TTC.Exploring Language Teaching Methods, Theories, and the Teacher’s Role by Saeideh Mahrami - HTML preview

1.Grammar Translation Method (GTM)

This method focuses on teaching grammar rules and vocabulary through translation exercises. Reading and writing are prioritized over speaking and listening. Lessons involve translating texts, learning grammar rules, and memorizing vocabulary list.

Development of students" ability to read literature and understand the target language"s grammatical structure is the main goal of this method.

Back in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, studying a foreign language was connected with learning Latin and Greek. Any method has some fundamentals that define its nature and the way this method can be applied. Here are some principles of the Grammar-Translation Method:

1. Understanding the literary language is more important than being

able to speak. Therefore, reading and translating are the main priorities.

2. The final aim is to teach students how to read and write. Thus,

almost no space is left for speaking, listening, and pronunciation.

3. The classroom is totally teacher-centered: the teacher gives

instructions and corrects all the mistakes.

4. The learning process is somehow eased with the constant help and

reference to L1.

5. Grammar is taught and practiced explicitly and usually outside the

context.

6. Students are constantly focused on the application of certain target

language and grammar rules that are isolated from a more global context.

7. All the rules must be memorized.

2. Direct Method (DM)

This is an immersive method that avoids the use of students" native language, emphasizing conversation and everyday vocabulary. Teachers use visual aids, gestures, and context to teach meaning directly in the target language.

This method enables students to think and communicate directly in the target language. It also requires highly skilled teachers and may not be effective for abstract concepts.In comparison to the Grammar-Translation method, students are much less passive. The role of the teacher is still powerful, but they are likely to engage more with the students and treat them as partners in the learning process.

The Direct Method has its own principles and rules:

1. The purpose of language learning is communication. So, students

learn how to ask and answer questions and apply them in their everyday communication. Therefore, every lesson contains some speaking element in order for students to practice all the target vocabulary they have learned in a certain context.

2. This is when realia and generally anything that can be beneficial

for language learning are implemented into the lessons. The teacher gets access to a wider range of materials and more space for creativity and experimentation with the material presentation.

3. Reading various texts that contain target language is important. At

the same time, reading skills will be properly developed through the speaking practice, which is the priority. The texts may refer students to various topics and cultural concepts, as lessons aren"t really structured around various linguistic phenomena but rather interesting and useful topics.

3.Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)

The audio-lingualism approach evolved in the context of large-scale language teaching programs in the 1950s and 60s. It is also sometimes referred to as the Army Method as it was widely used during and after World War 2 to train military personnel. The lessons from these programs were combined with core behaviorist psychology principles to create a new approach. Yale professor Nelson Brooks called this audio-lingualism and claimed to have transformed language teaching into a science.

This method is based on repetition and drills; it focuses on developing oral proficiency by imitating correct models of speech. Students practice dialogues and sentence patterns through repetitive drills and substitution exercises. It creates habits of accurate language use through reinforcement. As a matter of fact, it lacks emphasis on meaning and real-world communication.

The approach was then widely adopted in the U.S. and Canada and quickly became the dominant way to teach foreign languages throughout the 1960s. However, its period of prominence was short-lived as a result of two key factors. Firstly, Chomsky questioned the theoretical basis for the method, particularly the core assumption that external conditioning could account for all language learning (Chomsky, 1959). Secondly, the approach began to receive significant negative feedback from language educators, who became frustrated with its emphasis on memorization and drilling which, they felt, did not support students to develop their conversational ability (Hadley 2001). Some of these elements, of course, still survive in language teaching, which is testament to the approach"s initial impact.