The main purpose of learning a foreign language is to be able to read written literature of this
language.
The ability to communicate in the target language is not a goal of foreign language instruction.
Students only study the written culture of the target community and its fine arts. Literary (written)
language is superior to spoken language.
An important goal for students is being able to translate one language into the other (From L2 into L1
or vice versa) Language Learning provides good mental exercise.
In classroom setting, communication medium is L1.
Teacher asks students in their native language, and students communicate with teacher in their native
language.
The main skills to be developed are reading and writing.
Little attention is given to speaking and listening, and almost none to pronunciation.
For that reason, students show their comprehension by means of written language. (They write out
their answers to reading comprehension questions)
The teacher is the authority in the classroom.
It is very important that students get the correct answer.
The teacher decides whether an answer is correct or not. If the answer is not correct, the teacher
selects a different student to supply the correct answer or the teacher herself /himself gives the right
answer.
Students try to find the native language equivalents for all the words in L2 (Word Lists)
Learning is facilitated through studying the similar points between L1 and L2.
Students have to memorize vocabulary. Besides, students memorize present tense, past tense, and past
participle forms of one set of irregular verbs.
It is important for students to learn about the form of the target language. For that reason they are
given a grammar rules openly and they apply the rules to the given examples.
Grammar rules are given in a deductive way.
Sometimes grammar knowledge is checked by asking students to state the grammar rule.
QUESTIONS
What are the goals of teachers who use the Grammar Translation Method?
To enable learners to read literature written in the target language.
To teach students how L2 works according to the grammar rules.
To create awareness about language, for we have acquired our native languages without instructions
of grammar rules.
What is the role of the teacher?
The roles are very traditional. (Teacher centered) The teacher is the authority in the class- room.
What is the role of the students?
The students should do what teacher says in order to learn what teacher lectures or teaches.
What are some characteristics of the teaching/learning process?
Students are taught to translate from one language to another.
Literary texts (about culture of the target community) are used as language examples.
Students study grammar deductively;
(They are given the grammar rules and examples, and they are told to memorize them, and then they
are asked to apply the rules to other examples)
They memorize native-language equivalents for target language vocabulary.
Cognates
Students are taught to recognize cognates by learning the spelling or sound patterns that correspond
between the languages.
Students are also asked to memorize words that look like cognates but have meanings in the target
language that are different from those in the native language.
This technique, of course, would only be useful in languages that share cognates.
Deductive application of rule
Grammar rules are presented with examples. Exceptions to each rule are also noted.
Once students understand a rule, they are asked to apply it to some different examples.
Fill-in-the-blanks
Students are given a series of sentences with words missing.
They fill in the blanks with new vocabulary items or with items of a particular grammar type, such as
prepositions or verbs with different tenses.
Memorization
Students are given lists of target language vocabulary words and their native language equivalents and
they are asked to memorize them.
Students are also asked to memorize grammatical rules.
Use words in sentences
In order to show that students understand the meaning and use of a new vocabulary item, they make
up sentences in which they use the new words.
Composition
The teacher gives the students a topic to write about in the target language. The topic is based upon
some aspect of the reading passage of the lesson.
Sometimes, instead of creating a composition, students are asked to prepare summary of the reading
passage.