LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGIES

Grammar- Direct Method Audio-lingual Total physical The communicative Task-based language
Translation method response language teaching teaching
Method

1 Teaching goals
- Enables - enable students to
students to - communicate in -use the target - have students communicate in the - facilitate students’
read and the target language enjoy learning to target language language learning by
appreciate language. communicatively communicate in engaging them in a
literature another language. - be able to choose variety of tasks that
written in the -Overlearn the from among these the have a clear outcome.
target target language - reduce the stress most appropriate
- Think in the
language students feel when form, given the social
target language. -Use it
they are studying context and the roles
automatically
- Helps other language of the interlocutors.
understand without stopping
grammar rules to think - encourages - be able to manage
and new students to the process of
-Form new habits
vocabulary continue learning negotiating meaning
in the target
beyond basic with their
language. interlocutors.
proficiency.

- to base foreign
language learning
upon the way
children learn their
native language

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2 Roles of the - the teacher Teacher’s role: an - Initially, the - The teacher’s role is
teachers/students - Teacher’s directs the class orchestra leader, teacher is the -The teacher: to choose tasks, based
role: authority, activities directing and director of all facilitates on an analysis of
provide controlling the student behavior. communication in the students’ needs, that
knowledge, - the student role classroom, establishes
language The students are are appropriate to the
and guidance. is less passive situations.
behavior of her imitators of her level of the students
than in the
- Student’s students, nonverbal model. - - He acts as an and to create pre-task
Grammar-
role: listen to providing her At some point advisor, answering and task follow-up
Translation
the teacher students with a (usually after 10– students’ questions phases that are in line
Method.
and do as she good model for 20 hours of and monitoring their with the abilities and
says - The teacher and imitation. instruction), some performance. needs of the students.
the students are students will be
- He might make a - The teacher also
more like ‘ready to speak.’ At
note of their errors to monitors the
partners in the -Student’s role: that point, there
be worked on at a students’
teaching–learning imitators, follow will be a role
later time during more performance, and
process. the teacher’s reversal with
accuracy-based intervenes as
directions and individual students
activities. necessary.
respond as directing the
accurately and as teacher and the - At other times he - The role of the
rapidly as other students. might be a ‘co- students is to
possible communicator’ communicate with
engaging in the their peers to
communicative complete a task.
activity along with
students.

-Students:
communicators. They
are actively engaged
in negotiating
meaning—in trying to
make themselves

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 understood—even
when their knowledge
of the target language
is incomplete.

- students are seen as

more responsible for
their own learning.

3 Characteristics of - Translate - students need - New vocabulary - The teacher - A pre-task phase
the from one to associate and structural issues commands -Everything is done typically begins a task
teaching/learning language into meaning with the patterns are to a few students, with a communicative sequence.
process another. target language presented then performs the intent.
- The tasks are
directly through actions with them.
- Students -Students use the meaningful and
dialogues. language a great deal relevant so that the
study - when the - These same
grammar teacher - The dialogues students through students see the
deductively. introduces a new are learned demonstrate that communicative reason for doing the
activities such as
target language through imitation they can task and can see how
- They games, role-plays, and
word or phrase, and repetition. understand the the task relates to
memorize problem-solving tasks
he demonstrates commands by possible situations in
grammar - Drills (such as
its meaning performing them -True communication their lives outside the
rules, native repetition,
through the use is purposeful classroom.
language backward build- alone.
of realia,
equivalents for up) are -The use of authentic - Students are actively
pictures, or - The teacher next
target conducted based materials. It is engaged with the
pantomime; he recombines
language upon the considered desirable task, with the teacher
never translates elements of the
vocabulary patterns present to give students an monitoring their
it into the commands to have
words. in the dialogue. opportunity to performance and
students’ native students develop
develop strategies for intervening when
language.

