Originally Posted by MoonBaby

It's impossible to say without having met the students, but yes, some people are just stupid and/or lazy. You can have the best teacher in the world, but learning a language still requires a great deal of motivation and hard work on the part of the student. I have students who think they can absorb everything just by being in class without doing a tap outside class and it just doesn't work that way. There are very few students who are just unteachable, but they do exist.



I agree. Most of my school teachers were useless, as in they didn't even try. We were often given exercises to do and pages and pages of stuff to read while the teacher read the newspaper. I still did well. I know lots of people who did badly despite attending the best schools and having private tuition.



That's basically the Linguaphone method. Personally I don't think it works unless you are the type of person who can hear something and work out the grammar rules yourself and even then, you need to do a lot of work on your own to check the grammar, look up exceptions etc. It worked reasonably well for me with Spanish for the first two years, but I think I still benefited from traditional classes after that. I think grammar needs to be taught, I just don't think it needs to be done in the student's native language.

I had a Pre-Intermediate level class today and we looked at 'to be/get used to something'. The students are quite low level and from different countries (Koreans, Japanese, Colombians, Saudis, Thais and Iranians). None of them had ever seen this structure before, yet by the end of the class, every student could use it accurately. Nobody needed to have it explained in their own language or even to use a dictionary. I'll be checking this structure discreetly () over the next few weeks to make sure they really get it and continue to use it.

Originally Posted by stuboy

You sound to me like a dedicated professional and I'm sure you believe your method is the best. But, somethings for some people just don't sink in no matter how much extra work they put in. AS JLFS succintly points out an awful lot of time and heartache would be saved for many if things like grammar were taught in the students native language.
Horses for courses me thinks.

Originally Posted by JLFS

I agree with your post, even the most professional teachers could get a grammar rule across quicker if it was dont in the students own language, wether it is feasible or not is a different matter.

I cannot see the point of not using the native language, it would be quicker simpler and it would not be such a long drawn out process.

The complexity of trying to understand grammar in another language is a big hurdle for many and the reason why many give up.

Surely anything that makes the learning more efficient is a good thing, and adhereing to target language only does not make it easier.

Originally Posted by JLFS

I agree with your post, even the most professional teachers could get a grammar rule across quicker if it was dont in the students own language, wether it is feasible or not is a different matter.

I cannot see the point of not using the native language, it would be quicker simpler and it would not be such a long drawn out process.

The complexity of trying to understand grammar in another language is a big hurdle for many and the reason why many give up.

Surely anything that makes the learning more efficient is a good thing, and adhereing to target language only does not make it easier.

Originally Posted by lynnxa

I promised myself I wouldn't join in this one - especially since I was dragged into it in the very first reply

I market myself to the English speaking community, so all my students speak English, but are of various nationalities & have varying levels of English ability - all can hold a conversation though

I explain grammar points in English - although because many of my students have no idea of grammar in English I tend not to use grammatical terms

those who have English as a first language invariably understand & grasp new concepts more quickly than those who don't - they do grasp it usually by the end of the lesson though, because after the explanation comes the repeat repeat & situational practice

I find a combination of the two approaches works

interestingly, I used to teach English in an academy, mostly to Spanish people, but one student was French, although she spoke really good Spanish having been here for over 20 years

I'd forgotten most of my French, but if ever she wasn't clear on a point or word she wanted clarification in French - she found it easier to understand in her first language

my French improved dramatically during the time I was teaching her.......... although through lack of use most of it has gone again