ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY

1. The Direct Method

A. Definition

Direct method in teaching a language is directly establishing an immediate and audio visual association
between experience and expression, words and phrases, idioms and meanings, rules and performances
through the teachers' body and mental skills, without any help of the learners' mother tongue.

B. Procedures or steps

The following procedure is adapted from Larsen-Freeman (2000: 26-28).

1. Each student has a reading passage in front of him/her.

2. The students are called on one by one and they read the text loudly.
3. After the students finish reading the passage, they are asked in the target language if they have
questions.
4. The teacher answers the students’ question in the target language.
5. The teacher works with the students on the pronunciation
6. The teacher gives question to the students and the questions and statements are about the students in
the classroom.
7. The student make up their own questions and statements and direct them to other students in the
classroom.
8. The teacher instructs the students to turn to an exercise in the lesson which asks them to fill in the
blanks.
9. The students read a sentence out loud and supply the missing word as they are reading.
10. The teacher asks the students to take out their notebooks and he/she gives them a dictation; the
passage is about the topic that has been discussed.

C. Advantages and disadvantages

1. It is natural method:

In the direct method the order of teaching is observing, listening, speaking, reading and
writing. This is the natural order of learning a language. The method makes use of demonstration
and conversation.

2. It gives fluency of speech:

As a lot of attention is paid to oral training in this method, the students acquire fluency of
speech. This is the reason why students who are taught by the direct are fluent speakers as
compared to those who are taught by the translation method.
3. It improves pronunciation:
As the students are made to speak a lot and they are also taught phonetics, their pronunciation
improves.
4. It aids written work:
Fluency of speech leads to case in writing. To express themselves in writing, the students
have only to learn spellings, if a students can express as himself clearly in speaking, he can
express himself in writing as well.
5. It facilities the study of literature:
It is believed that since the student acquires an ear for the language in direct method, it
facilities the study of literature.
6. It makes use of audio-visual aids:
Audio-visual aids are used in the direct method. This makes the lesson interesting.

Disadvantages of Direct Method Teaching of English language:-

1. It is an incomplete method: Direct method lays too much emphasis on speaking. It neglects
reading and writing. The tendency is to give insufficient attention to reading and not to teach
written work systematically.
2. It requires efficient teachers:
Every teacher can’t make a success of the direct method. Only that teacher can work out this
method successfully, who is good at English? Especially conversational English.
3. It requires linguistic minded students:
Direct method can succeed only with those students who are linguistically minded, that is,
students who have got a fine ear for the language. Only the clever child can profit by this method.
4. Material facilities aren’t available:
 Direct method requires the use of audio-visual aids, but these aren’t available in a majority of
our schools.
5. The classes are over-crowded:
Small classes are needed for the direct method so that the teacher can pay individual attention.
But in a majority of schools the classes are very large.
6. It is difficult for explanation:
The meaning of new words in the direct method is explained by material association,
explanation in the target language and use in suitable context. The mother tongue is not used although
in certain cases its use more economical and effective in telling meaning.

D. References

2. Grammar Translation Method

A. Definition

The Grammar-Translation Method is a method of foreign or second language teaching which uses
translation and grammar study as the main teaching and learning activities. GTM is the oldest method of
teaching. The grammar translation method is a foreign language teaching method derived from the
classical (sometimes called traditional) method of teaching Greek and Latin. This method has been used
from the classical times to translate classical languages, Latin and Greek, it has been called Classical
method.

B. Procedures or steps

The characteristics mentioned above are not a set of procedures of the GTM. Language teachers may
develop their own procedures as long as they are in accordance with the characteristic of the GTM. The
following procedure of teaching the target language through the GTM is adapted from Larsen-Freeman
(2000: 15-17).

