CLASSIFICATION OF TEACHING METHODS IN LANGUAGE (final)

A teacher‘s responsibility is not only to say all things in books, he has to convey knowledge in them to students. To do that, the teacher of language has to choose effective and suitable teaching methods. We can classify them into two groups, the former is a deductive approach and the latter is an inductive one.
For the deductive approach, we can mention the grammar translation method which appeared from 1800. Through translation exercise into the students‘ mother tongue, the teacher can instruct the student’s grammar and vocabulary deductively. Students are taught to write sentences by imitating the grammar rules which they have read. “They also quickly understand the sentences by translating solely words which are taught through bilingual word lists, dictionary studies, memorization” (Richards & Rodgers, 2001, cited by Zhang, n.d). So “this method focuses on reading and writing skill rather than other skills” (Arthur, 2007). This approach is the oldest one and is excessively teacher-centered (Klapper, 2006). The teacher has to give grammar rules and the meaning of words so that students can learn by heart. The more knowledge the teacher provides, the more knowledge the students get. Although it has many weak points, it is suitable for students who start to study second language. It is the easiest and shortest way to learn new words because students hear the explanation in their native language.
The inductive classification was developed after 1900 including such as the direct method, audio-lingual method, and communicative language method. These methods increase the interaction between teacher and students so students are more active. Direct methods focus on listening and speaking skills. Teachers will explain the meaning of new words by demonstrating and showing visual aids. Students will learn grammar and vocabulary inductively by listening and looking. For the audio-lingual method, students have to enhance their listening more because the meaning of the words are explained in a foreign language. The principle character of this classification is that a second language can be learnt in the same way as a first one by daily situations. There some methods of this approach which can supply learner –centered transfer. Communicative methods follow the sequence: Presentation – Practice – Production, which encourage students “to extend ability to apply the rule in other contexts” (Klapper, 2006). It means learners have to consider the “presentation” of teachers in order to do “practice” again and make new “production” in new situations.
Classifying the teaching methods can help teachers understand more information about them. Although there are many differences between them, they are used in every classroom all over the world. A good teacher has to choose a suitable one or combine them in their lessons to get the most effective results.

References

Arthur, E. (2007, 3 5). www.slideshare.net. Retrieved 2013, from language-teaching-approaches-and-methods: http://www.slideshare.net/emma.a/language-teaching-approaches-and-methods
Klapper, J. (2006). Understanding and Developing Good Practice. Birmingham.
Richards, R. (1986). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge University Press. cited by Liwei, (n.d). Grammar - translation Method