The Puchta Method

So what is the Puchta Method? How has it been developed and why does it work?

A human approach built on years of personal classroom experience and a strong scientific foundation, is the message that comes through loud and clear from the teachers and educationalists who use it.

Herbert Puchta has 30 years of teaching, and working with teachers, under his belt, as well as a scientific understanding of how children learn, influenced by the principles of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Cognitive Psychology.

The three key elements to his methods can be summarised as:

• The importance of the content, from a psychological point of view. In simple terms, if what you are learning is memorable and fascinating it will involve and motivate you more, and consequently the language that is wrapped up in that content will stick in your memory better and longer.

• A positive learning atmosphere; this includes learning through modern technology. Puchta has developed specific activities on CD-ROM that help students learn vocabulary better, to give one example, and he also uses teen dramas starring ‘cool’ British and American teens to get across everyday English phrases – so students learn real English, spoken in everyday communication.

• Catering for various learning styles and multiple intelligences. Puchta has been instrumental in assigning to the past the days of the ‘one size fits all’ approach to language learning. In his approach, there are as many learning styles as there are learners (some children are more visual, others more auditory, others learn by doing) – and a good language course appeals to different intelligences.

Specialists in ELT who have witnessed Puchta’s methods at work for many years agree that they are unique. Milan-based ELT Editor, Katy Miller, says: “What sets Puchta apart is his concern with the humanistic aspect of language learning and teaching and his consideration for the individual language learner. His methods are different because he is an academic and educationalist in touch with the real world, both on an educational level and on a generally human level.”

Poland-based Editorial Consultant, Barbara Gorska, added: “No-one understands the needs of learners and the problems they face at school better than Herbert Puchta. He has a natural instinct for motivating students through modern and attractive ways of learning a language. Crucially, his methods show students that they are making progress – they have that feeling of success which helps them enjoy learning.”

And finally, what does Puchta say about his own methods?

“The ‘Puchta method’ is more an approach than a method. I am a practitioner, and I’m interested in what works in the classroom. So I have always seen my role as someone who makes available in a tangible and practical form to the teacher the application of the latest research in the various fields that serve as the basis for language learning and teaching: cognitive psychology, pedagogy, and linguistics. And the secret is that they are all important. Language learning is not just about language – it’s about how the brain remembers best, about content that appeals to the students, it’s about helping students to feel they CAN DO IT!

“Where did the approach originate? Well, I see myself both as a teacher who is a researcher, and as a researcher who is a teacher. I have the opportunity of watching classes in many parts of the world – and when I get a chance, I also teach wherever I am, at least a few lessons! – and whenever I watch a language classroom I find out more about what is going on in the students’ minds – and in their hearts.”