This method created by Caleb Gattegno in the early 70s makes extensive use of silence
as a teaching technique. The teacher keeps his/her talking time at a minimum (keeps silent), yet,
directing and controlling the learners. The input provided by the teacher is reduced to model
sentences that the teacher utters only once and the learners are asked to repeat. Information
transmission and feedback are given through visual aids.
The theoretical basis of Gattegno‘s Silent Way is the idea that teaching must be
subordinated to learning and thus students must develop their own inner criteria for correctness.
All four skills – reading, writing, speaking and listening – are taught from the beginning.
Students‘ errors are expected as a normal part of learning: the teacher‘s silence helps foster self-
reliance and student initiative. The teacher does not criticize or praise but simply keeps
indicating that the student should try again until success is achieved. The teacher is active in
setting up situations, while the students do most of the talking and interacting. The goals are to
use language for self-expression, to develop independence from the teacher, “to develop inner
criteria for correctness”. (Larsen Freeman, 2000:62). Teaching should be subordinated to
learning. Teachers should give students only what they absolutely need to promote their learning.
Learners are responsible for their own learning.
The Silent Way is characterized by its focus on discovery, creativity, problem solving
and the use of accompanying materials. Richards and Rodgers (1986:99) summarized the
method into three major features.
- Learning is facilitated if the learner discovers or creates. The Silent way belongs to
the tradition of teaching that favors hypothetical mode of teaching (as opposed to expository
mode of teaching) in which the teacher and the learner work cooperatively to reach the
educational desired goals. (cf Bruner 1966) The learner is not a bench bound listener but an
active contributor to the learning process. - Learning is facilitated by accompanying (mediating) physical objects. The Silent
Way uses colorful charts and rods (cuisenaire rods) which are of varying length. They are used
to introduce vocabulary ( colors, numbers, adjectives, verbs) and syntax (tense, comparatives,
plurals, word order ...) - Learning is facilitated by problem solving involving the material to be learned.
This can be summarized by Benjamin Franklin’s words:
“Tell me and I forget
Teach me and I remember
Involve me and I learn”
A good silent way learner is a good problem solver. The teacher’s role resides only in
giving minimum repetitions and correction, remaining silent most of the times, leaving the