The Silent Way is a language teaching method created by Caleb Gattegno in the 1970s based on cognitive theories of language acquisition. It focuses on learner autonomy and discovery of language rules through minimal instruction. The teacher speaks less than 10% of class time to allow students to talk. Students are actively engaged in formulating hypotheses about the target language grammar and self-correcting. The teacher guides students to produce one structure at a time using nonverbal cues, gestures, and tools to develop awareness without repetition or dominance over the learning process.

1. The Silent Way