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Inductive & deductive systematization

The document discusses two main theoretical approaches in TESOL: the deductive and inductive approaches. The deductive approach is traditional, presenting grammatical rules first, while the inductive approach is modern, focusing on learning through context and examples. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, influencing how teachers can effectively engage students in learning English grammar.

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Julieta Cepeda
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10 views2 pages

Inductive & deductive systematization

The document discusses two main theoretical approaches in TESOL: the deductive and inductive approaches. The deductive approach is traditional, presenting grammatical rules first, while the inductive approach is modern, focusing on learning through context and examples. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, influencing how teachers can effectively engage students in learning English grammar.

Uploaded by

Julieta Cepeda
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Inductive approach and Deductive approach in TESOL

In teaching, there are many theoretical approaches that have been developed to promote the
students' success in learning new information. In TESOL (Teaching English to Students of
Other Languages), there are two main theoretical approaches for the presentation of new
English grammar structures or functions to ESL/EFL students: inductive approach and
deductive approach. The more traditional of the two theories, is the deductive approach, while
the emerging and more modern theory, is the inductive approach.

The deductive approach represents a more traditional style of teaching in that the grammatical
structures or rules are dictated to the students first. Thus, the students learn the rule and apply
it only after they have been introduced to the rule. For example, if the structure to be presented
is present perfect, the teacher would begin the lesson by saying, "Today we are going to learn
how to use the present perfect structure". Then, the rules of the present perfect structure would
be outlined and the students would complete exercises, in a number of ways, to practice using
the structure. In this approach, the teacher is the center of the class and is responsible for all of
the presentation and explanation of the new material.

The inductive approach represents a more modern style of teaching where the new
grammatical structures or rules are presented to the students in a real language context. The
students learn the use of the structure through practice of the language in context, and later
realize the rules from the practical examples. For example, if the structure to be presented is the
comparative form, the teacher would begin the lesson by drawing a figure on the board and
saying, "This is Jim. He is tall." Then, the teacher would draw another taller figure next to the
first saying, "This is Bill. He is taller than Jim." The teacher would then provide many examples
using students and items from the classroom, famous people, or anything within the normal
daily life of the students, to create an understanding of the use of the structure. The students
repeat after the teacher, after each of the different examples, and eventually practice the
structures meaningfully in groups or pairs. With this approach, the teacher's role is to provide
meaningful contexts to encourage demonstration of the rule, while the students evolve the rules
from the examples of its use and continued practice.

In both approaches, the students practice and apply the use of the grammatical structure, yet,
there are advantages and disadvantages to each in the EFL/ESL classroom. The deductive
approach can be effective with students of a higher level, who already know the basic structures
of the language, or with students who are accustomed to a very traditional style of learning and
expect grammatical presentations. The deductive approach however, is less suitable for lower
level language students, for presenting grammatical structures that are complex in both form
and meaning, and for classrooms that contain younger learners. The advantages of the
inductive approach are that students can focus on the use of the language without being held
back by grammatical terminology and rules that can inhibit fluency. The inductive approach also
promotes increased student participation and practice of the target language in the classroom,
in meaningful contexts. The use of the inductive approach has been noted for its success in
EFL/ESL classrooms world-wide, but its disadvantage is that it is sometimes difficult for
students who expect a more traditional style of teaching to induce the language rules from
context. Understanding the disadvantages and advantages of both approaches, may help the
teacher to vary and organize the EFL/ESL lesson, in order to keep classes interesting and
motivating for the students (Goner, Philips, and Walters 129).

To read more about the DEDUCTIVE APPROACH

Goner, Phillips, and Walters. Teaching Practice Handbook: Structures: Grammar and Function.
Heinemann, 1995. 129-138.

http://www.teflcertificatecourses.com/tefl-articles/tesol-inductive-deductive-approaches.php

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