1. The class reads a text written in the target language.

2. Student translate the passage from the target language to their mother tongue.
3. The teacher asks students in their native language if they have any questions, student ask questions
and the teacher answer the questions in their native language.
4. Student write out the answers to reading comprehension questions.
5. Student translate new words from the target language to their mother tongue.
6. Student are given a grammar rule and based on the example they apply the rule by using the new
words.
7. Student memorize vocabulary.
8. The teacher asks students to state the grammar rule
9. Student memorize the rule.
10. Errors are corrected by providing the right answers.

C. Advantages and disadvantages

The Advantages of the Grammar-Translation Method:

The following are the advantages of the Translation Method for teaching of English as second
language:

1. It is an easy method:

In this method the child proceeds from the known to unknown. He already knows his mother
tongue and now he learns the English equivalents.

2. It helps in building vocabulary:

Translation method helps in the rapid expansion of vocabulary of the students as it avoids
difficult definitions or lengthy explanations. The vocabulary is economically and effectively acquired.
Students get the exact meanings of words.

3. It saves teacher’s labor:

The teacher finds it very easy to prepare his lesson. He has not to think of the ways and means
to explain new words. It doesn’t require the teacher to make use of audio-visual aids.

4. Comprehension is easily tested:

Students’ comprehension of English, especially at the early stages can be easily tested by
asking them to answer questions in the mother tongue.
5. Grammar is easily taught:
Grammar of the foreign language is easily taught by comparing it with the grammar of the
mother tongue.

The Disadvantages of the Grammar-Translation Method:

The disadvantages of the translation method are as under:

1. It is an unnatural method:
In the translation method, the teacher starts teaching English to the students by teaching them
reading first. But while learning his mother tongue the child learns first to understand spoken English
and then speaking. The natural order of learning a language is listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Translation method doesn’t follow this method.

2. It neglects speech:
Translation method neglects speech no much attention is paid to oral work or drill work in this
method. Besides this there is little ear-training as the teacher speaks the mother tongue most of the
time.

3. It neglects pattern practice:

There is no pattern practice in the translation method. The result is that students aren’t able to
speak English correctly.

4. It ignores habit formation:

Because of its neglect of speech and pattern practice. Translation method ignores habit formation.
‘The child never acquires the habit to think in English. Instead first he thinks in his mother tongue and
translates his thoughts into English.

5. Exact translation is not possible:

Language is the result of the history, tradition, culture and the life of the people speaking them.
That is why they can’t translate exactly from one language to another.

6. Idiomatic expressions are difficult to translate:

The idiomatic expressions are hard to translate aptly.one is likely to translate literally and
absurdly.

7. It teaches English by rules:

Translation method tries to teach English by rules rather than by use.

8. It makes the student a passive listener:

In the translation method the student isn’t an active participant in the teaching learning process.
He is passive listener.

9. It is uninteresting:
Translation method is dull and mechanical. It is bookish. No aids are used to make lessons
interesting. It reduces the learning of a living language to that of a dead language.

D. References

3. AUDIO LINGUAL METHOD

A. Definition

The Audiolingual Method is a method for foreign language teaching which emphasized the teaching of
listening and speaking before reading and writing. This method is combination between behavioral
psychology and linguistic. It’s also called “Army Method” because this method is appeared since the
World War II for the American armies who had to learn language quickly and intensively. The structural
theory of language constituted its backbone.Structural linguistic view language as a system of structurally
related elements for the expression of meaning. These elements are phonemes, morphemes, words,
structures and sentence types. The language teaching theoreticians and methodologists is behavioral
psychology which is is an empirically based approach to the study of human behavior. Behaviorism tries
to explain how an external even (a stimulus ) caused a change in the behavior of an individual (a
response) without using concept like ”mind” or “idea”.
In the Audiolingual Method, the students first hear a language. Later, they speak the language and after
that, they read and write in it. Mother tongue is discouraged in the classroom when this method is used.
The Audiolingual Method does not learn lots of vocabulary. Rather, the teacher drills speaking and
grammar because in this method, grammar is most important for the student. In other word, the student
must repeat grammar pattern after the teacher.

