ELT Approaches and Methodes

Prof Nakkam
Email: [email protected]
Made by: Mariem Mounine

The Translation-Grammatical Method

(Grammar-Translation Method - GTM)

1. Background (Introduction)

The Translation-Grammatical Method, also known as the Grammar-Translation Method (GTM), is

one of the earliest formal methods of language teaching. It originated in the 18th and 19th centuries,
primarily used to teach Latin and Greek before being adapted to modern languages. This method was
dominant in European schools for centuries, focusing on grammar mastery and translation skills rather
than communication.

2. Main Features

• Focuses primarily on written language rather than spoken interaction.

• Emphasizes grammar rules and vocabulary memorization.
• Translation between the native language (L1) and the target language (L2) is a key activity.
• Reading and writing are prioritized over listening and speaking.
• Strict attention is given to grammatical accuracy rather than fluency.
• Deductive learning approach: students first learn rules, then apply them in translation and
exercises.

3. Techniques

1. Translation Exercises – Students translate passages from L2 to L1 and vice versa.

2. Grammar Explanation – Teachers explain grammar rules explicitly, often with examples.
3. Vocabulary Memorization – Students learn word lists with meanings and use them in sentences.
4. Reading Comprehension – Students read texts and answer questions to demonstrate
understanding.
5. Sentence Writing – Constructing sentences using given vocabulary and grammatical rules.

4. Goals and Objectives

• Enable students to read and understand texts in the target language.

• Develop grammatical competence in L2.
• Enhance translation skills between L1 and L2.
• Encourage accuracy in writing rather than fluency in speaking.
• Provide a foundation for further study, especially in academic or literary contexts.

5. Syllabus
 • Organized around grammatical structures and translation exercises.
• Lessons follow a logical progression from simple to complex grammar rules.
• Reading materials include classical literature, essays, and articles in the target language.
• Vocabulary is taught through lists and direct translations.
• Speaking and listening activities are minimal or non-existent.

6. Types of Learning and Teaching Activities

• Direct Translation – Students translate sentences between languages.

• Grammar Drills – Exercises to practice verb conjugations, sentence structure, and rules.
• Vocabulary Tests – Memorization and recall exercises.
• Reading Assignments – Text analysis with comprehension questions.
• Written Composition – Writing essays or summaries using new vocabulary and grammar rules.

7. Teacher and Student Roles in the Classroom

• Teacher’s Role:
o The teacher is the authority and knowledge source.
o Explains grammar rules, translates texts, and corrects mistakes.
o Provides structured lessons and directs learning.
• Student’s Role:
o Passive learners who memorize rules and vocabulary.
o Follow teacher’s instructions, take notes, and complete written exercises.
o Have limited interaction in the target language.

8. Advantages and Disadvantages

❖ Advantages:

• Develops reading and writing proficiency.

• Strengthens grammar and vocabulary knowledge.
• Useful for academic studies and learning classical languages.
• No need for native-speaking teachers.

❖ Disadvantages:

• No speaking or listening practice, leading to poor communication skills.

• Focuses too much on memorization, making learning boring.
• Not effective for learning languages for everyday communication.
• Students may struggle to think in the target language because of reliance on translation.

The Direct Method of Language Teaching

1. Background (Introduction)

The Direct Method was developed in response to the limitations of the Grammar-Translation Method. It
emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as educators sought a more natural way to teach
languages, focusing on spoken communication rather than translation and memorization. Influenced by
natural language acquisition, this method was used in private language schools and later adapted into
modern communicative approaches.

2. Main Features

• Emphasizes oral communication from the beginning.

• No translation between the target language (L2) and the native language (L1).
• Uses everyday vocabulary and common expressions.
• Grammar is taught inductively (through exposure rather than explicit rules).
• Focuses on listening and speaking before reading and writing.
• Encourages immersion—the classroom environment is entirely in L2.

3. Techniques

1. Question-Answer Method – The teacher asks questions, and students answer in L2.
2. Repetition Drills – Students repeat phrases to practice pronunciation and structure.
3. Object Association – Using real objects or pictures to teach vocabulary.
4. Situational Practice – Role-playing real-life conversations.
5. Corrective Feedback – Immediate correction of mistakes through repetition, not explanation.

