Foreign experience in teaching efl: grammar translation method

6) Emphasis on reading and writing: Literary language is considered superior to spoken language and is therefore the language students study.

7) Focus on literature and the fine arts as the main components of the target culture: The target culture is viewed as consisting of literature and the fine arts.

8) Use of the student's native language as the medium of instruction: Explanation of linguistic phenomena is provided in the native language. Students use the mother tongue terminology to report memorised rules.

SYLLABUS

Grammar-translation textbooks are graded and present new grammar points one by one in an organized sequence. The general goal is to teach grammar in an organized and systematic way. The textbook is accompanied by detailed grammar explanation. Besides, the textbook would provide the student with numerous exceptions from the rule, since the method is obsessed with exception-hunting. The method is founded on the supremacy of the sentence and the emphasis on the accuracy of translation of a sentence into the foreign language from the native language and vice versa. The content is determined by passages excerpted from some target language literature or some teacher-written texts, which include particular grammar rules and vocabulary to be studied in the unit. Vocabulary is chosen from the texts meant for reading and much of it is taught in the form of isolated words through bilingual word lists, dictionary study, and memorization. Evaluation is accomplished by means of written tests, in which students are requested to translate from their native language to the target language, or vice versa. Such tests are easy to construct and can be objectively scored. Another form of evaluation is answering comprehension questions or giving a precise translation of the reading passage.