Pedagogy of Language Development • Topic 2 of 7

Principles & Methods of Language Teaching

CTET expects you to recognise the major methods and the principles a sound method respects. The grammar-translation method teaches a language by drilling rules and translating sentences to and from the mother tongue, with little speaking, it builds reading and grammar knowledge but poor fluency. The direct method bans translation and teaches the target language directly through objects, demonstration and conversation. The audio-lingual method, born of behaviourism, relies on repetition, mimicry and pattern drills to build habits. The structural approach grades and sequences sentence structures from simple to complex. The most favoured today is communicative language teaching (CLT), which treats language as a tool for real communication: learners use the language in meaningful, purposeful tasks, accuracy matters but fluency and getting the message across come first. The principles running through good practice: teach language meaningfully and in context, move from the known to the unknown, from simple to complex, and from concrete to abstract, and give learners genuine reasons to use language.

✅ Solved examples

1. A method that teaches a language mainly by translating sentences and memorising grammar rules, with little spoken practice, is the:
Grammar-translation method. It develops grammar and reading but tends to produce weak speaking fluency.
2. An approach that treats language as a tool for real communication and uses meaningful, purposeful tasks is:
Communicative language teaching (CLT). It prioritises fluency and conveying meaning, with accuracy supporting communication.
3. Teaching the new word 'apple' by showing a real apple instead of giving its translation reflects the:
Direct method, which teaches the target language directly through objects and demonstration and avoids the mother tongue.
4. A teacher introduces present tense before past perfect and simple sentences before complex ones. Which principle is being followed?
Proceeding from simple to complex (and from known to unknown), a core principle of graded, structural language teaching.

✏️ Practice — try these, take hints as needed

1. Repetition, mimicry and pattern drills to form language habits are central to which method?
Rooted in behaviourism.
Drill-based.
Audio plus oral.
Audio-lingual method
2. The currently most recommended approach, focused on using language for real communication, is:
Abbreviated CLT.
Fluency and meaning first.
Communicative language teaching (CLT)
3. Linking a new lesson to what the child already knows follows the principle of moving from:
A direction of teaching.
Familiar to unfamiliar.
Known to unknown
4. A method that forbids the use of the mother tongue and teaches entirely in the target language is the:
No translation allowed.
Uses objects and demonstration.
Direct method

📝 Topic test — 8 questions

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