Teaching Approaches

Teaching Approaches

   There are a lot of other teaching methods.  Some of them are old and others are modern. Here, we are going to talk about some of the old methods, showing their goals, merits and demerits.

• Grammar Translation Approach
• Direct Method Approach
• Reading Approach
• Audio-lingual Approach
• Oral or Situational Approach
• Cognitive Approach
• Affective Humanistic Approach
• Comprehension Approach
• Communicative Approach

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1- GTM:

      The grammar–translation method is a method of teaching a foreign language derived from the classical (sometimes called traditional) method of teaching Greek and Latin. In grammar–translation classes, students learn grammatical rules and then apply those rules by translating sentences between the target language and the native language. Advanced students may be required to translate whole texts word-for-word.

     It originated from the practice of teaching Latin; in the early 1500s, students learned Latin for communication, but after the language died out it was studied purely as an academic discipline. When teachers started teaching other foreign languages in the 19th century, they used the same translation-based approach as had been used for teaching Latin. The method has been rejected by scholars, and has no theoretical basis.

     Teacher  simply interprets the material and explains the grammatical structure. This type of teaching is called the Grammar Translation Method (GTM). In this method, fortunately for teachers, the teaching process is very simple and easy. It requires students to translate the whole text literally, word for word and memorize numerous grammatical rules and exceptions as well as enormous vocabulary lists.

     This method begins with a massive bilingual vocabulary list. Grammar points come directly from the text and are presented in the deductive way. It is explained elaborately by the instructor. Grammar thus provides the rules for assembling words. Tedious translation and grammar drills are used to exercise and strengthen the knowledge without attention to the content.

     Sentences are deconstructed and translated. Eventually, entire texts are translated from the target language into the native language and tests often ask students to replicate classical texts in the target language. There is no focus on the skills of listening, speaking or communication. The skill which is exercised is reading and only in the content of the translation.

The goal:

The method has two main goals: to enable students to read and translate literature written in the source language, and to further students' general intellectual development.The goal is to read and translate literary masterpieces and classics.

The demerits:

    There is feeling tedious, being extrinsically motivated for the most part, and barely interacting with teachers. In addition, the GTM totally ignores listening and speaking skills. That’s why the method is no longer used in modern language teaching classes.

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For all of the teacher out there who find it hard to differentiate instruction, you have no excuse, as there are over 13 different teaching approaches and styles. This means you have at least 13 ways to differentiate instruction at all times. In this piece, we will discuss 13 of them.

1. Analytic Teaching:  A method of monitoring and evaluating students’ literacy progress that recognizes, respects, and appreciates the students’ abilities.
2. Assumptive Teaching:   A type of instruction resulting from teachers’ inaccurate assumptions about students’ abilities, which leads to discord between the teaching program and the learner.
3. Deductive Teaching:  A didactic style of instruction in which a teacher presents a generality or rule with the expectation that students will apply it to specific scenarios.
4. Didactic Teaching:   A style of teaching in which a teacher transmits content to students with the expectation that they will simply learn it.
5. Discovery Teaching:   A teaching style which provides students with an environment that encourages them to find general patterns for themselves. It is also called inductive teaching.
6. Non-Directive Teaching:   A teaching model that uses facilitated teaching and focuses on helping students set personal goals.
7. Reciprocal Teaching:   An interactive learning strategy aimed at teaching students to summarize portions of text, predict potential questions, and clarify the complex text. At first, students observe the teacher as he or she models ideal behaviors; then, they gradually take on the teacher’s instructional role.
8. Direct Approach:  A method of teaching thinking skills in which the skill is presented and then examples of its use are given.
9. Intentional Teaching: Teaching that happens when an educator is focused on creating a plan to instruct students with a specific learning goal or developmental outcome in mind.
10. Readiness Training:   Instruction that equips students with foundational skills and background knowledge to prepare them for subsequent formal teaching. 
11. Tiered Instruction: The instructional method of creating the best lesson possible on a topic and then extrapolating from the base lesson to make it more challenging for students who are ready for advanced work and less challenging for students who are not ready for the requirements of the base lesson.
12. Activity-Based Approach: An approach to instruction that makes teachable moments out of naturally occurring, everyday activities.
13. Guided Comprehension Model:  An instruction process based on explaining, demonstrating, guiding, practicing, and reflecting that can scaffold comprehension.

2-Direct Method Approach:

   The Direct Method Approach took stance against GTM. This method was largely in opposition of GTM as it stressed those areas of teaching that GTM Approach overlooked. It was mainly influenced by the view of the scholars that also pioneered the first IPA symbols.

   It focused more on spoken skills and teaching inductively with no use of L1. However, it had its own flaws.  EX: trained teacher and other necessary equipment like realia, pictures were hard to acquire in every situation.

   Direct Method Approach accentuated the spoken variety teaching along with the new discoveries on the side of phonology.

 3-Reading Approach:

   It is focusing on the development of reading skill. The basic principles of this approach are presented as follows:

1. The teaching grammar is restricted. It is taught to ease the reading comprehension.
2. The presentation of vocabulary is highly controlled at the beginning and then expanded later.
3. Translation is regarded as a fruitful classroom practice.
4. Reading comprehension receives the highest attention and it is heavily emphasized.
5. The foreign language is not used as a tool for communication in the classroom environment.

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4-Audio-Lingual Approach:

    The audio-lingual approach dominated foreign language teaching in the 1950s.  Its rise is partly due to the fact that because of the rapid increase of international trade, travel, and commerce, ever more people needed to learn English. That includes ‘intellectually less gifted’ people.The major aim is to enable all learners to use English in everyday oral communication. Speaking is put before and above writing.

