By: RICHELLE C.

CRISTICANTONG
MALL-I

The Grammar-Translation
Method
"a

method of foreign or second

language teaching which makes
use of translation and grammar
study as the main teaching and
learning activities."
---Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. (2002). Longman Dictionary of
Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. Pearson Education Limited.
pp.231.

History

Dates back to Erasmus 1466-1536

Originally used to teach Latin and
Greek in the late 19th and early
20th centuries
Earlier in 20th century, this
method was used for the purpose
of helping students read and
appreciate foreign language
literature.

Background

Traditional method of second language

teaching in schools

Most common language teaching method

Stressed the literacy development

Teacher centered

Introduction

Original purposes
Helping students read and

appreciate foreign language

literature
Students can become more
familiar with the grammar of their
native language also write and
speak their native language better
Helpful for mental exercise

Key Features
Prator and Celce-Murcia inTeaching English as a Second Foreign
Language(1979:3),

Classes are taught in the mother tongue, with

little active use of the target language.
Much vocabulary is taught in the form of lists
of isolated words.
Long elaborate explanations of the intricacies
of grammar are given.
Grammar provides the rules 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.

Often the only drills are exercises in translating

disconnected sentences from the target
language into the mother tongue.

Little or no attention is given to pronunciation .

Principles and
Techniques

Translation of a literary passage

Students will be asked to read a
literary passage and then
translate the target language
into their native language
Translation may be written or
spoken
Translation made by the students
can show that they understand
their meaning

Advantages

Easiest for teachers to use

Does not require teachers to speak
good English or make good lesson
preparations.
Only uses the textbook
Least stressful for students-teaching
occurs in the first language
Students learn the new language
without contact with native
speakers.

Disadvantages

Students lack comprehensiononly translating word-for-word

Does not allow students to create
meaning in English
Students do not learn to read.
Extensive memorization
Very little student/teacher and
student/student interaction

Principles and
Techniques

The ability of communicating in

the target language is not a
goal
The students ask questions in

their native language and are also

answered by the teacher also in
their native language
The teacher asks students in their
native language

Principles and
Techniques

Deductive application of rules

It is important for students to

learn about the forms(grammar

rules) of the target language
Grammar rules are presented
with examples
Students are asked to apply the
rules to examples they are
given

Principles and
Techniques

Reading comprehension
questions
Students answer these questions

in the target language

Answers to the questions may be
in the reading text, or based on
the understanding of the students
or students own experiences
related to the text

Principles and
Techniques

Teacher as the authority

Teacher decides whether the

students answers are correct

It is important for students to get
the correct answers
If students answer incorrectly, the
teacher will provide the correct
answer

Principles and
Techniques

Memorization

Students are asked to memorize

new words, grammatical rules, and

verb conjugation

Principles and
Techniques

Fill-in-the-blanks
Teacher give students sentences

with word missing

Students should fill in the blanks
with the new vocabulary or with
a particular grammar type

Principles and
Techniques

Use words in sentences

Students are asked to make up

sentences with the new words

they learn in the text
This technique can show
whether students really
understand the new words

Principles and
Techniques

Composition

Students are asked to write a

composition in the target

language
The topic is based on some aspect
of the reading passage

Conclusion
Teaching involves any instructional technique
that

draws

learners'

attention

to

some

specific grammatical form in such a way that

it

helps

them

metalinguistically

either

to

and/or

understand
process

it

it
in

comprehension and/or production so that

they can internalize it.
(Ellis, 2006, cf. Shih-Chuan Chang,2011,pp.15).

Thank You!!!