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 - Students speak Students flexibility in necessary.
in the target understanding understanding
- Successful language as it is - The task has clear
language a great unfamiliar
responses are actually used. outcomes so that both
deal and utterances.
positively students and teachers
communicate as
reinforced. - The students - Activities in CLT are can tell if the task has
if they were in often carried out by
learn to read and been successfully
real situations. - Grammar is students in small completed.
induced from the write some oral groups. Small
- Grammar is
examples given commands, they numbers of students - A post-task phase
taught
become the ones interacting are takes place to
inductively; that - Students’
who issue the favored in order to reinforce students’
is, the students reading and maximize the time learning or to address
are presented written work is commands. allotted to each any problems that may
with examples based upon the student for
- Activities expand have arisen.
and they figure oral work they did communicating.
out the rule or to include skits and
earlier.
generalization games.
from the
examples. -
Students practice
vocabulary by
using new words
in complete
sentences

4 Interaction - Most of the -The initiation of - There is - The teacher Teacher: input
interaction in the interaction student-to- interacts with the -The teacher may provider during the
the classroom goes both ways, student whole group of present some part of initial phase of the
is from the from teacher to interaction in students and with the lesson. lesson, sets the task,
teacher to the students and chain drills or individual making note of
- At other times, he is

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students. from students to when students students. language, provides
teacher, although take different the facilitator of the feedback
- There is little - Initially, the activities, but he does
the latter is often roles in dialogues,
student interaction is not always himself
teacher-directed. but this
initiation and characterized by interact with the
interaction is Students: work closely
little student– the teacher students.
teacher-directed. together, help each
student speaking and the
- Most of the - Sometimes he is a other accomplish the
interaction. students
interaction is co-communicator, but task and to problem-
responding
between teacher more often he solve.
nonverbally.
and students and establishes situations
is initiated by the - Later on, the that prompt
teacher. students become communication
more verbal and between and among
the teacher the students. -
Students interact a
responds
great deal with one
nonverbally. -
another. They do this
Students perform
in various
the actions configurations: pairs,
together. Students triads, small groups,
can learn by and whole groups.
watching each
other. At some
point, however,
they must
demonstrate their
understanding of
the commands in
order to retain
them.

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 - As students begin
to speak, they issue
commands to one
another as well as
to the teacher.

5 Feelings of the There are no There are no There are no - reduce the stress - are motivated by
students principles of principles of the principles of the people feel when -will be more doing tasks that
the method method which method which studying other motivated prepare them for the
which relate to relate to this relate to this languages. real world
-express their
this area. area. area.
- allow learners to individuality
speak when they
are ready. -student security is
enhanced
- to make language
learning as
enjoyable as
possible.

- Feelings of
success and low
anxiety facilitate
learning.

6 How the - Literary - Language is - Every language - the oral modality - Language is for
language/culture language is primarily spoken, is seen as having is primary -Language is for communicating and
is viewed considered not written. its own unique communication. for ‘doing.’
- Culture is the
superior to system. The
- Students study lifestyle of people - Linguistic - Culture is not
spoken system comprises
common, who speak the competence, the explicitly dealt with
language several different knowledge of forms
language natively. although certain tasks
everyday speech levels: and their meanings, is
- Culture is might have a cultural
in the target phonological, only one part of

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 viewed as language, culture morphological, focus, such as when
consisting of consisting of the and syntactic. communicative students prepare
literature and Each level has its competence. Another different ethnic foods
history of the aspect of
the fine arts. own distinctive to share.
people who speak communicative
patterns.
the target competence is
language, the - Everyday knowledge of the
geography of the speech is functions that
country emphasized. language is used for.

or countries - The level of -Culture is the

where the complexity of the everyday lifestyle of
language is speech is graded, people who use the
spoken, and however, so that language
information beginning
about the daily students are
lives of presented with
only simple
the speakers of
patterns.
the language.
- Culture consists
of the everyday
behavior and
lifestyle of the
target language
speakers.

7 What language - Vocabulary - Vocabulary is - Vocabulary is - Vocabulary and - The meaning

areas/skills are and grammar emphasized over kept to a grammatical -Areas of language: dimension of language
emphasized are grammar. minimum while structures are Language functions is emphasized.
emphasized. the students are emphasized over might be emphasized
- oral over forms. - Depending on the
mastering the other language
- Reading and communication is nature of the task, any

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writing are the seen as basic. sound system and areas. These are of the four skills can
primary skills Thus the reading grammatical embedded within - Students work with be utilized.
that the and writing patterns. imperatives. language at the
students work exercises are discourse or
- A grammatical - Understanding suprasentential level.
on. There is based upon what
pattern is not the the spoken word
much less the students -Students work on all
same as a should precede its
attention given practice orally four skills from the
sentence. production.
to speaking first. beginning.
and listening. - The oral/aural - The spoken
- Pronunciation
skills receive most language is
- also receives
of the attention. - emphasized over
Pronunciation attention right
Pronunciation is written language. -
receives little, from the
taught from the Students often do
if any, beginning of a
beginning. not learn to read
attention. course.
the commands
they have already
learned to perform
until after 10 hours
of instruction.

