Grammar Translation Method

Grammar Translation Method

Key Features of Grammar Translation Method

•      Native language

•      Vocabulary / grammatical rules

•      Accuracy /translation

•      Language skills

Grammar-Translation Method

•      traditional method of second language teaching in schools

•      Most common language teaching method

•      Stressed the literacy development

•      Method is two-fold

•      Teacher centered

Objectives of Grammar Translation Method

•      To be able to read literature written in  the target language

•      To be able to translate from one language to another

•      To develop reading and writing skill

Characteristics of Grammar-Translation

•      Learners need grammar and vocabulary

•      Taught deductively

•      Learned for passing English written Exams

•      Extensive memorization of

–     Rules

–     Grammatical paradigms

–     Verb conjugations

Teacher’s Role

•      Requires little training

•      Control of classroom

•      Follows text book format

•      Little interaction with students

Student’s Role

•      memorize vocabulary

•      verb declensions

•      learn rules of grammar

•      take dictation

•      translate written passages

•      Right answers are expected

•      Little interaction with teachers and other students

Techniques

•      Translation of literary passage

•      Reading comprehension questions

•      Use of antonyms/synonyms

•      Use of cognates

•      Deductive application of a rule

•      Fill-in-the-blanks

•      Memorization

•      Use words in sentences; and

•      composition 

Advantages

•      Easiest for teachers to use

•      Does not require teachers to speak good English or make good lesson preparations.

•      Only uses the textbook

•      Least stressful for students-teaching occurs in the first language

•      Students learn the new language without contact with native speakers.

Disadvantages

•      Students lack comprehension-only translating word-for-word

•      Does not allow students to create meaning in English

•      Students do not learn to read.

•      Extensive memorization

•      Very little student/teacher and student/student interaction

Conclusion

The Grammar Translation Method was developed for the study of “dead” languages and to facilitate access to those languages’ classical literature.

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

Meaning of Collaborative Learning

    John Myers (1991) refers to a dictionary to clarify the definition of collaborative that comes from a word with the meaning that emphasizing of cooperation process, while the word of cooperative is more focus on cooperation product.

     Collaborative learning can be defined as a philosophy of learning that allows students to work together, building each other, learn and change together, and move forward together as well.

Differences of Collaborative and Cooperative Learning

Aspect	Cooperative	Collaborative
Student	Students receive a task in social skills and cooperation.	Students already have the capability and cooperation sociality. Students build their ability to achieve learning objectives.
Activity	Activities are structured, each student plays a specific role.	Students negotiate and organize themselves.
Teacher	The teacher is monitoring, listening and interference in group activities if necessary.	Group activities are not monitored by the teacher. If problems arise, students solve it themselves in their group. The teacher only guide students toward resolving the problem.
Assessment	Student asses the achievements of individuals and groups, guided by the teacher.	Students assess the achievements of individuals and groups without guided by the teacher.

Advantages Collaborative Learning

The results showed the superiority of collaborative learning, which can elevate the results of individual and group learning that is more directed at the metacognitive, the emergence of new ideas and problem-solving approach that is being discussed. In addition, the class who managedcollaboratively more motivated, have an inquisitive nature, a feeling of helping others, compete in a healthy and work individually more focused.

There are five basic elements to a group of collaborative learning:

¨  1. Positive interdependence

¨  2. Direct interaction with other students

¨  3. Individual responsibility

¨  4. Collaboration skills

¨  5. The effectiveness of the group.

Characteristics of Collaborative Class

•       Sharing some informations between students and teacher

•       Distribution of rights

•       Teacher as an intermediary

•       Heterogeneous groups of students

The Role of Teacher in a Collaborative Classroom

•       Facilitator

•       Controller of class

•       Giving a task to students

•       Management in class

Kinds of Collaborative Learning

There are many kinds of collaborative learning that have been developedby experts and practitioners of education, especially by experts Student TeamLearning at John Hopkins University. But only about ten kinds aregaining widespread attention, namely:

¨  Learning together (Johnson – Johnson, mid 1960s)

¨  Teams-Games-Tournaments (Devries - Edwards, early 1970s)

¨  Group Investigation (Sharan – Sharan, mid 1970s)

¨  Constructive Controversi (Johnson – Johnson, mid 1970s)

¨  Jigsaw Procedure (Aronson – Associates, late 1970s)

¨  Student Teams Achievement Divisions (Slavin – Associates, late 1970s)

¨  Complex Instruction (Cohen, early 1980s)

¨  Team Accelerated Instruction (Slavin – Associates, early 1980s)

¨  Cooperative Learning Structure (Kagan, mid 1980s)

¨ Cooperative Integrated Reading & Composition (Stevens & Slavin – Associates, late 1980s)

Conclusion

    Collaborative learning easier for students to learn and work together, each contributing ideas and be responsible for the achievement of learning outcomes on a group or individual. This philosophy is needed of today's global world. When different people can learn to  work together in the classroom, in the future they would be expected to be better citizens for thenation and country, even for the whole world. It would be easier for them to interact positively with people of different patterns of thought, not only in the local scale, but also in national and even world scale.