The Best Methods Of Teaching Languages
A language refers to the spoken word of a people or a nation, a system of signs that allows a human community to communicate through words and gestures. When it comes to teaching languages, it is important to distinguish between a mother tongue, or the language of the country where someone was born, and the foreign languages you learn during your life.
By learning other languages, you can get to know and adopt a new sign system, its rules and how it functions. As far as language teaching is concerned, we need to look at specific procedures to determine the most appropriate methods to achieve this goal.
Methods of Teaching Languages
The GT Method
The oldest method of teaching languages, and perhaps the most traditional, is what is sometimes referred to as the GT method. The name refers to the fact that it focuses on the grammar and translation of texts and expressions from one language to another.
This method pays special attention to the grammatical rules and structures common to languages. It emphasizes similarities and universal grammatical patterns. This means memorizing thousands of words and lines, as well as sentences taken out of context.
The Direct Method of Teaching Languages
At the end of the 19th century, the Direct method arose. This method focuses on verbal communication regardless of the specific grammar of the sentences used. The idea is that the people who learn the language can make themselves understood, even if the grammatical structures they use are not perfect.
Thus, in this method, grammar is intuitive and you gradually learn to eliminate errors until you can identify the correct relationships between the foreign word and the situations to which it relates. This is where the term ‘direct’ comes from.
The Audio-Linguistic Method
The Audio-Linguistic method has a lot in common with the Direct method. Both prioritize spoken language with an emphasis on verbal expression and listening. The difference is that this method uses the repetition of words, phrases and conversations as a learning strategy.
The best methods of teaching languages
Over the years, many methods have been developed and used to teach foreign languages. While it’s impossible to say that one method is clearly the best, certain methods are probably better than others.
Take, for example, the Communicative method. This is an approach through which you learn foreign languages using a process that is more functional than structural. So the most important aspect is communication, as opposed to just learning the grammar of a foreign language.
The Communicative Method considers each of the foregoing methods and focuses on the practical need to learn another language, but also the permanent acquisition of the ability to interact communicatively and contextually.
In terms of language teaching, the Communicative method includes activities that focus on problem situations. This pushes grammatical rules into the background. It is still important that the student learns these rules, but communication is the primary goal.
These situations refer to different scenarios that a person may face in everyday life. These could be at work, at the airport, or while traveling. For example, it can concern different types of purchases, but also difficult situations where you need to be able to ask for help.
To deal with these situations, one must gradually develop the ability to use the foreign language.
Teaching languages: communication is key
We must emphasize that whatever method you choose to teach a foreign language should suffice. However, you must consider the specificities of each student and his or her learning needs. Educators must be flexible in choosing methods, even combining relevant aspects of each.
Repetition, memorization and knowledge of grammatical rules can be valid strategies for learning another language. However, they should be helpful in solving problems and making decisions in situations such as the Communicative Method. The goal should be to help people understand and be understood in different languages.
