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Grammar Translation Method

GTM is nothing but a method of teaching any foreign language in its simplest way. It is one of the oldest methods used since ages to teach Latin or Greek

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Krishna Chaitanya
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1K views14 pages

Grammar Translation Method

GTM is nothing but a method of teaching any foreign language in its simplest way. It is one of the oldest methods used since ages to teach Latin or Greek

Uploaded by

Krishna Chaitanya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Grammar Translation

Method (GTM)
Dr. E. Krishna Chaitanya
Associate Professor, Department of English
Central University of Kashmir
The Grammar-Translation Method


History of
Grammar-Translation Method
 Dates back to Erasmus 1466-1536
 Originally used to teach Latin and Greek in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries
 Earlier in 20th century, this method was used for the purpose of helping
students read and appreciate foreign language literature.
Background of GTM:
 Traditional method of second language teaching in schools
 Most common language teaching method
 Stressed the literacy development
 Teacher-centered
GTM – Definition
Introduction to GTM

 Original purposes
 Helping students read and appreciate foreign language literature
 Students can become more familiar with the grammar of their native
language also write and speak their native language better
 Helpful for mental exercise
Key Features of GTM
 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 content 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.

(Prator and Celce-Murcia in Teaching English as a Second Foreign


Language (1979:3)
Principles and Techniques of GTM

 Translation of a literary passage


 Students will be asked to read a literary passage and then translate the target
language into their native language
 Translation may be written or spoken
 Translation made by the students can show that they understand their
meaning
Advantages of GTM
 Translation is the easiest and shortest of explaining meaning of words and phrases.
 Learners have no difficulties to understand the lesson as it is carried out in the
mother tongue.
 It is a labour-saving method as the teacher carries out everything in mother tongue.
 Does not require teachers to speak good English or make good lesson preparations.
 Only uses the textbook
 Least stressful for students-teaching occurs in the first language.
 Students learn the new language without contact with native speakers.
Disadvantages of GTM
 Students lack comprehension-only translating word-for-word
 Does not allow students to create meaning in English
 Students do not learn to read.
 Extensive memorization
 Very little student/teacher and student/student interaction
Principles and Techniques of GTM

The ability of communicating in the target language is not a goal:


 The students ask questions in their native language and are also answered by the
teacher also in their native language
 The teacher asks students in their native language

Deductive application of rules:


 It is important for students to learn about the forms(grammar rules) of the target
language
 Grammar rules are presented with examples
 Students are asked to apply the rules to examples they are given
Principles and Techniques of GTM
Reading Comprehension Questions:
 Students answer these questions in the target language
 Answers to the questions may be in the reading text, or based on the understanding of
the students or students’ own experiences related to the text

Teacher as the Authority:


 Teacher decides whether the students’ answers are correct
 It is important for students to get the correct answers
 If students answer incorrectly, the teacher will provide the correct answer

Memorization:
 Students are asked to memorize new words, grammatical rules, and verb conjugation
Principles and Techniques of GTM
Fill-in-the-blanks:
 Teacher give students sentences with word missing
 Students should fill in the blanks with the new vocabulary or with a particular
grammar type

Use words in sentences:


 Students are asked to make up sentences with the new words they learn in the text
 This technique can show whether students really understand the new words

Composition:
 Students are asked to write a composition in the target language
 The topic is based on some aspect of the reading passage
Conclusion

Teaching involves any instructional technique that draws


learners' attention to some specific grammatical form in
such a way that it helps them either to understand it
metalinguistically and/or process it in comprehension
and/or production so that they can internalize it.

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