the modes of the language being learned.
On the other hand， too much use of the mother tongue hinders the acquisition of "the feel of language". Whether a learner has acquired "the feel of the language" is usually judged by how well he is able to think in the target language and how skillfully he is able to use the target language without having to go through his mother tongue. A person gets the "feel" of his mother tongue through his long acquisition in the native environment， but it is a great deal more difficult to get the "feel" of a foreign language in a very short course and in an alien environment. Different approaches to be used alternatively in different stages of teaching can be a solution to the above contradictory problem. We may devote a period of time to the bilingual teaching， usually in the beginning stage when the students have little knowledge about the target language and need their mother tongue to help them get acquainted with it.. Then， when the students are beginning to be able to understand and speak a little in the target language， they need an another period with complete exclusion of the students' mother tongue to intensify their ability in performing the target language.
Whether the mother tongue should be adopted in teaching a foreign language can also depend on the different occasions of teaching or learning. In a word， during the course of learning， one's mother tongue， if used， is only a means while the end is the exclusive use of the target language.
4.Conclusion
different learning situations need different teaching approaches. And the most important is to make flexible use of various approaches. When we make the choice on the approaches， we have to consider the students' level， ability and their specific goals， the amount and kind of the target language they are likely to hear or use in the community， the teachers' skills in the foreign language they are teaching and their ability in teaching， the size of the classes， the presence or absence of various teaching aids， the nature of the textbooks used， etc. Each approach might serve a particularly desired purpose and achieve the intended result. It would be unfair to judge which approach is superior and which is inferior. No approach is universal and is along going to all solve all the problems we face in foreign language teaching. If we attempt to find the best total approach， we will have to make flexible and eclectic.
use of the present approaches and combine the elements from various approaches that would best fit a particular learning-teaching situation. The flexibility in using the approaches allows instruction to be suited to different classroom situations. If a teacher is willing and able to make the attempts， isn't he doing his bit to develop and perfect the pedagogical theories?
References：
［1］Elgin，Suzette Haden， 1979， What Is Linguistics? ， Prentice-Hall， Inc.
［2］Nasr， Raja T.， 1983， The Essentials of Linguistic Science， Longman Group Limited.
［3］Wang Dechun， 1983， Studies on Modern Linguistics， Fujian People's Press.
［4］Ying， Yuntian， 1986， Methodology of Foreign Languages， Higher Education Press.
［5］Zhang， Jianzhong， 1987， Practical Methodology of Middle School English，Shandong Education Press 1982.
Key words：teaching approaches； learning situation；flexible use
People have different goals in using a foreign language； people need to be trained to different levels of a foreign language； people need different scopes of knowledge of a foreign language； people acquire knowledge of a foreign language through different ways， and different people learn a foreign language. The various situations together with the usual factors affecting foreign language teaching， such as students of different age groups， different teaching and learning conditions， the mother tongue interference， etc set us a harder task to try to improve our teaching by using the different approaches.
1.Different students
Students of different age groups and various levels of the target language require different ways of teaching. If we apply appropriate approaches to different kinds of students， we will certainly achieve better results in teaching.
Children learn better in object teaching， which easily arouses their interest in learning. And as their concentration is not likely to stay long， constant change in methods is needed. Since they lack conscious efforts in memorization， purposeful repetition is indispensable. Because they are also learning their native language and have not got the systematic knowledge of their mother tongue yet， listening and speaking of the target language is the main task of teaching. Therefore， speech is taught much more than language. And the Direct Approach， the Audio-Lingual Approach， and especially the Functional Approach are mostly used. As for adults， the interference of their first language is subtle and far-reaching in the course of their study of the second language. The key to the solution of the problem lies not in avoiding the conflict but in exposing it. They should be taught bilingually， if necessary. Since they are able to learn more consciously and give active thinking to learning， they can be trained integratedly with the four basic skills of listening， speaking， reading， and writing if the four skills are well organized in teaching. Therefore， the only Direct Approach might not suit them for the obvious reason that it would be ridiculous for the teacher to hold the picture of a mountain while asking repeated mimicking of the word "mountain" from the adult students. Instead the comprehensive approach based on the Translation Approach， the Cognitive Approach， the Audio-Lingual/Visual Approach and the Functional Approach can be applied flexibly in the course of learning.
Students with different levels of the target language should be trained with approaches chosen very carefully. It is not advisable to treat the very elementary-level students with no-mother-tongue teaching； and it is not wise to give inappropriate listening and oral practice to students with only some ability in reading but with little training of listening and speaking. Some first-year students of English major complain that they are give dictation with passages of great lengths full of long and complex sentences read aloud by the teacher at very fast speed. Therefore， it is important for us to apply scientifically different approaches to the different levels and ability of the students.
2.Different goals
Foreign languages are used widely in many specific areas and in a great number of different forms. Not only are school pupils and college students taught a foreign language， but also many people of other circles learn a foreign language with various goals. The speeding social development does not allow us to train all the students in the systematically organized teaching procedures in our major course. We have to work out effective ways to train students with different expectations.
A recent trend in the foreign language teaching in China has indicated an emphasis on the practical use of the language. Quite a few specialized courses are offered for specific practical purposes， e.g. English crash courses， oral English courses， commercial & business English， financial English， English for business management， secretarial English， hotel English， children （oral） English course， preparatory courses for high school English graduation examinations， preparatory courses for adult university entrance examinations， TOEFL courses， etc. The following are only a few examples for how the different approaches can be properly applied to different situations.
