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Course Tutor: BESL 307, Principles and Methods of English Language Teaching.
Roll: BB-093-003
Grammar translation method is highly effective for acquiring reading and writing skills of
any written language. This is highly applicable for most of the dominant living languages
and dead ones as well. This method has been found useful for teaching biblical literature.
Use of mother tongue as the medium of instruction and reference language makes it easier
for the learners to compare the system of their target language with their own language. As
this method has been practiced in Bangladesh for a long time, Bangladeshi learners of
English are very good in reading and writing texts.
However, as the primary target of GTM is to teach learners the reading and writing skills
in the target language, this method severely lacks the communicative skills of language
while communication is considered the primary focus of language teaching. Therefore; as
English is a living language and the main purpose of learning English in today’s world is
communication, GTM should be withdrawn as the sole method of English language
teaching from the national curriculum of Bangladesh.
Direct Method
In my second semester at University, I had Spanish language classes with a native teacher.
Her teaching style seemed to be very interesting and fruitful to me. She used to talk in
Spanish all the class. She would hardly allow us using English, the third and only common
language between us. We did many activities in the class like watching video clips,
listening to Spanish music and conversations, group work etc. Our teacher used to
demonstrate if we had difficulty to understand any word or sentence. We were happy that
we were getting input in our target language for the whole class hour, but sometimes we
really had to face some difficulties to understand the teacher and communicate with her.
Later, I came to know that all of these are the characteristics of a language class using
Direct Method. Let me explain the good and bad sides of a Direct Method language class.
First of all, full immersion in the target language is the best side of a direct method class.
It gives the learner the opportunity to live with the target language and explore it. This is
how a child learns its first language. Secondly, this method is full of activities and audio-
visual aids. Therefore, the learner does not usually get bored. Finally; unlike the GTM, this
method offers the development of all the four skills of a language.
On the other hand, I have sorted out some shortcomings of this method. First, there is no
systematic written work or reading activities in this method. For this reason, a learner may
feel lack of technique for his self-study. Next, as translation or use of mother tongue is
restricted, sometimes communication gap may occur which will lessen the learning
outcome. Sometimes, a simple translation is way easier than tiresome demonstration.
Especially, in the advance level classes this method is not applicable. To conclude, direct
method might be a good way of teaching foreign languages if the restricted rules are not
always maintained for the sake of better learning.
ALM is used to teach highly context specific language chunks, for example, market
conversation, greetings, announcements, directions etc. It teaches the learners to accurately
use the focused patterns of language. I think this method is very useful for the professionals
who need to have good skills on specific use of language. To illustrate, the peace keeping
force from Bangladesh Army takes short training on French language so that they can run
their simple day to day conversation with the native African people. It is not necessary for
them to have advance level skills in French. Similarly, the announcer working in an
international airport must pronounce the words accurate in a number of languages, but he
or she does not need the advance language skill to do it.
Nowadays, scholars highly criticize ALM because its psychological basis is behaviorist
theory. Scholars like Chomsky hold that behaviorist model cannot be applied in language
teaching. Moreover, ALM does not focus on all the four skill and the communicative
competence of the learners. Rather, it considers the learners as a parrot who can memorize
the given language pattern. The learner plays a passive role in the learning process.
I have found overlapping between the direct method and the natural approach. The main
difference is that the natural approach puts more emphasis on exposure to language input
and less on practice.
The Solution
Many methods were proposed until the last century. Kumaravadivelu came up with a
solution in 1994. He proposed that this era is “postmethod era”. This view holds that no
specific method can be fully applied in a classroom. Rather, the teacher knows well when
to use what. Moreover, no individual method could fulfil the need of a sound language
classroom. Therefore, this method incorporates the suggestions of all the previous methods
and there is room for creativity for the teacher.