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5- Situational Approach:

    The situational approach, the basic premise of which is that different situations demand different types of leadership. A situation, is a "set of values and attitudes with which the individual or group has to deal in a process of activity.  Every concrete activity is the solution of a situation." Situations can be complicated affairs.

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6- Cognitive Approach:

    If we are able to understand the connections between concepts, break down information and rebuild with logical connections, then our rention of material and understanding will increase. When we are aware of these mental actions, monitor them and control our learning processes it is called

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7-Affective Humanistic Approach:    

   Humanism would concentrate upon the development of the child's self-concept. If the child feels good about him or herself then that is a positive start. Feeling good about oneself would involve an understanding of ones' strengths and weaknesses, and a belief in one's ability to improve.

    Learning is not an end in itself. It is the means to progress towards the pinnacle of self-development, which means 'Self-actualization'. A child learns because he is inwardly driven, and derives his reward from the sense of achievement that having learned something affords. This would differ from the behaviorist view that would expect extrinsic rewards to be more effective. Extrinsic rewards are rewards from the outside world, e.g. praise, money, gold stars, etc. Intrinsic rewards are rewards from within oneself, rather like a satisfaction of a need. 

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8- Comprehension Based Approach:

    The Comprehension Approach refers to several methodologies of language learning that emphasize understanding of language rather than speaking. It is a pedagogical/instructive principle, which can be found in a number of methods and in practical listening comprehension:

A. Comprehension should be taught by teaching learners to understand meaning in the target language.
B. The learners' level of comprehension exceed their ability to produce language. C.Language skills emerge when learners have well developed comprehension skills.
D. Such an approach reflects how children learn their first language.

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9-Communicative Approach:

1 -It has a social purpose. learner has something to say, find out.

15- Text book is only a tool. It can be used for communication.

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10-English-Only Approach

The English only method is one of the most direct approaches to teaching the language. For this method, neither the teacher nor the student should speak their native tongue at all during instruction. All instruction should be done in English only.

Vocabulary should be taught first, as it is the easiest to grasp because it can be demonstrated with a visual aid. As the student builds vocabulary, the instructor can begin introducing abstract words and elements of the language, but without explaining or focusing on the actual grammatical structure. The complexities of the language will be learned inherently, with the student picking up on its patterns through practice and application only.

At the end of each class period, there can be an optional question and answer session where students are allowed to ask the teacher about that day’s lesson. Here, clarifications may be made and confusion may be cleared up, but again, this is entirely optional. Sometimes, the best way to learn the language through this method is to just tough it out and let it come naturally.

Who is this best for?

This method is best for students learning the English language because of an academic interest in it as a language, and not just an interest or need to know how to speak it. Speaking, reading, and writing the language will be given equal priority, and grammar rules and concepts will not be avoided for a more “natural” approach. It will be taught academically, as any other subject, and is best for students who are interested in this kind of rigorous approach.

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11-Immersive Approach

The immersive approach is one of the best ways to learn the language for older students who are able to travel for their education. Someone who wants to learn English doesn’t even need to be enrolled in an English language course to use this method – all they need are the resources involved in travel.

For students wanting to learn British English, a trip to the United Kingdom is recommended. For students wanting to learn American English, a trip to the United States is recommended. If the student wants an academic-heavy approach, there are foreign exchange programs they can enroll in through colleges, or other academic programs that allow prolonged travel.

Again, an academic program is not required for this method. Staying in a new country and learning the language through pure immersion and necessity is one of the best ways to learn it quickly. Students will be surrounded by media in that language, and people who speak that language. It is a great way to break off from the distractions of your native tongue, and learn how to think in the English language as well as speak it.

Who is this best for?

Teachers and students who are able to travel and stay in another country long enough to develop a strong grasp on the English language.

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12-Community Language Learning

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13-The Lexical Approach:

Learners learn English through meaning, feeling and practice.  The teacher uses his real situations and authentic material and visual aids to present the new vocabulary or the grammatical rule form. The teacher uses interesting styles to make learners feel the language and become interested in it. The teacher creates changeable collocations to be used in a question and an answer with constant chunks.  Students work in pairs as a model first, then as free practice.The teacher does a model practice. Learners do free practice in pairs. Learners do a communication practice. This is used in dealing with the new vocabulary, expressions, idioms, phrasal verbs or with grammatical structures.

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      A Practice Example

The changeable collocation is in violet .

The constant chunk is in green.

                                                                       The collocation is: (Be Fond of )

1-Guided practice:

                                                                              / Football   -     Basketball /     

Learner 1 :  What are you fond of ?

Learner 2 : I am fond of...................  . What about you?

Learner 1 : Me? I am fond of...........................................

2-Free Practice :

                                                      / Swimming        -    Diving  /

Learner 1 :  What are you fond of ?

Learner 2 : I am fond of....................... What about you?

Learner 1 : Me? I am fond of..............................................

                                     /sports          -     Diving                         /

                                 /reading          -     Writing                    /

                             /running            - Walking                     /

                         /riding horses      -  Paddling in a boat /

                     /traveling outdoors -    Staying indoors/

3-Elicitation:

I elicit the rule form from the students themselves. How?

I ask my learners questions like the following

1-What repeated words have you practiced?

2-What does the structure consist of?

3-What comes before the pattern?

4-What comes after the pattern?

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View Other Resources:

1--How to conduct ELT workshop