TECHNIQUE AND PRINCIPLES IN

LANGUAGE TEACHING

The - Grammar Translation

Method

THE GRAMMAR TRANSLATION METHOD

The Grammar Translation Method is not new. IT has had different names, but it has been used by language teachers for many years. At one time it was called “Classical Method” since it was first used in the teaching of the classical languages, Latin and Greek (Chaslain 1988).Earlier in this century, this method was used for the purpose of helping students read and appreciate foreign language literature.

It was also hoped that, the study of the grammar of the target language, students would become more familiar with the grammar of the native language and that this familiarity would help them speak and write their native language better.

THE GRAMMAR TRANSLATION METHOD

The principles of the Grammar Translation Method are organized below by answering ten question. Not all the question are addressed by Grammar Translation Method;

I. What are the goals who use the Grammar Translation Method? a fundamental purpose of the learning foreign language is to be able to read literature written in the target language. To do this, students need to learn about the grammar rules and vocabulary of the target language.

II. What are some characteristics of the teaching/learning process?

Students are taught to translate from one language to another. Often what they translate are readings in the target language about some aspect of the target language community.

THE GRAMMAR TRANSLATION METHOD

III. What is the role of the student and the teacher? The teacher authority in the class room. The students do as she says so they can learn what she knows.

IV. What is the nature teacher-student interactions and nature student-student interactions? Most of the interaction in the classroom is from teacher to student. There is little interaction between student-student interaction.

V. How are the feelings that students dealt with? There are no principles of the method which relate to this area.

VI. How is language and Culture viewed? Literary language is considered superior spoken language and therefore the language that the students study.

THE GRAMMAR TRANSLATION METHOD

VII. What areas of language are emphasized? What language skill are used? Vocabulary and Grammar are emphasized. Reading and Writing are the primary skills the students work on. There is much little attention given to speaking and listening.

VIII. What is the role students native language? The language is used in class is mostly the students native language.

IX. How is evaluation accomplished? Written tests in which students are asked to translate from their native language to the target language or vice versa are often used.

X. How does the teachers respond to the students errors? If students make errors or do not know an answer, the teacher supplies them with correct answer.