Methods of Teaching

Methods of Teaching


The difference between method and approach;

The meaning of method and the contrast between method and approach need to be clarified. First, approach is wider in coverage than method. The former is treated here as the basic orientation in teaching . Thus, it is closer to philosophy than the method. In this sense it is possible to talk about the grammar- translation approach, the direct approach, etc. Method, on the other hand, is the application of the detailed aspects of an approach.


The Grammar- Translation Approach;

The grammar- translation approach is the oldest and the most primitive of the technique of teaching foreign language. It has been very much discredited by teachers and theorists alike, partly because it has generally failed to teach foreign languages and partly because it is based on very much outdated views on language and language learning.

The approach, however, suited the age during which it was developed. In ancient and medieval times, t6he people interested in learning foreign languages, relatively speaking, few. For example, a nobleman desired to have his son or daughter learn a foreign language; a private tutor, would be hired . The latter had no training in the mechanics of teaching.

The premises underlying the grammar translation approach are implicit in the practices and techniques adopted by the followers of the approach.


1. The belief that language is nothing more than words and idioms tied together by rules of grammar. To learn a language, was to memorize lists of words, together with rules of grammar that decide the features of arrangement.



Best Regards
Note: Click on the pdf icon below for downloading the lecture.