In many special crash courses and oral courses， the students usually urgently want to learn the necessary skills enough for their immediate needs of communication. In this case， parole has become the priority over language； oral skill has become the first need. Instead of using the systematic comprehensive teaching of a foreign language， very often the Direct Approach， the Audio-Lingual Approach， and the Audio-Visual Approach， in spite of their other weaknesses， prove effective for this purpose.
According to the behaviorist hypothesis， a child learns to speak by imitating the speech around him and his imitations reinforce his skills of using the language. So the S-R （stimulus-response） and the S-R-R （stimulus-response-reinforcement） models are suggested. In this kind of approach adequate oral pattern drills following the above models are given to the students since it is believed that the controlled training and constant reinforcements will accelerate the students' process from their mechanical imitation to their natural production.
The Functional Approach is also very practical for the students' purpose of learning language elements that they can immediately experience in use. Even the traditional Phrase and Sentence Approach is sometimes seen in short foreign language courses given to travelers or other persons who need to learn a few things to say in a short time. Foreign language learners， following this approach may end up learning effectively a few things that they can use without having a solid grasp of the language skills. Anyway， in this case， defective but effective communication is the goal.
The Cognitive Approach is found recommendable for language error analysis. Though it has been a controversial point in applied educational linguistics as to whether errors should be corrected and when and how they should be corrected， the Cognitive Approach treats the students' errors somewhat dialectically. It insists on analyzing the causes of the students' errors and giving different amount of attention to different kinds of errors. By describing their errors in linguistic terms， the teacher builds up a picture of the features of the language， which are causing the students learning problems. In this way the students are led to recognize his errors and from the study of their errors they become able to know the nature of their knowledge at that point in their learning career and discover what they still have to learn. In this respect the Cognitive Approach is no doubt more advanced than those approaches which oppose any kind of error correction.
For the goal of all-round development of the four basic skills， the Cognitive Approach is also recommendable. In contrast to the behaviorist hypothesis， the innate hypothesis， which has developed out of the generative transformational grammar， proposes that the ability to acquire a human language is part of the biologically innate equipment of the human being， and it is important to develop the learner's intelligence.
The Functional Approach is also applied widely for this purpose with its integrated teaching of the four skills； for the functionalists hold that listening， speaking， reading and writing are the final goals of foreign language teaching.
3.As the second language
Learning a foreign language is different not only because of the shorter period of learning and lack of real verbal environments of the target language but also because of the following important reasons.
On one hand， since the mother tongue interference is inevitable， we might as well make use of our mother tongue in the foreign language teaching. We may make comparisons between the native language and the foreign one （as many languages have some similarities） and make contrasts between them so as to provide the students with a clearer understanding of the target language. Besides， the aid of the native language has also proved helpful in the teacher's explanation of the target language system. And the discovered differences between the students' native language and the target language may also promote the students' thinking in the modes of the language being learned.
On the other hand， too much use of the mother tongue hinders the acquisition of "the feel of language". Whether a learner has acquired "the feel of the language" is usually judged by how well he is able to think in the target language and how skillfully he is able to use the target language without having to go through his mother tongue. A person gets the "feel" of his mother tongue through his long acquisition in the native environment， but it is a great deal more difficult to get the "feel" of a foreign language in a very short course and in an alien environment. Different approaches to be used alternatively in different stages of teaching can be a solution to the above contradictory problem. We may devote a period of time to the bilingual teaching， usually in the beginning stage when the students have little knowledge about the target language and need their mother tongue to help them get acquainted with it.. Then， when the students are beginning to be able to understand and speak a little in the target language， they need an another period with complete exclusion of the students' mother tongue to intensify their ability in performing the target language.
Whether the mother tongue should be adopted in teaching a foreign language can also depend on the different occasions of teaching or learning. In a word， during the course of learning， one's mother tongue， if used， is only a means while the end is the exclusive use of the target language.
4.Conclusion
different learning situations need different teaching approaches. And the most important is to make flexible use of various approaches. When we make the choice on the approaches， we have to consider the students' level， ability and their specific goals， the amount and kind of the target language they are likely to hear or use in the community， the teachers' skills in the foreign language they are teaching and their ability in teaching， the size of the classes， the presence or absence of various teaching aids， the nature of the textbooks used， etc. Each approach might serve a particularly desired purpose and achieve the intended result. It would be unfair to judge which approach is superior and which is inferior. No approach is universal and is along going to all solve all the problems we face in foreign language teaching. If we attempt to find the best total approach， we will have to make flexible and eclectic.
use of the present approaches and combine the elements from various approaches that would best fit a particular learning-teaching situation. The flexibility in using the approaches allows instruction to be suited to different classroom situations. If a teacher is willing and able to make the attempts， isn't he doing his bit to develop and perfect the pedagogical theories?
References：
［1］Elgin，Suzette Haden， 1979， What Is Linguistics? ， Prentice-Hall， Inc.
［2］Nasr， Raja T.， 1983， The Essentials of Linguistic Science， Longman Group Limited.
［3］Wang Dechun， 1983， Studies on Modern Linguistics， Fujian People's Press.
［4］Ying， Yuntian， 1986， Methodology of Foreign Languages， Higher Education Press.
［5］Zhang， Jianzhong， 1987， Practical Methodology of Middle School English，Shandong Education Press 1982.