How Traditional English Teaching Methods has evolved into Modern Methodologies by English Language School
English learning has evolved from traditional to modern methodologies. As wide the variety of the learners is, English courses have always been striving to fit and master the best methodology in teaching English.
As of this modern era, there is still no universal approach to learning and teaching a secondary language, particularly English. Some English courses may apply and make use of more than one approach and some may focus on just one method. The English learning approach to be used heavily depends on the characteristics of the learners and most of the time the instructors themselves.
Grammar-Translation Approach
Also known as the grammatical approach is a traditional method in English learning and one of the first methods one might encounter in studying the language. English courses in this method often focus on translating written literary pieces from English to the learners’ native tongue. This is commonly used to teach learners who speak a language with a different grammatical structure than English.
Audio-lingual Approach
Unlike the grammar-translation approach which focuses on the structure of textual pieces, audio-lingual focuses on the sound, pronunciation and speech patterns of the language. This method is commonly used to teach young learners of the language. They are taught to recognize speech patterns even before they could read and write properly.
Communicative Approach
Considered as the modern standard approach in language teaching. In this approach, conversational and comprehensive skills are honed and harnessed better. This is usually conducted with the active participation of the learner in activities such as games, role plays, and other discussions done in English. This method is commonly used for learners with a good grasp of English vocabulary and grammar comprehension. This method tends to practice pronunciation, thought-process and meaning analysis.
The modern approach to teaching and learning used by English language school are never a single approach. It’s most likely to use many methods at the same time harnessing each of the method’s advantages.