B. Procedures or steps

The procedure can be as follows:

a. The language teacher gives a brief summary of the content of the dialogue. The dialogue is not
translated but equivalent translation of key phrases should be given in order for the language learners to
comprehend the dialogue.

b. The language learners listen attentively while the teacher reads or recites the dialogue at normal
speed several times. Gestures and facial expressions or dramatized actions should accompany the
presentation.

c. Repetition of each line by the language learners in chorus is the next step. Each sentence may be
repeated a half dozens of times, depending on its length and on the alertness of the language learners. If
the teacher detects an error, the offending learner is corrected and is asked to repeat the sentence. If many
learners make the same errors, chorus repetition and drill will be necessary.

d. Repetition is continued with groups decreasing in size, that is, first the two halves of the class, then
thirds, and then single rows or smaller groups. Groups can assume the speaker’s roles.

e. Pairs of individual learners now go to the front of the classroom to act out of the dialogue. By this
time they should have memorized the text.

C.Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages:

1. Learners be able speaking the target language comunicatively.

2. Learners have no difficulties to understand the lesson as it is carried out in the mother tongue.
3. Learners are able to give correct response directly.
4. Learners more concern about the combination between behavioral psychology and linguistic.

Disadvantages:

1. Speaking or any kind of spontaneous creative output was missing from the curriculum.
2. Students lacked an active role in the classroom.
3. Very little attention is paid to communication.
4. Very little attention is paid to content.
5. Process of learning only focus in speaking. Because of all these disadvantages, instructors tried to
find better ways to remedy the pitfalls of the audiolingual method.

4. Structural Approach Method

A. Definition

The structural approach means the arrangement of words in such a way as to form a suitable pattern of
sentence. The mastery of sentence structure in considered to be mare with than the acquisition of
vocabulary.

In structural, content words are also taught. The selection of content words is directed by their usefulness,
simplicity and teachability. A appropriate situation should be created to practice the structure and to relate
its meaning to it and to build up a vocabulary of content words even structure is separately taught. The
term is predated in a appropriate situation by the teaching.

B. Procedures or steps

Procedure of the Approach:

C. Advantages and disadvantages

Advantage:
1. After learning five or six items can be categorized.
2. This method help student to learn very fast because the subject matter is present in form of
structure. Students understand it easily.
3. Students first listen to the teacher and they repeat it. Thus they learn to speak first and then read
and write.
4. When students learn the structure of the language, they automatically learn grammar. Words
order, use of the word and sentence pattern.
5. This approach promotes the use of everyday English.
6. This approach enables student speak first which is very important and then read and write.
7. Proper stress on oral learning.
8. Both the teacher and the student are active
9. This method can be adopted for all the students of language learning.

Disadvantage:
1. This method prefers the selection and gradation of the structure which does not solve the problem
of teaching English.
2. This approach doesn't advise the teacher that how should he present the structure of the language
or teaching material?
3. This approach does not advise the teacher about the teaching material for written exercise. The
technique of gradation is good in theory but it is not good in practice work
4. Structural approach is not suitable for higher classes.
5. Drilling makes the atmosphere of the class dull and boring.
6. Only well selected sentence pattern can be taught.
7. Predsed text book can not be taught.
8. More teaching aids are needed.
9. If the structure syllabus is followed strictly, it is difficult to complete the syllabus.

D. Reference
Patel, M.F & Praveen M. Jain. (2008). English language teaching: Methods, tools & techniques. Vaishali
Nagar: Sunrise Publishers & Distributors.

5. SUGGESTOPEDIA

A. Definition

Suggestopedia is a language teaching method originated in the 1970s by Bulgarian psychologist Georgi
Lozanov. The name combines the terms "suggestion" and "pedagogy", the main idea being that
accelerated learning can take place when accompanied by de-suggestion of psychological barriers and
positive suggestion. To this end lessons take place against a background of soothing music in an
emotionally comforting environment, with the teacher actively planting and unplanting thoughts in and
from the learners' minds.

B. Procedures or steps

C. Advantage and disadvantages