Module

1, Task 5: Overview of Grammar Teaching Methods and

Approaches (30 minutes)

1 Introduction

In this task, you will read a brief history of grammar teaching. The history IS NOT comprehensive. We'll
be focusing on three methods that are either widely used, talked about a lot, and/or still have influence
in modern teaching practice.

Each method is represented through a short text, illustrations, and a video. You may be selective in
reading - devote more time to the parts that interest you, and only skim through the content that you
are more familiar with.

You are encouraged to take notes while reading. Please write down everything you find important. Your
notes will help you to complete the quiz.

2 Grammar-translation

Grammar-translation was the most common way of learning languages for hundreds of years. Students
studied the grammar of sentences in the target language. They translated them into their own language
– or the other way around.

In a typical grammar-translation class, the teacher uses the students' mother tongue most of the time.
In a typical grammar translation lesson, grammar is taught deductively: the teacher presents the
grammar rules, provides long and detailed explanations and gives examples (usually a list of isolated
sentences), and students study the rules and practice grammar through translation exercises. A lot of
attention is paid to reading and writing; little attention is paid to speaking and listening. Most of the
interaction is from the teacher to the student; there is very little student-student interaction. The
ultimate goal is to achieve accuracy, that is, to produce grammatically correct sentences.

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Grammar-translation became unpopular because students translated written sentences, knew grammar
students to translate into and out of their language and English can teach them a lot about the
similarities and differences between the two languages.

Sample activity:

GRAMMAR TRANSLATION METHOD

The teacher explains the structure VERBS OF LIKES /DISLIKES + GERUND in the students' native language.
The teacher writes on the board: “Da li volis da citas?”
The teacher says (in the students' native language): Please translate this sentence into English. Done?
OK, (points to Student 1) – what is the translation? Yes. (She writes on the board in English: Do you like
reading?)
The teacher says (in the student's native language): Please open your books, page 4, exercise 7, and
translate the sentences into English.

The students work on their own and translate the sentences.

The teacher says (in the students' native language): Done? Let’s check what you have done.
Student 1: “Do you like playing sports?”
The teacher says (in the students' native language): OK. Next.
Student 2: “Do you like ride a bike?”
The teacher corrects the student: No. It should be: “Do you like riding a bike?”


3 Audio-Lingual Method

Audio-lingual methodology gave students a lot of speaking practice by using habit-formation drills.
Students repeated sentences again and again until they were memorized. Audio-lingual methodology is
connected to the theory of behaviorism. It uses a stimulus-response reinforcement approach to
language and grammar learning. A stimulus (a teacher’s prompt) provokes a student response (a
sentence), and this response is reinforced by reward of, for example, teacher praise and student
satisfaction. If you repeat this procedure often enough, some people suggested, the language will be
learned.

Noam Chomsky was the first scholar who challenged the theory of behaviorism. He asked the logical
question: Why can we all say new things that we have never heard before? In the 1970's, teachers
stopped using only Audio-lingual methodology.

However, one of the main components of audio-lingual – language drilling – is still used in many lessons
because many teachers and students believe that frequent repetition is a key to successful learning.

This is a program of the U.S. Department of State

administered by FHI 360 and delivered by World Learning

Sample activity:

AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD

The teacher speaking in English all the time. She writes on the board: “Do you like reading?”
Teacher: Students, look at the question on the board: “Do you like reading?” Let’s repeat: “Do you like
reading?”
Students: “Do you like reading?”
Teacher: Good. Now you have to ask the same question using the words I give you. Ready?
Students: Yes.
Teacher: play sports (points to a student)
Student A: Do you like playing sports?
Teacher: ride a bike (points to a student)
Student B: Do you like riding a bike?
Teacher: draw (points to a student)
Student C: Do you like draw?
Teacher: No, can you try again? (points to the example on the board) … Do you …
Student: Do you like drawing?
Teacher: Yes! Do you like drawing?

4 Communicative Approach

Historically, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been seen as a response to the Audio-Lingual
method. CLT focuses on the idea that people learn language if they have opportunities to use it, and that
if students have a desire to communicate and a purpose for communicating (rather than just practicing a
grammar item), then the language learning will take care of itself.

In CLT, students do many speaking and writing tasks, trying to use any and all of the language that they
can. CLT focuses more on content than on form; it puts focus on communication related to the realistic
use of language in context. It concentrates on how successfully students can communicate, rather than
on whether they are speaking or writing correctly. Correction often takes place after the students have
tried to speak or write communicatively.

CLT gives students opportunities to practice using the language and to see its relevance outside the
classroom. Also, it focuses on active learning, as well as on teaching.

Sample activity:

COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The teacher distributes the Find Someone Who survey sheets (below). She explains that students are to
walk around the room and find people who have the characteristics described on the sheet. When they
find someone, they write the name in the blank provided. The aim of this game is to find as many different
people as possible, using each person's name only once.

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Find someone who likes Name

reading

riding a bike

playing sports

drawing

writing stories

The students begin the game. The teacher waits until several students complete the worksheet.

She asks the students to return to their seats. The student who completed the entire survey first reports to
the class what they have found for each item. The teacher asks a couple of more students to report their
findings. She does not correct mistakes. When they are done, the teacher writes the incorrect sentences
she heard during the reporting and invites the students to correct them. She asks: “So, what form is used
after verbs expressing likes and dislikes?” to check understanding, elicits more examples from the students
and writes them on the board.

CLT (especially its ‘strong’ version) is often seen as downplaying the role of grammar. Some proponents
of the Communicative Approach even claimed that it was ‘dangerous’ to teach grammar and that
focusing on ‘authentic' communication was all that mattered. Others advocated providing learners with
opportunities to use English for communicative purposes and helping them work out grammar rules for
themselves through guided discovery (inductive approach).

A more recent version of CLT, task-based language teaching, deals with grammar through focus on form.
'Focus on form' refers to bringing grammar to the attention of language learners as a part of
communicative language practice. Focusing on grammar for grammar’s sake does little to contribute to
correctness during communication. On the other hand, making students aware of grammar structures or
helping them notice certain grammatical features while they are engaged in completing communicative
tasks can contribute to the development of greater accuracy during communication.

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administered by FHI 360 and delivered by World Learning

5 Conclusion

Communicative
Grammar Translation Audiolingual Method
Language Teaching
Explained when
Grammar rules Central feature Not explained
necessary
Meaningful
communication Not important Limited Central feature

Use of translation
Central feature Forbidden Used when necessary

Teacher facilitates
Teacher-student roles Teacher-centered Teacher-centered student
to student interaction
Errors part of the learning
Attitude to errors Accuracy emphasized Accuracy emphasized
process
Reading and writing Listening and speaking Skills taught according to
Balance of language skills
emphasized emphasized learners' needs

Most teachers don’t follow any one method, but use elements of many different approaches. This
eclecticism seems to be the best response to different claims about how different students learn.
However, in order to be able to make informed decisions and to select the most appropriate grammar
teaching approach for their students, teachers should learn how to use different approaches and
methods and fully understand their potential and limitations.

This is a program of the U.S. Department of State

administered by FHI 360 and delivered by World Learning