TEACHING AND LEARNING

PROCESS USING THE

GRAMMAR- TRANSLATION
METHOD

Chen Hui Ying

Yuvabarte Arun

A way of teaching in which students

study grammar and translate words
into their own language. They do not
practise communication and there is
little focus on speaking. A teacher
presents a grammar rule and
vocabulary lists and then students
translate a written text from their own
language into the second language.
See communicative approach.

British Council

History
Teach classical language : Latin &
Greek
helping students to
Also called Classical read
Method
and appreaciate

Early 20th century

foreign language
literature
Students become
more familiar with
grammar of their
native language
which would help
them speak & write
better
Help intellectual
growth & are helpful
mental exercise

Background
Traditional method of foreign
language teaching
Stressed the literacy
development
(fine arts & literature )
Teacher centered

Principles of GTM Behaviorism

Lesson conduct with native language
(use little target language )
Much vocabulary is taught in the
form of lists of isolated words
(memorizing)
Grammar is studied deductively
(provides the rules for words
arrangement & instruction often focus
on the form and inflect the words)

 Literacy language is superior to spoken

language => reading & writing as
primary skills
( Study target : literature & fine arts)
Correct answer is important
( Students success of translation are
considered successful language learners )
Capability of speaking in target
language is least focused
( accuracy rather than fluency)
Teacher as authority and primary
information resourse


Roles of Teachers
Authority / controller
(lesson focus on syllabus)
Teacher centred
( teacher talking time > students)
( primary resource)

Roles of Students
Passive participants
(little student-teacher & student-student
interaction)
Recipient of knowledge
(Students follow teachers instruction
without additional input )

Characteristics of Teaching &

Learning Process
Learning the rules of grammar and
applying them in translation
passage from L1-L2, L2-L1
Grammar taught deductively
Memorising of vocabulary in L1=L2

Emphasis on Areas of Language

Vocabulary and grammar(teaching
the form) = form based

Emphasis on Language Skills

Reading and writing
Little attention to
listening,pronunciation and speaking

Role of L1
Classroom language is L1
( extensive explanation in native
language )
L2s meaning is understood
through successful translation from
L2 to L1

Evaluation
Written tests ( students translate
from L1 to L2, L2 to L1)
Questions about L2 and applying
grammar rules

TECHNIQUES
1. 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

 Reading comprehension questions

Students answer these questions in the target
language
Answers to the questions may be:
Contained in
the text

Related to
experience

inferred

Antonyms / synonyms
Students are asked to find antonyms in the reading
passage or, to define a set of words based on their
understanding of them as they occur in the reading
passage

 Deductive application of rule

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 on
examples they are given( drilling)
Cognates
Through learning spelling or sound pattern
that correspond between the language
Memorization of words with different
meaning from native language

 Fill in the blank

Teacher give students sentences with
word missing.
Students should fill in the blanks with
the new vocabulary or with a particular
grammar type

Memorization
Students are asked to memorize new
words, grammatical rules, and verb
conjugation

 Use the 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

Composition
Students are asked to write a
composition in the target language
The topic is based on some aspect of
the reading passage

ADVANTAGES
An effective way for application of
grammar and sentence structure
Least stressful for students as they
use their native language.
Language learnt without needing
interaction with native speaker
Do not require teacher to speak
fluent English

DISADVANTAGES
Wrong idea of what language is.
Unnatural method. It starts with the
teaching of reading not listening.
Speech is neglected as it lays
emphasis on reading and writing.
It does not give pattern practice.
Less learners motivation
Create frustration for learners

Demonstration activity
Convert the following sentence to
Malay
- I love to play football.
- the man with an umbrella is my
father
- motivation gets you moving,
determination keeps you going.

Stating the antonyms and

synonyms of the words

Felix and Diego were absent on the day of the test. When
they left1 at school the following night2 , they had to go to a
different room to give3 the test. They were calm4 because
they were not really prepared but decided to give it their
worst5 try. Felixs pencil mended6 twice during the test
because he was pressing too softly7 . He finally took a
shallow8 breath and calmed up9 . At the different10 time,
Diego was unoccupied11, carefully reading and then
erasing12 in the bubbles to answer the questions. He
started13 too quickly to do a poor14 job of it, so he decided
to look recklessly15 back over each question to make sure
he had the incorrect16 answer. Both girls17 spent most of
the evening18 until lunch time playing19 on the test. They
were very anxious20 when they were finally able to finish
and turn their tests out21. They hurried back to their
classroom just in time to get their lunch money so they
could line up with everyone else to sell22 lunch. They
decided to try harder not

1 .arrived 2. morning 3. take

4. nervous 5. Best 6. broke
7. hard 8. deep 9. down
10. same 11. busy 12. Filling
13. Finished 14. good 15. carefully
16. correct 17. Boys 18. morning
19. working 20. relieved 21. in 22.
buy