I. Context
I started my teaching career by helping my son and his cousins with learning English at home seriously and we gained some remarkable results. I named my class “Teddy Bear”.
With the purpose of using English fluently in daily activities and gaining the certificates of TOEFL iBT and IELTS with 7.5 band scores, in 5-year-time, Teddy Bear class which consisted of 7 boys and 1 girl at different ages of from 8 to 22 respectively used the full set of textbooks of New English 900 (Elementary level), the Mosaic (Intermediate level) and the IELTS textbook series (Advanced) in the learning program.
As being the unprofessional teacher, my only option was to apply traditional Grammar-translation method (GMT) that I employed in learning process, to systematize, sharpen learners’ knowledge and brush their language skills to accomplish the classes’ planned objective.
After 5 years passed, 5 junior boys in Teddy Bear have gained the IELTS certificates with from 6 to 8 band scores in their four fluent skills of Understanding, Speaking,
Having taught for 5 years and a half, I grasped some points of view as under:
Achievements
1.1 Through Grammar-translation method (GTM) suitable for each student at different ages and English levels, 5 over 8 of learners gained the initial aim fixed, or it is estimated of 66% of objective planned accordingly.
1.2 GTM assisted learners with acquiring English structures and vocabulary at the highest ratio that other methods cannot compete, however most of learners could not communicate well. In other words, the speaking band for all learners was the lowest against other skills’.
II. Problems
One day, my eldest brother complained me that Loc, his son, who was one of the learners in Teddy Bear Class, could not speak English well despite of his spending over 5 year-time in study. However, Loc could read and write very well. I answered him back that his son had just fulfilled the English program in High School and gained the IELTS certificate at 7 scores, though his speaking skill was rather lower than other skills’, father therefore could not have any right to complain, particularly he was not a teacher. However, coming back home, I could not sleep due to my brother’s claim on his son’s learning result. Since standing in the position of the Quality Manager, I always put the quality issue in the first place in all aspect of life, my brother’s claim, therefore, was the problem I could not avoid.
In the following teaching day, I made up my mind in reviewing all students’ knowledge in Teddy Bear by a comprehensive test with full 4 skills as Speaking, Listening,
| Errors | Frequency | Ratio (%) | Accumulation (%) |
| Speaking | 90 | 50.00% | 50.00% |
| Listening | 55 | 30.56% | 80.56% |
| Writing | 15 | 8.33% | 88.89% |
| | 11 | 6.11% | 95.00% |
| Translation | 9 | 5.00% | 100.00% |
| Total | 180 | 100.00% | |
According to the above-drawn diagram, I could analyze that there some causes
2.1 Problems from my analysis research
2.1.1 The weakest skill that all learners encountered was Speaking.
2.1.2 Besides that, learners cannot pronounce as accurately and fluently as native speakers.
2.1.3 Students have good background of grammar because of their good translation test.
2.1.4 They were very good readers for all English texts.
2.2 Problems from my beliefs about my successes and failures in the specific teaching period
2.2.1 To learn new words via translating the readings, grammatical structure drills and interpreting the listening are the most effective ways to assist students to enrich their vocabulary – the most important language component.
2.2.2 To get students to create new sentences by translating from Vietnamese into English will strengthen their grammatical structures and effectively using new vocabulary by context.
2.2.3 Getting the student to write by translating from Vietnamese into English seems abnormal, however, my students’ essays are more impressive and logical than other students’ who have not applied GTM. Besides, translating short sentences taken from newspapers can improve grammatical structures and enrich general knowledge for students in later writing.
2.2.4 I set up the teaching program not based on the learners’ needs, but by my own perspectives on what I believe will help them in their future. In other word, learners have studied English based on my own desire and I did apply the method I used to learn to the way I taught English.
III. Solution
Firstly, I did the survey with all boys and girl in class on the fact if they were interested in learning grammar in the way I was teaching. All replies I got were negative. Even some ideas expressed their very much rude on the way I conducted grammar lesson in class, no matter how many times I interpreted about the advantages of GTM. To execute the reform for status in teaching grammar in Teddy Bear to improve learners’ speaking skill, I was not at no option but executed the combination between the CLT and GTM. However, how to combine was the headache issue. I had no way but joined the short-term training course for unprofessional teachers held in
Secondly, having consulted with some pedagogical experts in my brother working place, I found out that the first essential job to do in teaching grammar is changing the teacher’s beliefs. At that time, I had not changed my mind yet, nevertheless, I realized that to combine CLT with GTM was indispensable.
