Different Teaching Methods in Teaching in Bangladesh: A Review

   Different Teaching Methods in       Teaching in Bangladesh: A Review

Abstract

A teacher always teaches students. How the teacher teaches students, teachers’ way of teaching, class controlling, and interaction with students actually called teaching method. This paper aims to provide an overview of different teaching methods and implementation of these teaching methods in Bangladesh and which method is much more appropriate teaching method in Bangladesh. The paper concludes with the results of implementation of teaching methods in Bangladesh and which method is more applicable.

Introduction

Language Teaching is sometimes discussed in terms of three related aspects: approaches, methods, and techniques. “Different theories about the nature of language and how languages are learned (the approach) imply different ways of teaching language (the method) and different methods make use of different kinds of classroom activity (the techniques)”( Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics, 1985)
There are several kinds of methods. Each method refers a different way of language learning and   teaching. Name of the methods which will discuss in this paper –

1.Grammar Translation Method
2.Direct Method
3.Audio lingual Method
4.Community Language Learning
5.The Natural Approach

Grammar Translation Method:

The grammar Translation method is an old method, not a new method. It is one of the traditional methods of foreign language teaching. This method focuses on grammatical rules, memorization of vocabulary.

The Grammar Translation method was prevalent in foreign language classrooms from the mid-19th century to the mid- 20th century. This is an old method which was originally used to teach dead languages which explains why it focuses mainly on the written form at the expense of the oral form. It was first introduced in Latin and ancient Greek classrooms in the early 19th century. It was designed according to the Faculty Psychology Approach which was very popular during the 18th and 19th century. It contended that “mental discipline was essential for strengthening the powers of the mind”. By the mid- 19th century the method has been adopted for teaching modern languages by German Scholars such as Karl Plotz and Johann Seidenstucker, and it quickly spread to classrooms throughout Europe and the United States. 

The Grammar Translation method is one kind of method which focuses on translation from native language to target language, grammar of target language, only writing skill developed. It is a method of foreign or second language teaching which makes use of translation and grammar study as the main teaching and learning activities. Grammar Translation method was known as Prussian Method in United States.

According to Wikipedia, the Grammar Translation method is a method of teaching foreign languages derived from the classical sometimes called traditional method of teaching Greek and Latin.

“At one time it was called the Classical Method since it was first used in the teaching of the classical languages, Latin and Greek” (Chastain 1988)

Goals

Developing students’ reading ability
Developing students’ general mental discipline
To read and translate literary masterpieces and classics
Learn grammar rules of their native language

Direct method:

Direct method means to be conveyed directly into the second language. This method teaches the language not about the language. The Direct Method also called Natural method was established in Germany and France around 1900. This method became widely known in U.S through it use by Sauveur and Maximilian Berlitz in successful commercial language school. In the mid and late 19th century Europe experienced a wave of increasing opportunities of communication, due to industrialization and international trade and travel. A need was felt to develop oral proficiency in foreign languages. Language teachers had already found Grammar Translation method inadequate and ineffective in developing communication ability in learners. They strongly advocate an alternative method in which language was presented in contexts and the mother tongue was avoided. It referred as the natural method started with François Gouin and was picked up by Berlitz, Pendergast and Sauveur in the 19th century. Teachers, frustrated by this limits of the Grammar Translation method in terms of its inability to create communicative competence in students, began to experiment with new ways of teaching language like this method in post – war and depression era classrooms. As it’s based on the way children learn their native language. Later this Natural Method that suggests radical change from Grammar translation method came to known as direct method.

The Direct Method is named “direct” because meaning should be connected directly with the target language without translation into the native language. It is also known as Phonetical method, Anti – grammatical method, reform method etc.
The Direct method was developed in the late 19th century as a reaction against the Grammar Translation method. It sought to immerse the learner in the same way as when the first language is learnt. The purpose of learning a foreign language is that students learn how to communicate by learning to think in the target language.

According to Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics (1985), “it is a method of foreign or second language teaching which has the following features:

1.Only the target language should be used in class.
2.Meanings should be communicated “directly” (hence the name of the method) by associating speech forms with actions, objects, mime, gestures and situations
3.Reading and writing should be taught only after speaking
4.Grammar should only be taught inductively i.e. grammar rules should not be taught to the learners”

Goal

Establishing the direct bond between thought and expressions and between experience and language. It is based on the assumption that the learner should experience the new language in the way as he experienced his mother tongue.

Audio – lingual Method:

The Audio – lingual method is known as new key, informant method etc.  This method is a kind of method for foreign language teaching which emphasized the teaching of listening and speaking before reading and writing.
The term ‘Audiolingualism’ was coined by Professor Nelson Brooks (1964). In the 1960s Audiolingualism began to lose its popularity, but this method is still used today. The audio - lingual method of teaching English as a second language had its origins during World War II when it became known as the Army method. The audio – lingual method is based on the theory that language learning is a question of habit formation. It has its origin in Skinner’s principles of behaviour theory. Since learning is taught to be a question of habit formation, errors are considered to be bad and to be avoided. Further, teachers rewarded students by saying “Good!” and praising the class when they perform well. This method addresses a need for people to learn foreign languages rapidly. It is best for beginning level English classes in a foreign language setting. All instruction in the class is given in English. It uses dialogues as the main form of language presentation and drills as the main training techniques. Mother tongue is discouraged in the classroom. This method or new key is a style of teaching used in teaching foreign languages. Charles Fries (1945) of the University of Michigan led the way in applying principles from structural linguistics in developing the method and for this reason; it has sometimes been referred to as the ‘Michigan method’. It is also called ‘Army method’.
The method is combination between behavioral psychology and linguistic. It is based on behaviorist theory, which postulates that certain traits of living things and in this case humans, could be trained through a system of reinforcement. This approach to language learning was similar to another, earlier method called the direct method. Like the direct method advised the students should be taught a language directly, without using the students’ native language to explain new words or grammar in the target language. However unlike the direct method the audio-lingual method did not focus on teaching vocabulary. Rather the teacher drilled students in the use of grammar. This method drills students in the use of grammatical sentence patterns. Most importantly, audio-lingual method is directly opposite to grammar-translation method and communicative language teaching.
Skinner’s behavioristic theory
Audiolingual method follows Skinner’s behavioristic theory. Behaviorists believe that humans are organisms capable of learning many behaviors.
It depends on three elements –

Stimulus – bring out or serve to elicit behavior

Response – triggered by stimulus

Reinforcement – serves to mark the response as being appropriate or not and encourages repetition which is vital in the learning process.

