Grammar-Translation by Gustavo Espinoza

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Teaching English I

TEACHING ENGLISH

THE GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD

JOSE GUSTAVO ESPINOZA MORALES


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Teaching English II

Teaching English

Nowadays, the importance of teaching English has increased for all over the world,

this is because English has become in one of the most important language in all countries,

thus being one of the languages more taught for different teachers, using different

methods, technique, methodology and so on, because English is the dominant language of

the world in 21st

century. It is the language of science, business, tourism, internet , etc.

There are many people trying to learn English as a second language or as a foreign

language that is why the following research focused in one method: The Grammar

Translation Method, it can be used with different languages but in this case teaching

English and it will be developed in four different questions:

1. What is the Historical Background Information ofGrammar-Translation Method?

2. What is the Grammar-Translation Method?


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Teaching English III

experiences in any subjects but not in English, including some techniques associated with

the Grammar-Translation Method.

1. What is the Historical Background Information of the Grammar

Translation Method?

One thing that is important to know is to recognize what is a method, and there

may be different kinds of method depending of the areas but in this case is a teaching

method, according to: (Learn, 2011) Teaching Methods can be described as the way of

achieving learning outcomes. It is a process that we can follow for achieving an end in the

teaching process, in other words a Method shows the way to follow. In any way when

someone has to start a project is necessary to use a method, and without a method it

could be really difficult because it helps us in all our way as a teacher, the selection of one

method depend of some characteristic that we must keep in mind when we want to

teach, one essential point is to have a little background about the students, knowledge,

environment and learning goals.


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Teaching English IV

as the favored method of the Prussian Gymnasien after their expansion in the early year

of the nineteenth century.

The Grammar-Translation method not only was used in Germany but also in other

European countries, originally it was used to teach Greek and Latin. Five hundred years

ago Latin was the official or main language of education, religion, business and authorities

in Europe. (Tetzner, 2006) But now English is the most important language as it has

explained before, and actually one of both languages have disappeared that is Latin, and

it is the origin where a lot of languages come from, for example: Spanish, Italian, and so

on. It was used for teaching the fundamentals of Grammar and translation in order to read

and interpret Latin texts. In the middle of nineteenth century this method changed of

name because it was known as the translation school method into The Grammar

Translation Method. (Tetzner, 2006)

In the nineteenth century this method was used in teaching other languages, for


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Teaching English V

approaches; it is focused in Grammatical Rules, Syntactic structures and rote

memorization of vocabulary and translation of literary text.

2. What is the Grammar Translation Method?

Now that we already know a little background information about GTM, it is

necessary to define it, and according to (Nagaraj, 2005), it is a way of learning a language

through a detailed study of its grammar, everything is focused just in Grammar, teaching

rules, memorization and so on, this is the main point in this method without grammar this

method did not exist, the learner then applies the rules of grammar in translating

sentences and part of texts from the mother tongue into the target language and vice

versa, we can recognize when a teacher is applying this method, because is something

traditional that always occurs in the classroom, the only requirement in GMT that the

teacher asks is the dictionary for translating everything that is involved in the learning

process.

If we find another definition is similar, it is the same always if a teacher wants to


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Teaching English VII

teacher gives the copy to the student and they have to memorize word by word in order

to have a little of vocabulary in the target language.

Classes are taught in the mother tongue, with little active use of the target

language. (Candlin., 1980) In this class it is not necessary to have a prepared teacher in

the areas of languages; it could be any teacher in any subjects the only requirement that

the method asks is to know something about rules of the target language.

Grammar provides the rules for putting words together, and instruction often

focuses on the form and inflection for words. (Candlin., 1980)The teacher takes the role

as an explainer or an authority because he is always giving instructions how to use the

different structures, times etc.

Reading of difficult classical texts in the beginning of the class (Candlin., 1980),

the most traditional thing in the Grammar-Translation Method is always a text at the

beginning in every class because remember the main purpose is reading and appreciation


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Teaching English VIII

The learner does not play an active role in the use of the target language,

(G.Widdowson, 2004) because the teacher is the only one that participates as giving

instructions.

4. What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Grammar Translation

Method?

The Grammar-Translation Method has a long history as we have studied in the first

point of this research, so the advantages and disadvantages have been demonstrated

during the teaching processes or in the students processes.

Advantages:

First the Grammar-Translation Method is good for language learners to recognize

some features of two languages, and some of the learners study the target language very

well by this method. (G.Widdowson, 2004) Remember that in every students change the

way of learning and some of them can learn much better with this method, everything


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Teaching English IX

reading is one of the purpose of this method in which a student can develop the ability to

read.

