Module 1, Task 5: Overview of Grammar Teaching Methods and Approaches
Overview of Grammar Teaching Methods and Approaches (30 minutes)
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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.
Grammar-translation became unpopular because students translated written sentences, knew grammar rules perfectly, but were not able to communicate in the target language. However, it is clear that asking 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 students work on their own and translate the sentences. |
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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.
Sample activity:
AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD The teacher speaking in English all the time. She writes on the board: “Do you like reading?” |
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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.
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. |
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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.
5 Conclusion
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.
| Grammar Translation | Audiolingual Method | Communicative Language Teaching | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammar rules | Central feature | Not explained | Explained when necessary |
| Meaningful communication | Not important | Limited | Central feature |
| Use of translation | Central feature | Forbidden | Used when necessary |
| Teacher-student roles | Teacher-centered | Teacher-centered | Teacher facilitates student to student interaction |
| Attitude to errors | Accuracy emphasized | Accuracy emphasized | Errors part of the learning process |
| Balance of language skills | Reading and writing emphasized | Listening and speaking emphasized | Skills taught according to learners' needs |
To cite this page:
World Learning. (2019). Overview of Grammar Teaching Methods and Approaches. In “Teaching Grammar Communicatively” [MOOC].
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