ELT 213 APPROACHES TO ELT I GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD WEEK 3 Assist. Prof.Dr. Seden Eraldemir Tuyan

Traditional method Earlier in 20th century, this method was used for the purpose of helping students read and appreciate foreign language literature Once called ‘Classical Method’: first used in the teaching of classical languages, Latin and Greek Focus is on the rules of grammar and translation of passages from L1 to L2 or vice versa.

Read and appreciate foreign language literature Purpose of Grammar Translation Method Read and appreciate foreign language literature Study of target language grammar helps learn native language grammar and this helps SS speak and write L1 better Mental exercise of learning (L2) helps Ss grow intellectually

Characteristics Rules of grammar given. Explanations in the native language, and applied in the production of sentences through translation from one language to the other. Vocabulary learned through direct translation from the native language, in the form of isolated word lists

Very little teaching in the target language. Readings in the target language are translated directly and then discussed in the native language. Little or no attention to pronunciation.

Experience Reading passage: “Life on the Mississippi” by Mark Twain Each student reads a few lines from the passage Students translate the excerpt into Spanish Teacher helps with new vocabulary in Spanish

Exercise 1. Reading Comprehension Ss write the answers to the questions in English T asks Ss in Spanish if they have questions Students ask and answer questions one by one Exercise 2. Vocabulary Ss give the Spanish translations for the words in the exercise Ss give antonyms of the words T explains cognates

Exercise 3. Grammar T explains the use of two-word verbs in Spanish Ss do phrasal verb activity: put one of the phrasal verbs in the blank Homework Ss memorize the Spanish translation for the words given

OBSERVATION AND PRINCIPLES

1. Observation: Class reading an excerpt from Mark Twain’s «Life on the Mississipi» Principle: Literary language is superior to spoken language; aim is to read literature 2. Observation: Ss. translate the passage from Eng to Span Principle: Translating each language into each other is an important goal for learners

3. Observation: T asks Ss in L1 if they have any questions and answers are provided in L1 Principle: To be able to communicate in L2 is not a goal 4. Observation: Ss write out the answers to reading comprehension questions Principle: The primary skills to be improved are reading and writing; little attention to speaking and listening; almost not attention to pronunciation

5. Observation: T decides whether an answer is correct or not; T selects a student to give the correct answer; T gives the correct answer Principle: The authority in the classroom is the teacher; correct answer is important 6. Observation: Ss translate new words from L2 to L1 Principle: All target language words have native language equivalents

8. Observation: Grammar rule for two-word verbs is given 7. Observation: Ss learn that English –ty corresponds to –dad and – tad in Spanish Principle: Attention is given to similarities between two languages to facilitate learning 8. Observation: Grammar rule for two-word verbs is given Principle: Important to learn the form of the target language: Focus is on accuracy not on fluency 9. Observation: Ss apply a rule to examples they are given Principle: Explicit grammar rules are applied deductively

10. Observation: Ss memorize vocabulary Principle: Language learning provides good mental exercise 11. Observation: Ss state the grammar rules Principle: Ss should be conscious of the grammatical rules 12. Observation: Ss memorize present tense, past tense, and past participle forms of irregular verbs Principle: When possible, verb conjugations and other grammatical paradigms are memorized

REVIEWING THE PRINCIPLES

Goals of teachers: Help students read literature in target language; so students should know the grammar rules and vocabulary Studying a foreign language helps students develop their minds. Role of the teacher & students Teacher is the authority Students do what the teacher says.

Characteristics of teaching/learning process Teaching through translating reading texts mostly about the culture of the L2 community Grammar is taught deductively Grammatical paradigms are taught. Nature of student-teacher and student-student interaction From teacher to students.

Feelings of the students No principles for this area. The way language/culture is viewed Literary language is superior to spoken language Culture is viewed as literature and fine arts. Language/language skills emphasized Vocabulary and grammar are emphasized Reading and writing are primary skills Less attention to speaking and listening Almost no attention to pronunciation.

Role of students’ native language Language in class is mostly L1 Meaning of L2 is made clear through translation. Evaluation Written texts are translated Questions about target culture Application of grammar rules. Error correction Correcting students’ errors is very important.

TECHNIQUES

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. The passage may be a literary text or a text written by the teacher with a focus on particular grammar rules and vocabulary. Translation may be spoken or written or both Idioms and the like are not translated literally but it should show that they understand their meaning.

Reading Comprehension Students answer questions in the target language Questions are sequenced: Asking for information Making inferences Relating the passage to their own experiences.

Antonyms / Synonyms Students find antonyms/synonyms of the given words in the reading text Students define a set of words present in the reading text.

Cognates Students are taught cognates with a focus on the spelling or sound patterns that correspond between the languages Students memorize the words that look like cognates but have different meanings in the native language.

Deductive application of rule Grammar rules are presented with examples Exceptions to the rules are also mentioned Students apply the rules to some different examples.

Fill-in-the-blanks Students fill in the sentences with missing words Blanks are about new vocabulary items and particular grammar types (prepositions, verbs with different tenses, etc.).

Memorization Students memorize lists of L2 vocab and their L1 equivalents given to them Grammatical rules and grammatical paradigms are also memorized.

Use words in sentence Students make up sentences with new vocabulary items.

Composition Students write about a topic (given by the teacher) based on the reading passage Students prepare a summary of the reading text.