Community Language Learning:

Community Language Learning (CLL) was primarily designed for monolingual                 conversation classes where the teacher – counselor would be able to speak the learners’      L1.(http:/ www.teachingenglish.org.uk)
Community Language Learning was developed by Charles A. Curran and his associates in Chicago 1955. Audiolingualism was rejected in the United States in the mid -1960s. Curran application of psychological counseling techniques to learning is known as Counseling – Learning. CLL represents the use of Counseling – Learning theory to teach languages. This method is responding to the students’ feeling and student security in the lesson, mostly focuses on understanding and speaking skills. CLL differs from other methods by which languages are taught. It’s based on an approach modeled on counseling techniques that alleviate anxiety, threat and personal and language problems a person encounters in the learning of foreign language.
Stages in CLL

Learners go through 5 stages in their learning process.

“Birth” stage: feeling of security and belonging are established. Dependence on the knower as learners has little or no idea of the target language.

“Self- stage”: As the learner’s ability improve and starts to gt an idea of how language works, they achieve a measure of independence from the parent although they still seek help from the knower.

“Separate existence”: Learners can speak independently.

“Adolescence”: The learners are independent although they are aware of gaps in their knowledge and feel  secure enough to take criticism and being corrected.

“Independence”: Complete independence from the knower. The child becomes an adult and becomes the knower.

Natural Approach

Natural approach is a language teaching method which is based on the assumption that learning a foreign language must follow the same patterns as the learning process of the native language and also emphasize the necessity of exposing the learner to hearing and understanding the language before requiring the learner to speak.(http://cy.linkedin.com). This method is a method of language teaching developed by Stephen Krashen and Tracy Terrell in the late 1970 and early 1980s. It is a method of foreign language teaching which aims to apply the principles of natural language acquisition into classroom. It focuses on helping beginners to become intermediate, enhancing communication skills and the primacy of meaning. It is a natural language learning process and more acquisition than learning. This method follows Krashen’s language acquisition theory or monitor model.

Krashen’s Monitor Model

The Acquisition – Learning Hypothesis
The Monitor Hypothesis
The Natural Order Hypothesis
The Input Hypothesis
The Affective Filter Hypothesis

Implementation of Methods in Bangladesh

In teaching, different methods have different rules, features. In Bangladesh, teachers always follow Grammar Translation Method. Our education system is totally following this method. Basically, in our all educational institute teachers follow this method. As the syllabus designed in traditional method, teachers are bound to follow this method to teach. Most of the teachers of Bangladesh are not fluent in target language that’s why they use native language for teaching. In the past, this method is used to teach the dead language ‘Latin’, ‘Greek’ etc. This method is appropriate for teaching literature. This method developed writing and reading skills but in this method there is lack of communicative skills of language which is the first part of language teaching. GTM has so much lacking that’s why it should be banned from Bangladesh. 

Direct method is invented as a reaction of Grammar Translation Method. This method now follows in Universities to teaching foreign language. Four skills of language are taught in this method. Direct method is far better than other methods. In my own experience I thought in universities this method is actually followed. Our all course teachers follow this method. Our course “Use of Technology in English Language Learning and Teaching” was held fully in this method. In my point of view, Direct method is better method for Bangladesh.

Audiolingual Method is applicable for foreign language teaching like Spanish, French, and German etc. I do a German course in IML. Our German teacher uses audio lingual method to teach. She uses target language, no native language. She showed us different pictures and asks what it is. She read a dialogue in German Language and we repeat with her, with other students. From class 1 to 4 of school this method can be applicable in some extent. From our childhood, we learn to greet people, announce anything, and communicate with people in this method. This method is actually not focus on four skills of learning, it focuses on memorization. This method is not much effective in teaching in Bangladesh

Community Language Learning is for those people who have some problems or special issues. In classroom, every person cannot adopt every parts equally because of their shyness, fear, anxiety etc. some students are afraid to talk before class and teacher, for them CLL classroom is more appropriate. As it is also called counseling approach that’s why the teacher is a counselor. In this method there is no accurate syllabus structures, students can discuss anything what they want really. Through this method we cannot learn language because it lacks skills, no syllabus.

If anyone want to be fluent in speaking, then Natural approach is more appropriate for him or her. This method is not much effective in classroom, it is much applicable when we learn any language by our own. In this approach,, learner gets a lot of input in target language but suddenly they won’t speak, Language production only happens then when it will ready to produce. This approach is more appropriate for child learner. Natural Method is an exaggeration of direct method. In DM learners speak immediately but in NA learner speak later.

Conclusion

From century to century linguists proposed and invented many teaching method, however still there is no method which fulfill all the requirements of language teaching. Every method have some lacking, no method is still perfect. That’s why teacher should follow the method in according to students need.

Reference

Richards, J. C. and Rodgers, S. 2001. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press 
Larsen – Freeman. 2004. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. Oxford University Press
http://www.wikipedia.com
http://www.teachingenglish.com http://www.slideshare.com
Class notes & own experience