Second Language Teaching Approaches

Grammar Translation Method (GTM)

Origin: Late 19th and early 20th centuries
Purpose: Enrich literature and reading proficiency in classical languages (e.g., Latin, Greek)
Goals:
- Enable reading and translation of target language literature
- Enhance general intellectual development
Characteristics:
- Classes taught in mother tongue
- Translation of literary extracts
- Vocabulary taught in isolated word lists
- Emphasis on synonyms and antonyms
- Little/no attention to pronunciation
- Early focus on reading difficult texts
- Emphasis on grammar explanations
- Writing in target language
- Memorization of vocabulary and grammar rules
Teacher Use:
- Focus on grammar and sentence structure
- Easy construction of grammar tests
- Not reliant on verbal teaching
- Suitable for teachers fluent in students' primary language

Strengths:
- Vocabulary acquisition
- Reading and writing skills improvement
- Develops mental and intellectual abilities
- Easier for teachers with fewer specialized skills
- Literature enriches multiple potentials of learners
Weaknesses:
- Poor listening and speaking skills
- Unnatural pronunciation
- Lack of communication
- Less engaging
Opportunities:
- Learning new languages via textbooks
- Bilingual vocabulary learning
Threats:
- Lack of interaction and Student Talking Time (STT)

Focus: Learning grammatical and phonological structure for speaking and listening
Theoretical Basis: Behaviorism and structural linguistics
Characteristics:
- Emphasis on repetition and mechanical drills
- Error correction
- Mastering building blocks of language
- Stimulus-response-reinforcement pattern
- Spoken language prioritized over written
- Accurate pronunciation and structure control

Focus: Mental processes like memory, problem solving
Influence: Reaction to behaviorism
Teacher Role: Facilitator of learning
- Adapts foreign language structure to learner needs
- Acknowledges role of mistakes
Learner Focus: Understanding language structure over usage facility
Advantages:
- Revival of grammar in classrooms
- Emphasis on guided discovery of rules
- Rejection of habit formation
- Learning requires cognitive processing
- Creative language use
Disadvantages:
- Theoretical rather than pedagogical
- Limited use of authentic materials
- Time-intensive for teachers
- Overemphasis on cognitive processes
- Ignores individual personalities and cultural factors