2. History
The Grammar-Translation Method originated from
the practice of teaching Latin. In the early 1500s,
Latin was the most widely-studied foreign language
due to its prominence in government, academia,
and business. However, during the course of the
century the used of Latin dwindle, and it was
gradually replaced by English, French, and Italian.
Whereas previously students had learned Latin for
the purpose of communication, it came to be
learned as a purely academic
subject.
3. Advantages
•Translation is the easiest and shortest
way of explaining meaning of words and
phrases.
•Learners have no difficulties to
understand the lesson as it is carried out in
the mother tongue.
•It is a labor-saving method as the teacher
carries out everything in the mother
tongue.
4. Class rules
•Classes are taught in the mother tongue, with
little active use of the target language.
•Much vocabulary is taught in the form of list of
isolated words.
•Long elaborate explanations of the intricacies of
grammar are given.
•Grammar provides the rule for putting words
together, and instruction often focuses on the
form and inflection of words.
•Reading of difficult classical texts is begun
early.
•Little attention is paid to the content of texts,
which are treated as exercises in grammatical
analysis.
5. What was that mean???
Are students have to follow your style?
your way?
Or
Like this?
HELLOOOO..???
Another students
6. Disadvantages
•This method gives pupils the wrong idea
of what language is and of the relationship
between languages. Language is seen as a
collection or words which are isolated and
independent.
•Worst effect of this method is on pupil’s
motivation. Because (s)he cannot succeed
– leads to frustration, boredom,
indiscipline.
7. Disadvantages
•It seems there was no need for students to
master the four skills of English (listening,
speaking, reading, and writing).
•The grammar-translation method is the
easiest for a teacher to employ. It doesn’t
require a teacher to speak good English or
make good lesson preparation.
desperate
8. Criticism
•What the method is good at is “teaching about the language” , not
“teachingthe language”.
•Speaking or any kind of spontaneous creative output was missing
from the curriculum.
•Students lacked anactive role in the classroom.
•Very little attention is paid to communication.
•Very littleattention is paid to content.
•Translationis sometimes misleading.
Source : www.myenglishpages.com/blog/grammar-translation-method
9. Criticism
“The grammar-translation method is widely hated by EFL/ESL
instructors, even without clearly defining what the method is. It often
serves as a catch-all for the repetitive, overly academic, and terminally
boring language classes most of us sat through in school. Classes are
also primarily conducted in the native language of the teacher and the
students, a big no-no the EFL/ESL world.”
“Critics point out that the method typically creates a teacher-centric
classroom, with no opportunity for speaking practice. Okay, often true.
And that learning tedious grammar rules and long lists of vocabulary
does not prepare students to communicate in real-world situations.”
Source : www.japantoday.com/category/opinions/view/the-grammar-translation-
method-is-it-really-all-that-bad
Do you know what was that mean?Did you hear that? Huh??
Twenty minutes later
Do not try this at home
10. The Grammar-Translation Method was devised and developed
for use in secondary schools. It could even be called ‘the
grammar school method’ since it strengths, weaknesses, and
excesses reflected the requirements, aspirations, and
ambitions of the nineteenth-century grammar school in its
various guises in different countries.
The ‘Grammar-Translation’ label is misleading in some
respects. It was coined by its late nineteenth-century critics
who wanted to draw attention to the two features that they
most disliked : the teaching of grammar in isolation from texts
and the excessive use of translation both in teaching of
meaning and practice exercises.
Source :
book “A History of ELT, second edition” (page 151)
A.P.R Howatt | Henry Widdowson
Oxford University Press, 3 Jun 2004