ESL Term:

Method

ESL/EFL Glossary: A Guide to applied linguistics terminology.

TEFL jobs in China

TEFL jobs in Korea

 

Back to ESL Resources | Back to Glossary

 

 

method: How a language is taught, as opposed to the syllabus, which is what language is taught. Method is made up of a set of techniques that usually reflect a certain view of language teaching.

The grammar-translation method involved translating from first language to second language with an emphasis on grammar usage. Explanation was given in the learners first language. Students primarily did grammar exercises and translation.

Advocates of the direct method abandonded the techniques of the grammar-translation method and replaced them with inductive grammar drills and language teaching that was conducted only in the second language.