4. Goals and Objectives

• Develop speaking and listening proficiency.

• Help students think directly in the target language.
• Improve natural pronunciation and fluency.
• Enable students to communicate in real-life situations.

5. Syllabus

• Organized around functional language use (e.g., ordering food, giving directions).
• No translation or explicit grammar rules; grammar is learned through context.
• Listening and speaking are prioritized, followed by reading and writing.
• Lessons use conversational dialogues, visual aids, and interactive activities.

6. Types of Learning and Teaching Activities

• Dialogue Practice – Role-playing everyday conversations.

• Picture-Based Learning – Associating words with images.
• Storytelling – Understanding new vocabulary through stories.
• Pronunciation Drills – Focused exercises to refine speech.
• Games and Group Work – Encouraging natural communication.

7. Teacher and Student Roles in the Classroom

• Teacher’s Role:
o Acts as a facilitator and model speaker.
o Uses gestures, visuals, and demonstrations instead of translations.
o Encourages interaction and immersion in L2.
• Student’s Role:
o Actively engages in conversation and listening.
o Learns by doing, rather than memorizing rules.
o Thinks and responds directly in L2, avoiding translation.
8. Advantages and Disadvantages

❖ Advantages:

• Improves oral fluency and pronunciation.

• Encourages natural thinking in L2.
• Makes learning engaging and interactive.
• More effective for real-world communication.

❖ Disadvantages:

• Difficult for beginners without prior language knowledge.

• Requires highly skilled teachers fluent in L2.
• Limited focus on grammar and writing.
• Not ideal for academic or literary language learning.

9. Influence on Modern Language Teaching

The Direct Method laid the foundation for modern communicative approaches like:

• The Audio-Lingual Method, which expanded on repetition drills.

• The Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach, which emphasizes interaction.
• Immersion Programs, where learners are fully surrounded by L2.

While the Direct Method is less common today in its original form, its emphasis on spoken
communication, immersion, and natural acquisition continues to shape modern teaching methods.

The Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)

1. Background (Introduction)

The Audio-Lingual Method (ALM) was developed in the United States during World War II to
rapidly train soldiers in foreign languages. Initially known as the Army Method, it was later adapted into
mainstream education in the 1950s and 1960s, heavily influenced by behaviorist psychology and
structural linguistics. Unlike earlier methods, ALM focused on habit formation through repetition
and reinforcement, aiming to develop oral proficiency before literacy skills.

2. Main Features

• Language is learned through habit formation (based on behaviorist theory).

• Emphasizes speaking and listening before reading and writing.
• Uses pattern drills and repetition for automatic language use.
• No translation – the target language (L2) is taught without referring to the native language (L1).
• Grammar is taught inductively (students learn rules through repeated usage rather than explicit
explanation).
• Errors are immediately corrected to prevent bad habits.
3. Techniques

1. Repetition Drills – Students repeat phrases multiple times to reinforce correct pronunciation and
structure.
2. Substitution Drills – Changing words in a given sentence while keeping the structure intact.
3. Transformation Drills – Converting sentences from affirmative to negative, question form, etc.
4. Dialogue Memorization – Students memorize and practice common conversational exchanges.
5. Minimal Pairs Practice – Differentiating similar-sounding words (e.g., "ship" vs. "sheep").
6. Chain Drills – The teacher initiates a conversation, and students continue in a sequence.

4. Goals and Objectives

• Develop accurate pronunciation and automatic responses in L2.

• Enable quick thinking and reflexive language use without translation.
• Improve listening comprehension and speaking fluency.
• Reinforce correct grammatical structures through habit formation.

5. Syllabus

• Dialogues and drill-based lessons focusing on real-life conversations.

• Audio recordings and oral practice are central components.
• Vocabulary is introduced in context, not isolated lists.
• Reading and writing are introduced only after oral skills are well developed.
• Follows a linear progression, gradually increasing sentence complexity.

6. Types of Learning and Teaching Activities

• Choral Repetition – Whole-class repetition of words and sentences.

• Role-Playing – Students act out scripted dialogues.
• Listening Comprehension Tasks – Identifying words or meanings from spoken texts.
• Pronunciation Drills – Focusing on correct articulation.
• Pattern Practice – Repeating and modifying sentence structures.

