Inductive and Deductive Approach in TESOL

Understanding Inductive and Deductive Approaches in TESOL

As an instructor in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL, it’s vital that some of your
training focus on different approaches to effective teaching in the English language classroom. The
inductive approach and deductive approach in TESOL are two common methods for teaching English
grammar. In the western world, deductive teaching approaches are common in classrooms where English
is the first language. There are benefits to both approaches, though they are quite different.
Inductive
The inductive teaching approach in TESOL is a sort of discovery learning that focuses on the student.
For example, an instructor might use or show a few examples of a grammar point in English and then
ask students what they notice. In many cases, the grammar point might be introduced by simply
engaging the students in a directed conversation to slowly introduce it. The teacher guides the students to
noticing the grammar pattern, and finally explicitly exposes them to it.
Example
A teacher writes on the board a few examples of simple present and simple past sentences. The teacher
then asks the students what differences they notice in the sentences. The students discuss the differences
and maybe even try converting some simple sentences from present to past on their own. Finally, the
teacher explains the rule for converting sentences from past to present.
Benefits
Although inductive teaching takes longer than deductive, many educators agree it is a very efficient
method in the long run. Benefits include:
 Student interaction and participation.
 Students rely(depender) on their critical thinking to figure out the language.
 Students gain(obtener) deeper understanding of the language.
Deductive
A deductive approach is more teacher-centered learning where the points of English grammar are
explicitly stated to the students and then tested. Once the grammar is introduced and explained, students
usually complete grammar exercises to become familiar with the pattern. This is a method that has been
commonly used in English classrooms in the west.
Example
A teacher writes examples of simple present and simple past sentences on the board. The teacher then
proceeds to explain the differences between present and past in English. Once the lecture is complete,
worksheets are handed out and students are asked to convert simple sentences from present to past.
Benefits
Although a little less effective than inductive teaching when used in TESOL, benefits to the deductive
approach are:
 Time in the classroom is spent only on the language principle.
 Most material can be easily taught this way.
 It encourages (motiva)faster learning of material
There are clear differences to the inductive approach and deductive approach in TESOL. Inductive tends
to be more efficient in the long run, but deductive is less time consuming. Much depends on the teacher
and the students. You might try and compare both of these approaches at certain points in your teaching
to see which is more effective for your students.
Inductive and deductive grammar teaching: what is it,
and does it work?
24 April 2015 by Oxford University Press ELT 25 Comments

Used from Pixabay, with permission under Creative Commons license

Jon Hird, materials writer and teacher trainer, discusses inductive and deductive grammar teaching,
comparing and contrasting the two, and debating the pros and cons of their use in the classroom.
There are two main ways that we tend to teach grammar: deductively and inductively. Both
deductive and inductive teaching have their pros and cons and which approach we use when
can depend on a number of factors, such as the nature of the language being taught and the
preferences of the teacher and learners. It is, however, perhaps generally accepted that a
combination of both approaches is best suited for the EFL classroom.

Some agreement exists that the most effective grammar teaching includes some deductive and
inductive characteristics.
– Haight, Heron, & Cole 2007.

So what is deductive and inductive grammar teaching? In this blog, we will first take a look at
the underlying principles of inductive and deductive reasoning and then look at how this
applies to grammar teaching and learning. We will then briefly consider some of the pros and
cons.

Deductive and inductive reasoning

Deductive reasoning is essentially a top-down approach which moves from the more general to
the more specific. In other words, we start with a general notion or theory, which we then
narrow down to specific hypotheses, which are then tested. Inductive reasoning is more of a
bottom-up approach, moving from the more specific to the more general, in which we make
specific observations, detect patterns, formulate hypotheses and draw conclusions.
Deductive and inductive grammar learning
These two approaches have been applied to grammar teaching and learning. A
deductive approach involves the learners being given a general rule, which is then
applied to specific language examples and honed through practice exercises. An
inductive approach involves the learners detecting, or noticing, patterns and working
out a ‘rule’ for themselves before they practise the language.

A deductive approach (rule-driven) starts with the presentation of a rule and is followed by
examples in which the rule is applied.
An inductive approach (rule-discovery) starts with some examples from which a rule is
inferred.
– Thornbury, 1999
Both approaches are commonplace in published materials. Some course books may
adhere to one approach or the other as series style, whereas some may be more
flexible and employ both approaches according to what the language being taught
lends itself to. Most inductive learning presented in course books is guided or
scaffolded. In other words, exercises and questions guide the learner to work out the
grammar rule. The following course book extracts illustrate the two different
approaches. The subsequent practice exercises are similar in both course books.
 Q: Skills for Success Listening and Speaking Level 3 New Headway 4th Edition
(Elementary)

Which approach – pros and cons?

First and foremost, it is perhaps the nature of the language being taught that
determines if an inductive approach is possible. Inductive learning is an option for
language with salient features and consistency and simplicity of use and form. The
basic forms of comparative adjectives, as shown above, is an example of this.
Conversely, teaching the finer points of the use of articles (a/an, the) inductively, for
example, would most probably be problematic. The metalinguistic tools that the
learners will need to accomplish the task is also a factor.
However, the learner-centred nature of inductive teaching is often seen as
advantageous as the learner is more active in the learning process rather than being a
passive recipient. This increased engagement may help the learner to develop deeper
understanding and help fix the language being learned. This could also promote the
strategy of ‘noticing’ in the student and enhance learner autonomy and motivation.
On the other hand, inductive learning can be more time- and energy-consuming and
more demanding of the teacher and the learner. It is also possible that during the
process, the learner may arrive at an incorrect inference or produce an incorrect or
incomplete rule. Also, an inductive approach may frustrate learners whose personal
learning style and/or past learning experience is more in line with being taught via a
more teacher-centred and deductive approach.

While it might be appropriate at times to articulate a rule and then proceed to instances,
most of the evidence in communicative second language teaching points to the superiority
of an inductive approach to rules and generalizations.
– Brown, 2007
Nevertheless, while there are pros and cons to both approaches and while a
combination of both inductive and deductive grammar teaching and learning is
probably inevitable, an inductive approach does seem to be broadly accepted as being
more efficient in the long run, at least for some learners. Would you agree with this?

References
Brown, H.D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching. Pearson Longman.
Haight, C., Herron, C., & Cole, S. (2007). The effects of deductive and guided inductive instructional
approaches on the learning of grammar in the elementary language college classroom. Foreign Language
Annals, 40, 288-309.
Thornbury, S. (1999). How to Teach Grammar. Pearson.