A.
Definition
The Grammar
Translation Method is the oldest method in the world of pedagogy. The grammar-translation method is a method of teaching foreign languages derived from the classical (sometimes called
traditional) method of teaching Greek and Latin.
The Grammar Translation Method (GTM) used in
teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) focuses on reading and writing.
Language is taught through translation methods, contrasting and comparing the
native tongue to the learned language. GTM focuses on sentence structure,
grammar, vocabulary and direct translations of the native language to English.
The method requires few resources to teach, normally just the use of textbooks
or translated passages.
There is not usually any listening or
speaking practice, and very little attention is placed on pronunciation or
any communicative aspects of the language. The skill exercised is
reading, and then only in the context of translation.
The grammar-translation method was the
standard way languages were taught in schools from the 17th to the 19th
century. The grammar-translation method is still in use today in hybrid
forms in many different countries, including many parts of India.