7. Teacher and Student Roles in the Classroom

• Teacher’s Role:
o Acts as a drill instructor who models correct language use.
o Controls student responses and provides immediate corrections.
o Uses audio materials, repetition, and reinforcement to develop habits.
• Student’s Role:
o Passive recipients of the language who follow teacher instructions.
o Engage in structured, repetitive activities without much creativity.
o Avoid making errors and focus on habit formation.

8. Advantages and Disadvantages

❖ Advantages:

• Rapid development of speaking and listening skills.

 • Improves pronunciation and grammatical accuracy.
• Effective for learning basic phrases and survival language skills.
• No reliance on L1, promoting direct thinking in L2.

❖ Disadvantages:

• Repetitive and mechanical, leading to boredom.

• Does not encourage creative language use or independent thinking.
• Limited focus on reading and writing.
• Fails to develop deeper communication skills needed for real-life interactions.

9. Influence on Modern Language Teaching

The Audio-Lingual Method influenced later approaches like:

• Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) – which added more interaction and meaningful
communication.
• Task-Based Learning – where students engage in practical language tasks.
• Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) – incorporating ALM-style drills through
technology.

Although ALM is rarely used in its pure form today, its drill-based techniques still exist in language
labs, pronunciation training, and online learning platforms.

The Silent Way

1. Background (Introduction)

The Silent Way is a language teaching method developed by Caleb Gattegno in the 1960s. It emerged
as a reaction to teacher-centered methods like the Audio-Lingual Method and the Grammar-
Translation Method. The Silent Way is based on the idea that students learn best when they discover
language themselves, rather than when the teacher provides direct explanations. It follows the principle
of "teaching should be subordinated to learning," meaning the teacher plays a minimal role while
students actively engage in problem-solving and self-correction.

2. Main Features

• The teacher speaks as little as possible, allowing students to discover and construct knowledge.
• Color-coded charts (e.g., Fidel charts and Cuisenaire rods) are used to represent sounds,
words, and grammar.
• Focuses on self-correction and independence—students analyze their own mistakes instead of
relying on teacher feedback.
• Encourages learning through problem-solving and experimentation.
• Prioritizes pronunciation, stress, and intonation.
• Grammar and vocabulary are taught inductively, without explicit explanations.

3. Techniques
 1. Fidel Charts – Color-coded charts representing different sounds to help with pronunciation and
spelling.
2. Cuisenaire Rods – Small colored rods used to represent words, phrases, and sentence structures.
3. Silent Modeling – The teacher demonstrates language structures using gestures and materials
rather than speaking.
4. Student-Centered Learning – Students actively participate, make hypotheses, and self-correct
errors.
5. Minimal Error Correction – The teacher avoids direct correction and instead provides clues for
students to self-correct.

4. Goals and Objectives

• Develop learner autonomy and self-reliance.

• Improve pronunciation, stress, and intonation through visual aids.
• Encourage inductive learning, where students discover rules instead of memorizing them.
• Promote active engagement and deep cognitive processing of language structures.

5. Syllabus

• Organized around pronunciation and sound recognition first.

• Gradual introduction of vocabulary and grammar, based on student discovery.
• Lessons move from basic structures to complex sentences, using rods and charts.
• Heavy emphasis on speaking and listening, with limited explicit grammar instruction.

6. Types of Learning and Teaching Activities

• Sound Recognition Exercises – Using Fidel charts to match sounds with letters.
• Sentence Building with Rods – Arranging Cuisenaire rods to create sentences and modify
grammar.
• Self-Correction Exercises – Students analyze and correct their own mistakes using visual aids.
• Gesture-Based Interaction – The teacher uses hand signals or pointing instead of verbal
instructions.

7. Teacher and Student Roles in the Classroom

• Teacher’s Role:
o Acts as a facilitator rather than a direct instructor.
o Provides minimal verbal input, guiding students subtly.
o Uses gestures, charts, and rods to create learning experiences.
• Student’s Role:
o Active problem solvers who construct their own understanding of language.
o Rely on peers and self-correction rather than teacher feedback.
o Develop autonomy and confidence in learning.

