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Grammar - Translation in Teaching

A method of foreign or second language teaching which makes use of translation and grammar study as the main teaching and learning activities

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Younes Benomar
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17 views18 pages

Grammar - Translation in Teaching

A method of foreign or second language teaching which makes use of translation and grammar study as the main teaching and learning activities

Uploaded by

Younes Benomar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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History

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
Traditional method of second language

teaching in schools
Most common language teaching method

Stressed the literacy development

Teacher centered
The GTM, or classical method
emerged when people of the
western world wanted to learn
"foreign" languages such as
Latin and Greek
Original purposes

Helping students read and


appreciate FL literature
SS can become more familiar
with the grammar of their native
lge also write & speak their
native lge better
Helpful for mental exercise
The Grammar-Translation Method

"a method of foreign or second


language teaching which makes
use of translation and grammar
study as the main teaching and
learning activities."

---Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. (2002). Longman


Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. Pearson
Education Limited. pp.231.
Classes are taught in the MT, with little active
use of the TL.
Focus was on grammatical rules, the
memorization of vocabulary and of various
declensions and conjugations, translations of
texts, doing written exercises.
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.
Little or no attention is given to

pronunciation .
Principles and Techniques
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
Easiest for teachers to use
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
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
The ability of communicating in the
target language is not a goal
The students ask questions in their NL
and are also answered by the teacher also
in their NL
The teacher asks students in their NL
Principles and Techniques
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
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
Principles and Techniques
Memorization

Students are asked to memorize new


words, grammatical rules, and verb
conjugation
Principles and Techniques
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
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.

(Ellis, 2006, cf. Shih-Chuan Chang,2011,pp.15).


Thank You!!!

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