Third with this method you can save time in planning your class, and it is easier for

the teacher if he knows the topic, and something important the method works well with

large classes.

Disadvantages:

Learner does not have Motivation and Participation.

The GTM approach involves no learner participation and little teacher-student

relationship. Students are required to learn from a textbook and use the same method

throughout their learning. (Gorski, 2012) This is one of the disadvantages that in the

classroom we can find, there is not interactions, no friendship and the student is seen just

in a cognitive way without feeling, emotions and so on.


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Teaching English X

Some Principles that the Method has:

Literary language is superior to the spoken language. Translating each language into each other is an important goal

for learners.

The authority in the classroom is the teacher. To be able to communicate with target languages speakers is not

among the goals.

The primary skills to be improved are reading and writing. Its focus is on accuracy and not fluency. Error correction: If a students answer of a question is incorrect,

the teacher selects a different student to give the correct answer

or she/he replies himself/herself.

(Larsen, 2000)


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Teaching English XI

find word with the same meaning of different, Deductive application is after the teacher

explains the rule and the students have to apply it, Fill-in-the-blanks is an activity where

the students have to end a sentences with a missing word. Memorization this is one

difficult thing but is an activity included in this method, they have to memorize the rules

and the new vocabulary, use words in sentences is simple after to memorize they have to

use the all vocabulary building sentences.

In conclusion, this is a classical method and it is up to the teacher if he wants to use

it in order to teacher English or another foreign language, at the beginning this method

was a successful thing according its history, but after some time it has found some

disadvantages, the use of this method depends of the purpose that the teacher wants to

reach with his students, just it is necessary to keep something in mind, if someone wants

to show culture using this method may be it is possible but just with reading passages, and

something relevant that this method gives to students the false idea of what language is

and of the relationship between languages.


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Teaching English XII

References:

Candlin., B. J. (1980). Linguistics Applied. En B. J. Candlin., The essential of a Communicative

curriculum in Language Teaching (pgs. 89-112). Hong Kong: Chinese University Press.

G.Widdowson, A. H. (2004).A History Of English Language Teaching. New York: Oxford University

Press.

Gorski, V. (12 de February de 2012). eHOW. MOM. Recuperado el 29 de September de 2013, de

eHow. MOM: http://www.ehow.com/info_8059435_advantages-disadvantages-gtm-

tefl.html

Larsen, D. (2000). Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. New York: Oxford University

Press.

Learn, O. (21 de May de 2011). Lab Space. Recuperado el 28 de September de 2013, de Lab Space:

http://labspace.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=426993

Nagaraj, G. (2005). English Language Teaching Approches Methods and Techniques. Indian:

Logman.

Tetzner, R. (2006). The Grammar-Translation Method. EE.UU.: Grin.

Ulit., E. V. (1995). Teaching The Elementary School. Ladesco Village.: Rex, Book Store, INC.


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Teaching English X

UNIVERSIDAD CAPITAN GENERAL GERARDO BARRIOS.

Km. 113 Carretera del Litoral,

Desvo a Santa Mara Usulutn, El Salvador.

PBX. (503) 2662-0846

LESSON PLAN

Teachers name: Jos Gustavo Espinoza Morales. Date: Oct. 04th, 2013 Time: 20 min.

Subject: English grammar Section: A Unit: 1

Career: Bachelor Degree in English. Level: A1

Topics:

Teaching

Methods

.

Principles of the Method. Techniques.

Activities

Timing

Teaching

ResourcesTeacher Students

Quantifi

ers: too

much

and toomany

The

Gramma

r-Translati

on

Method.

Literary language is superior to

spoken language.

The primary skills to be improved

are reading and writing.To be able to communicate with

target languages speakers is not

among the goals.

To be able to translate each

language into the other

Language provides good mental

exercises.

The teacher is the authority.

Learning is facilitated through

attention.

Deductive Application of an

explicit Grammar.

It is important for students to

learn about the form of the target

language.

Reading

Comprehension

questions.

Translation of

Literary Passage

Memorization.

Fill-in the

blanks.

Deductive

Application of

rules.

Greeting.

Give

indications.

Give to thestudents a text

to read.

Ask to

students about

some

questions of

the text.

Tell to

students about

translation.

Explanation

about the

topic.

Give

indications

about fill in the

blank.

Read a passage

and answer some

question.

Translate into

Spanish the first

passage.

To complete some

exercises using the

technique fill in the

blanks.

Grammatical

Exercises.

Do some sentences

applying the rules.

5 min.

3 min.

7 min.

5 min.

Copies.

Markers.

Projector.

Computer.Whiteboard

.

Notebook.

Extra Pages.

Documents

Grammar-Translation by Gustavo Espinoza