8. Advantages and Disadvantages

❖ Advantages:

• Encourages active learning and independence.

• Improves pronunciation and speaking skills through visual aids.
• Reduces teacher dependency, making students more self-sufficient.
• Appeals to visual and kinesthetic learners.
 ❖ Disadvantages:

• Difficult for beginners who need more guidance.

• Lack of explicit grammar instruction may lead to confusion.
• Requires highly trained teachers familiar with the methodology.
• Not ideal for large classrooms, as it requires close monitoring.

9. Influence on Modern Language Teaching

The Silent Way influenced learner-centered and discovery-based approaches, including:

• Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) – Encouraging problem-solving and real-world

communication.
• Constructivist Learning – Where students actively create meaning instead of passively receiving
information.
• Pronunciation Training and Speech Therapy – Using visual cues and minimal teacher
intervention.

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

1. Background (Introduction)

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) emerged in the 1970s as a response to the limitations of
earlier methods like the Audio-Lingual Method (ALM) and Grammar-Translation Method. It was
influenced by research in sociolinguistics and language acquisition, which emphasized that language is
best learned through meaningful communication rather than mechanical drills or translation. CLT
focuses on fluency over accuracy, encouraging interaction in real-life contexts rather than memorizing
rigid grammatical structures.

2. Main Features

• Communication is the primary goal of language learning.

• Fluency is prioritized over grammatical accuracy in early stages.
• Lessons are interactive, often involving pair or group work.
• Language is taught through meaningful tasks (e.g., role plays, debates).
• Emphasizes real-world language use rather than abstract grammar exercises.
• Focuses on all four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
• Context and meaning drive learning, rather than isolated vocabulary lists.

3. Techniques

1. Role-Playing & Simulations – Students act out real-life situations to practice communication.
2. Information Gap Activities – Learners exchange information to complete a task (e.g., one
student has a map, the other gives directions).
3. Task-Based Learning (TBL) – Students complete real-world tasks, such as planning a trip or
solving a problem.
4. Interviews & Surveys – Students ask and answer questions, gathering information from
classmates.
5. Discussions & Debates – Encouraging spontaneous speaking on various topics.
 6. Authentic Materials – Using newspapers, menus, videos, and other real-world texts.

4. Goals and Objectives

• Develop communicative competence (the ability to use language effectively in different

contexts).
• Help students interact naturally rather than just memorizing rules.
• Foster confidence in using the target language in real situations.
• Promote creative language use rather than repetitive drills.

5. Syllabus

• Functional and task-based rather than grammatical.

• Organized around real-life communication needs (e.g., ordering food, asking for help).
• Lessons include speaking, listening, reading, and writing activities.
• Grammar is taught in context, not as isolated rules.

6. Types of Learning and Teaching Activities

• Pair and Group Work – Encourages interaction and peer learning.

• Problem-Solving Tasks – Encourages students to think critically while using L2.
• Authentic Language Exposure – Includes real-world texts, videos, and conversations.
• Games and Interactive Exercises – Keeps learning engaging and dynamic.

7. Teacher and Student Roles in the Classroom

• Teacher’s Role:
o Acts as a facilitator rather than a lecturer.
o Provides guidance and support while students actively engage.
o Creates a natural, communicative environment in the classroom.
• Student’s Role:
o Takes an active role in discussions and activities.
o Engages in problem-solving and real-life communication.
o Develops independent learning strategies.

8. Advantages and Disadvantages

❖ Advantages:

• Encourages real-world language use.

• Makes learning engaging, interactive, and meaningful.
• Develops fluency and confidence.
• Flexible and adaptable to different learners.

❖ Disadvantages:

• May lead to fossilized errors due to a lack of focus on accuracy.

• Difficult to assess students’ progress in structured ways.
• Challenging for large classrooms, as interaction needs monitoring.
• Not ideal for absolute beginners, who may need more structure.

9. Influence on Modern Language Teaching

CLT has shaped modern language education and influenced methods such as:

• Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) – Learning through completing real-world tasks.

• Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) – Teaching subjects like history or science
in a second language.
• Blended Learning & Technology Use – Using apps and online resources to practice real-world
communication.