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8 The role of the - The meaning - The students’ - The target TPR is usually
students’ native of the target native language language is used introduced in the -The students’ native
language is permitted - There is no explicit
language language is should not be in the classroom, students’ native
in CLT role for the students’
made clear by used in the not the students’ language.
native language.
translating it classroom native language.
-Whenever possible,
into the the target language
students’ After the should be used not
native introduction, rarely only during
language. The would the native communicative
language that language be used. activities, but also for
is used in class explaining the
is mostly the activities to the
students’ Meaning is made students or in
native assigning homework.
clear through body
language. movements.

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9 Evaluation - Written tests - students are - Students might - Formal The teacher constantly
( translate asked to use the be asked to evaluations can be -A teacher evaluates evaluates students in
from their language, not to distinguish conducted simply not only his students’ light of task outcomes
native demonstrate between words in by commanding accuracy, but also and the language they
their fluency.
language into their knowledge a minimal pair, individual students use.
the target about the for example, or to to perform a series -A teacher can
language or language. supply an of actions. evaluate his students’
vice versa) - appropriate verb performance
- They are asked - As students
Questions form in a informally in his role
to do so, using become more
about the sentence. as advisor or co-
both oral and advanced, their
target culture communicator.
written skills. performance of
or questions
skits they have - For more formal
that ask
created can evaluation, a teacher
students to
become the basis is likely to use an
apply grammar
for evaluation. integrative test which
rules
has a real
communicative
function.

- In order to assess
students’ writing skill,
for instance, a teacher
might ask them to
write a letter to a
friend.

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10 Student errors - If students The teacher, Student errors - Teachers should - Errors of form are Focus on form is
make errors or employing are to be avoided be tolerant of them tolerated during essential to students’
do not know various if at all possible. and only correct fluency-based learning. Error
an answer, the techniques, tries major errors. activities and are seen correction is done
teacher to get students to as a natural outcome through recasts or
-As students get
supplies them self-correct of the development of modeling or by giving
more advanced,
with the whenever communication skills. brief grammar
teachers can
correct answer possible explanations.
- The teacher may
‘fine tune’
note the errors during
—correct more fluency activities and
minor errors return to them later
with an accuracy
based activity.

Teaching Techniques

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Grammar-Translation Method - Translation of a literary passage:
- students translate a reading passage from the target language into their native language.
- The translations maybe written or spoken or both
- shouldn't translate Idioms and the like literally but rather in a way that shows that they
understand their meaning

- Reading Comprehension questions:

- Questions based on their understanding of reading passages. It is divided into 3 groups:
- Group 1: question information contained within the reading passage
- Group 2: students will have to make inferences based on their understanding of the
passage.
- Group 3: questions require students to relate the passage to their own experience.

- Antonyms/Synonyms:
- Students are given one set of words and are asked to find antonyms or synonyms in the
reading passage.
- Or students might be asked to define a set of words based on their understanding of them

- Cognates:
- students are taught to identify cognates by learning spelling or sound patterns shared
between languages. They also memorize words that resemble cognates but have different
meanings in the target language. This method is useful only for languages that share
cognates.

- Deductive Application of Rules:

- Grammar rules are presented with examples. Exceptions to each rule are also noted.
When students understand a rule, they apply it to some examples.

- Fill-in-the-blanks Exercise
Students are given a series of sentences with words missing. They fill in the blanks with new
vocabulary items or with items of a particular grammar type

- memorization: Students are given lists of target language vocabulary words and
their native language equivalents and are asked to memorize them.

- use words in the sentences: In order to show that students understand the meaning
and use of a new vocabulary item, they make up sentences with a new vocabulary

- Composition: Students will write a topic related reading passage in the target
language or summarize the reading passage
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