کوثر

CHAPTER 2
   The Grammar– Translation
    Method

The Grammar-Translation Method has had different names. At one time it was called the Classical Method since it was first used in the teaching of the classical languages, Latin and Greek

 

 The objectives of the method in the past

In past, this method was used for the purpose of helping students read and appreciate foreign language literature

Another objective of the method in the past

It was also hoped that, through the study of grammar of the target language, students would become more familiar with the grammar of their native language

 

One other objective of the method in the past

It was thought that foreign language learning would help students grow intellectually; it was recognized that students would probably never use the target language

The observations and their underlying principles

Observation: The class is reading an excerpt from a novel

Principle: A fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language is to be able to read literature. Literary language is superior to spoken language

 

Observation: Students translate the passage from English to Spanish

Principle: An important goal is for students to be able to translate each language into the other

 

Observation: The teacher asks students in their native language if they have any questions

Principle: The ability to communicate in the target language is not a goal of foreign language instruction

Observation: The students write out the answers to reading comprehension questions

Principle: Primary skills to be developed are reading and writing. Little attention is given to speaking and listening 

Observation: The teacher decides whether an answer is correct or not

Principle: The teacher is the authority in the classroom. It is very important that students get the correct answer

Observation: Students translate new words from English Into Spanish

Principle: It is possible to find native language equivalents for all target language words

 

Observation: Students learn that English ‘-ty’ corresponds to –dad and    -tad in Spanish

Principle: Learning is facilitated through attention to similarities between the target language and the native language

 

Observation: Students are given a grammar rule for the use of a direct object with two-word verbs

Principle: It is important students learn about the form of the target language

 

  Observation: Students apply a rule to examples they are given

Principle: Deductive application of an explicit grammar rule is a useful pedagogical technique

 

 Observation: Students memorize vocabulary

Principle: Language learning provides good mental exercise

 

Observation: The teacher asks students to state the grammar rule

Principle: Students should be conscious of the grammatical rules of the target language

 

 

Observation: Students memorize present tense, past tense, and past participle forms of one set of irregular verbs,

Principle: Wherever possible, verb conjugations should be committed to memory

 

  The teacher goals

According to the teacher following this method, the purposes of language learning is to

enable students to read literature

provide students with good mental exercise

 

                                                                                                               The roles of the teacher & the students

The roles are very traditional. The teacher is the authority in the classroom. The students do as she says so they can learn what she knows

 

 Characteristics of teaching/learning process 

Students are taught to translate from one language to another

Students study grammar deductively

Students also learn grammatical paradigms

Students memorize native language equivalent for target language words

 

Interaction

Most of interaction in the classroom is from the teacher to the students. There is little student initiation and little student- student interaction

 

What about students’ feelings

In this method, there are no principles which relate to this area

 

Views on language & culture

Literary language is considered superior to spoken language and is therefore the language that students study. Culture is viewed as consisting of literature and the fine arts

 

Emphasis

Vocabulary and grammar are emphasized. Reading and writing are the primary skills that the students work on. There is much less attention given to speaking and listening. Pronunciation receives little, if any, attention 

 

The role of the native language
The meaning of the target language is made clear by translating it into the students’ native language. The language that is used in class is mostly the students’ native language 

Evaluation

Written tests in which students are asked to translate from their native language to the target language or vice versa are used. Questions that ask students to apply grammar rules are also common

 

Response to errors

Having the students get the correct answer is considered very important. If students make errors or do not know an answer, the teacher supplies them with the correct answer 

 

Deductive Grammar

In the Grammar-Translation Method, students study grammar deductively; that is to say, they are given the grammar rules and examples, are told to memorize them, and then are asked to apply the rules to other examples  

 

Some techniques used in the Method

Technique: Translation of  a literary passage 

Students translate a reading passage from the target language into their native language. Vocabulary and grammatical structures in the passage are studied in subsequent lessons

 

 Technique: Use of words in the sentences

In order to show that students understand the meaning and use of new vocabulary item, they make up sentences in which they use the new words 

 

Technique: Composition

The last technique to be mentioned here is composition in which the teacher gives the students a topic to write in the target language

 

Technique: Reading comprehension questions

The fist group of questions asks for information contained in the passage. The second group requires inferences. The third group requires students to relate the passage to their own experience

 

  Technique: Antonyms/ synonyms

This is another technique associated with the method in which students are given a set of words and are asked to find antonyms or synonyms in the reading passage

 

Technique: Cognates

Still another technique used in the method is to teach students to recognize cognates by learning the spelling or sound pattern that correspond between the languages 

Technique: Deductive application of rule

Grammar rules are presented with examples. Exception to each rule are also noted. Once students understand a rule, they are asked to apply it to some different examples

 

 Technique: Fill-in-the-blanks

Students are given a series of sentences with words missing. They fill in the blanks with new vocabulary items of a particular grammar type, such as prepositions or verbs with different tenses

 Technique: Memorization

Students are given lists of target vocabulary words and the native language equivalents and are asked to memorize them. Students are also required to memorize grammatical rules