Finally, upon completing the short-term teaching training course in the pedagogical university, I had to change my mind. For I was aware that change does not mean that we have to do different thing, but we do the same thing differently. That is the way I often keep my staffs reminded to improve the quality of their job performance. I did alter the GTM by combination with CLT and language activities.
The below-described processes are my changes in teaching grammar by combining the CLT and GTM. In reality, I compounded many activities related to teaching listening, speaking, writing and translating into teaching grammar so that Teddy Bear learners did not feel boring while studying.
3.1 As for teaching grammar with listening tasks, I applied
3.1.1 Organize activities to warm up the class with some games like “Ghost Whisperer”; “Describe Your Future House”; “The Magic Hat”..
3.1.2 Request learners to build up the structure of the grammar points by themselves.
3.1.3 Listen without text and try to guess the meaning of the audio which consists of grammar point taught.
3.1.4 Listen without text and try to repeat the audio as much as possible.
3.1.5 Listen without text and take note as much as possible.
3.1.6 Listen with text and read loudly the audio for training pronunciation.
3.1.7 Listen and Interpret into Vietnamese.
3.1.8 Memorize the audio and retell and rewrite the content by learner’s own words.
3.2 As for teaching grammar with conversations, I applied
3.2.1 Read dialogue carefully.
3.2.2 Check learners’ understanding the text, dialogues via Q&A process.
3.2.3 Request learners to build up the structure of the grammar points by themselves.
3.2.4 Explain new vocabulary in Vietnamese with some English equivalents to enrich learner’s vocabulary.
3.2.5 Translate the dialogue into Vietnamese together with explaining grammar structures in Vietnamese carefully.
3.2.6 Make new sentences employing new structures and new vocabulary.
3.2.7 Practice substitution drills in pairs for smooth memorizing new structures and new vocabulary. Thoroughly utilizing the method to interpret substitution drills from English into Vietnamese and vice versa to ensure learners’ grasping all new.
3.2.8 Play drama following the dialogue and retell the dialogue by learners’ words.
3.2.9 Rewrite the content of the text, dialogue by learners’ words.
3.2.10 Learn dialogue by heart and focus on main authentic sentences. As for the long text, choose some interesting phrases or sentences for learning by heart.
3.3 As for teaching grammar with reading texts, I applied
3.3.1 Read loudly the text.
3.3.2 Request learners to build up the structure of the grammar points by themselves.
3.3.3 Explain all new vocabulary and grammar structures.
3.3.4 Provide learners scanning techniques in reading to look for the topic sentence in each paragraph for draft grasping the content of the reading passages.
3.3.5 Provide skimming technique in reading for reading in details.
3.3.6 Provide technique to summarize each passage.
3.3.7 Translate the whole text into Vietnamese.
3.3.8 Reply to all questions to ensure learners’ understanding.
3.3.9 Help learners’ discuss the topic as for questions after reading.
3.3.10 Link all replies into one new text by learner’s own words.
3.3.11 Retell the story and rewrite the story by learners’ words.
3.4 As for teaching grammar with writing, I applied
3.4.1 Help learners understand the essay’s request and setting.
3.4.2 Give idea hints as for the request by using brainstorming techniques.
3.4.3 Request learners to review the structure of the grammar points that are in need for writing process by themselves.
3.4.4 Get learners translate some prepared sentences from Vietnamese into English relevant to the essay inquiry to enrich the ideas for learners.
3.4.5 Get learners translate 10 sentences from Vietnamese into English for everyday training under various topics.
3.4.6 Having students write non-stop stories with open topics and convey them into private blog to share with other readers.
Upon changing the approach in teaching grammar, I had drawn some conclusions as
3.5 What changes my beliefs about teaching English?
Obviously, it is hard to employ the GTM alone to help learners be successful but to combine it with other substitution drills constructed under the repetition habits by learning by heart structures with new relevant words. That will improve learners’ skills in daily interaction.
3.6 In what way am I going to change the way I teach English to my students?
So far I will stick with the Grammar-translation method (GTM) and trust this is the most effective way in learning and teaching foreign languages. However, should we know how to combine with CLT or other methods which can lead ourselves as well as the learners into communicative approach, our learners surely achieve language competency. My specific teaching processes have been presented in 3.1; 3.2; 3.3; 3.4 that can be applied for all elementary, intermediate and advanced levels.
