Scribd
Upload
14 views

Lesson 7 Traditional Methods

Uploaded by

ramiishuu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
14 views

Lesson 7 Traditional Methods

Uploaded by

ramiishuu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

University of Algiers 2 \Faculty of Foreign Languages \ Department of English\ Academic year 2022-2023

Groups: 2-4-8-& 9. Teacher: Ms. Salhi

Course: Introduction to Didactics

LESSON 7: TRADITIONAL LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODS

1. The Grammar-Translation Method

The Classical or Grammar-Translation method represents the tradition of language teaching adopted
in western society and developed over centuries to teach not only classical languages such as Latin
and Greek, but also foreign languages.

The focus was on studying grammatical rules and morphology, doing written exercises, memorizing
vocabulary, translating texts from and prose passages into the language. It remained popular in
modern language pedagogy, even after the introduction of newer methods. Prator and Celce-Murcia
(1979:3) listed the major characteristics of Grammar-Translation:

 Classes are taught in the mother tongue, with little active use of the target language;
 Much vocabulary is taught in the form of lists of isolated words;
 Long, elaborate explanations of the intricacies of grammar are given;
 Grammar provides the rules for putting words together, and instruction often focuses on the
form and inflection of words;
 Reading of difficult classical texts is begun early;
 Little attention is paid to the context of texts, which are treated as exercises in grammatical
analysis;
 Often the only drills are exercises in translating disconnected sentences from the target
language into the mother tongue;
 Little or no attention is given to pronunciation.

The decline of GTM use in teaching IS attributed to its lack of potential for lively communication.
However, a greater attention to grammar (focus on form/ structure) has now re-emerged as well as
appropriate integration by teachers of structures into content focused lessons. Despite this re-
emergence the explicit teaching of grammatical paradigms in isolation is rare nowadays.
2. The Direct Method

The Direct Method was popularized by Charles Berlitz, who marketed it as the Berlitz Method.

The basic premise of the Direct Method was that one should attempt to learn a second language in
much the same way as children learn their first language. The method emphasised oral interaction,
spontaneous use of language, no translation between first and second languages, and little or no
analysis of grammar rules.

Major characteristics:

Richards and Rodgers summarized the principles of the Direct Method as follows (2001: 12)

 Classroom instruction was conducted exclusively in the target language;


 Only everyday vocabulary and sentences were taught;
 Oral communication skills were built up in a carefully graded progression organized around
questions-and-answer exchanges between teachers and students in small intensive classes;
 Grammar was taught inductively;
 New teaching points were taught through modelling and practice;
 Concrete vocabulary was taught through demonstration, objects, pictures; Abstract
vocabulary was taught through association of ideas;
 Both speech and listening comprehension were taught;
 Correct pronunciation and grammar were emphasized.

Some educational scholars have put forward that its lack of insight into the reality of the classroom
situation for most learners was its weakness because its aspiration to a mastery of the language was
almost impossible to achieve.

3. The Audio-Methods

The Audio-lingual/Audiovisual Method is derived from "The Army Method," so called because it
was developed through a U.S. Army programme devised after World War II to produce speakers
proficient in the languages of friend and foes. In this method, grounded in the habit formation
model of behaviorist psychology and on a Structural Linguistics theory of language, the emphasis
was on memorization through pattern drills and conversation practices rather than promoting
communicative ability.

Characteristics of the Audio-Methods:

 New material is presented in dialogue form;


 There is dependence on mimicry, memorization of set phrases, and overlearning
 Structures are sequenced by means of contrastive analysis taught one at a time;
 Structural patterns are taught using repetitive drills;
 There is little or no grammatical explanation. Grammar is taught by inductive analogy rather
than by deductive explanation;
 Vocabulary is strictly limited and learned in context;
 There is much use of tapes, language labs, and visual aids;
 Great importance is attached to pronunciation;
 Very little use of the mother tongue by teachers is permitted;
 Successful responses are immediately reinforced;
 There is a great effort to get students to produce error-free utterances;
 There is a tendency to manipulate language and disregard content.
(adapted from Prator & Celce-Murcia 1979)

 Prator, C.H. and Celce-Murcia, M. 1979. An outline of language teaching approaches. In


Celce-Murcia, M. and McIntosh, L. (Ed.), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign
Language. New York: Newbury House.
 Richards, Jack C. and Rodgers, Theodore S. 2001 (2 nd edition) Approaches and Methods in
Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

You might also like