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Introduction + Principles

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8 views5 pages

Introduction + Principles

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tnga2374
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Introduction

The Grammar-Translation Method


The Grammar-Translation Method is not new. It has had different names, but it
has been used by language teachers for many years. At one time it was called
the ………………………..since it was ……………… in the teaching of
the………………………., Latin and Greek. Earlier in the 20th century, this
method was used for the purpose of helping students to ………and appreciate
……………………… literature. It was also hoped that through the study of the
grammar of the …………… language, students would become more familiar
with the grammar of their …………….. language and that this familiarity
would help them ………. and ………. their ……….. language better. Finally, it
was thought that foreign language learning would help
students…………………………….; it was recognized that students would
probably never use the …………. language, but the …………………….. of
learning it would be beneficial anyway. (……………………………. Level
English class)
The Direct Method (the …………. Method)
As with the Grammar-Translation Method, the Direct Method is not new. Its
principles have been applied by language teachers for many years. Most
recently, it was revived as a method when the goal of instruction became
learning how to use………………………to……………….. Since the
Grammar-Translation Method was not very effective in preparing students to
use the target language…………………., the Direct Method became popular.
The Direct Method has one very basic rule: …………………… is allowed. In
fact, the Direct Method receives its name from the fact that meaning is to be
…………………….. in the target language through the use of ………………
and …………………., with no recourse to the students’ …………………….
We will now try to come to an understanding of the Direct Method by observing
an English teacher using it in a scuola media (………………. secondary school)
class in Italy. The class has 30 students who attend English class for one hour,
three times a week. The class we observe is at the end of its first year of English
language instruction in a scuola media.
The Audio-Lingual Method
The Audio-Lingual Method, like the Direct Method we have just examined, is
also an……………. ………………. However, it is very different, in that it
emphasizes vocabulary …………….. through exposure to its use in situations.
The Audio-Lingual Method drills students in the use
of…………………………………. Also, unlike the Direct Method, it has a
strong theoretical base in ………….. and………………….

Charles Fries (1945), of the University of Michigan, led the way in applying
principles from …………………………. in developing the method, and for this
reason, it has sometimes been referred to as the “………….. Method.” Later in
its development, principles from ……………… psychology (Skinner, 1957)
were incorporated. It was thought that the way to acquire the sentence patterns
of the target language was through……………….., helping learners to respond
correctly to stimuli through …………… and ………………………, so that the
learners could overcome the habits of their native language and form the new
habits required to be target language speakers.

In order to come to an understanding of this method, let us now enter a


classroom where the Audio-Lingual Method is being used. We will sit in on a
………………….. English class in Mali. There are 34 students, 13–15 years of
age. The class meets for one hour a day, five days a week.
Principles
Grammar-Translation Method

1. What are the goals of teachers who use the Grammar-Translation


Method?

According to the teachers who use the Grammar-Translation Method, a


fundamental purpose of learning a language is to be able to ………. literature
written in the ……….. language. To do this, students need to learn about the
……………….. and …………… of the target language. In addition, it is
believed that studying another language provides students with good mental
exercise, which helps ………… their…………..

2. What is the role of the teacher? What is the role of the students?
The roles are very…………….. The teacher is the ……………. in the
classroom. The students do as she says so they can learn what she knows.

3. What are some characteristics of the teaching/learning process?

Students are taught to ……………. from one language into another. Often what
they translate are readings in the target language about some aspect of the
culture of the target language community. Students study grammar
(……………..); that is, they are given the ……………….. and…………, are
told to memorize them, and then are asked to ………. the rules to other
examples. They also learn grammatical paradigms such as verb conjugations.
They memorize native language equivalents for target language vocabulary
words.

4. What is the nature of student-teacher interaction? What is the nature


of student-student interaction?

Most of the interaction in the classroom is from the ……….. to the………….


There is little student ……………….. and little ……………….. interaction.

5. How are the feelings of the students dealt with?

There are no principles of the method which relate to this area.

6. How is the language viewed? How is culture viewed?

……………………… is considered superior to …………………….. and is


therefore the language the students study. Culture is viewed as consisting of
literature and the fine arts.

7. What areas of language are emphasized? What language skills are


emphasized?

……………… and …………….. are emphasized. …………..and


…………..are the primary skills that the students work on. There is much less
attention given to speaking and listening. ……………. receives little, if any,
attention.

8. What is the role of the students' native language?

The meaning of the target language is made clear by translating it into the
students' native language. The language that is used in class is mostly the
students' ………….. language

How is evaluation accomplished?


………… tests in which students are asked to translate from their native
language into the target language or vice versa are often used. Questions about
the target culture or questions that ask students to apply grammar rules are also
common.

10.How does the teacher respond to student errors?

Having the students get the correct answer is considered very important. If
students make errors or do not know an answer, the teacher …………. them
with the correct answer.

Direct Method

1. What are the goals of teachers who use the Direct Method?

Teachers who use the Direct Method intend that students learn how to
…………… in the target language. In order to do this successfully, students
should learn to ………….. in the target language.

2. What is the role of the teacher? What is the role of the students?

Although the teacher ………. the class activities, the student role is
…………….. than in the Grammar-Translation Method. The teacher and the
students are more like ………….. in the teaching–learning process.

3. What are some characteristics of the teaching/learning process?

Teachers who use the Direct Method believe students need to associate meaning
with the target language…………... In order to do this, when the teacher
introduces a new target language word or phrase, he ………………. its
meaning through the use of………….., pictures, or……………; he never
translates it into the students’ native language. Students speak in the ………..
language a great deal and communicate as if they were in ………. situations. In
fact, the syllabus used in the Direct Method is based upon …………… (for
example, one unit would consist of language that people would use at a bank,
another of the language that they use when going shopping) or ………..(such as
geography, money, or the weather). Grammar is taught…………….; that is, the
students are presented with ………….. and they ……………….. the rule or
generalization from the examples. An ……….. grammar rule may never be
given. Students practice vocabulary by using new words in ……………
sentences.
4. What is the nature of student–teacher interaction? What is the
nature of student–student interaction?

The ………….. of the interaction goes both ways, from teacher to students and
from students to teacher, although the latter is often …………. -directed.
Students …………. with one another as well.

5. How are the feelings of the students dealt with?

There are no principles of the method which relate to this area.

6. How is language viewed? How is culture viewed?


Language is primarily spoken, not written. Therefore, students study
common, everyday speech in the target language. They also study culture
consisting of the history of the people who speak the target language, the
geography of the country or countries where the language is spoken, and
information about the daily lives of the speakers of the language.
7. What areas of language are emphasized? What language skills are
emphasized?
Vocabulary is emphasized over grammar. Although work on all four skills
(reading, writing, speaking, and listening) occurs from the start, oral
communication is seen as basic. Thus the reading and writing exercises are
based upon what the students practice orally first. Pronunciation also
receives attention right from the beginning of a course.
8. What is the role of the students' native language?
The students' native language should not be used in the classroom.
9. How is evaluation accomplished?
We did not actually see any formal evaluation in the class we observed;
however, in the Direct Method, students are asked to use the language, not
to demonstrate their knowledge about the language. They are asked to do
so, using both oral and written skills. For example, the students might be
interviewed orally by the teacher or might be asked to write a paragraph
about something they have studied.
10. How does the teacher respond to student errors?
The teacher, employing various techniques, tries to get students to self-
correct whenever possible.

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