The Traditional Method¶

Traditional method: grammar drills, exams first, one size fits all pace and approach.
More exam orientated than language learning. Terrible for long term language skills like graduates not actually using the language.
Pros: teacher, classmates, clear milestones (exams)
Cons: most often forced learning, personally uninteresting texts, fixed learning pace, "inert" knowledge.
Bottom line: If your goal is a high level then leave boring textbooks and exercises behind and jump into content made by natives for natives you are interested in.

The traditional method¶

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In this section, we'll look at the method everybody is probably most familiar with; the traditional method.

Traditional learning methods follow books usually made by natives for foreigners. These books come in a lot of different kinds, some may start off with basic statement sentences like "I am John" and gradually introduce new vocabulary and grammar points, ultimately allowing one to form more complex sentences. While some translate the target language to a language you understand literally and attach grammar notes alongside.

Comparison between different language learning philosophies¶

Germany's english education¶

The german education system generally uses the former in middle and high school English classes while the russian education system tends to use the latter to teach English. This differences becomes more nuanced by looking at the teaching philosophy. Germany's approach when teaching a foreign language puts a lot of weight on communication. Students will usually start speaking in a foreign language relatively early around grade 3 to 4, aged 8-10, using simple phrases, greetings and classroom language like "Can I go to the toilet?". Teachers also speak almost completely in English while in class. As one advances to higher classes we observe speaking becoming more task-based, think of dialogues, role-plays, presentations and discussions. There is an overall emphasis on early exposure and communication building confidence and practical fluency, not perfection.

Russia's english education¶

On the other hand Russia's approach emphasizes grammar comprehension. It prioritizes a solid foundation in grammar, by filling lessons and assigning homework with verb conjugations and translation drills, focusing on correctness; "Spoken English must follow a solid foundation in grammar and vocabulary". Speaking opportunities are limited and mostly happen by repeating after the teacher. Overall it emphasizes understanding the different grammar patterns in-depth prioritizing a more academic approach, aiming for perfection over "sloppiness", going by the notation of "If you can't write a sentence correctly, you shouldn't say it".

What works better¶

Seeing these juxtaposed philosophies, who's students would you expect to perform better in English as a foreign subject? Do you expect the german students to perform better since they focus more on practicality over perfection, or do you think the russian students to exceed them since they focus on the underlying grammar which might be better for performing better on exams?

According to the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) of 2024, which is an annual ranking of countries and regions by their English language proficiency, Germany ranks 10th out of 116 countries while Russia places 44th. So what can we conclude from this observation? Should everyone now write off a grammar heavy approach to language learning as ineffective and start speaking in their target language as early as they can? Maybe we shouldn't even focus on Germany's system and look at the actual top performing countries like Singapore or the Netherlands?

No method is perfect¶

The point I'm trying to make here is that no single one approach to learning a language is perfect; there will always be drawbacks. You might follow the grammar-heavy approach seen in Russia and reach your goal just fine. You might thrive under a more communicative method like Germany's or Netherlands'. Both can work but there are two important factors to keep in mind.

First, the time it takes you to reach your goal can vary drastically depending on the method you choose. Second, the method you follow should depend on what your personal goals with the language are. Are you aiming to be fluent in conversation but not necessarily in reading, or are you aiming to work in a professional setting?

Without defining clear goals first, you might end up spending far more time that necessary.

So what kind of goals does the traditional method try to achieve?

Goals of the traditional method¶

The biggest goal of the traditional method is to systematically teach a group of people in a set pace and periodically test them to pass an exam. Its laid out to be generalized, educating as many students as possible to a certain level of proficiency and have them graduate i.e go through a system. The focus lies not in language acquisition but in language education, as in being able to understand different grammar patterns and memorizing as many vocabulary as needed for the next upcoming exam.

Foreign language attrition¶

Learning a language is more nuanced and intricate; being able to conjugate and understand different grammar patterns isn't imperative to using them like a native the same way one to one translations of vocabulary are not enough to grasp the full nuance of word usage and meaning in every context. That system makes sense in an education system, not in a language acquisition framework. This plays part in a phenomenon where students after graduation can't really functionally use the language anymore they learned in school. They can pass exams using the language that was taught to them in school but are unable to retain or use them fluently. We call this foreign language attrition.

An episode from my school experience

There is a good chance you have experienced the result of this education system as well. I know I have. I had English since elementary school and had to eventually pick my second foreign language in middle school. The flavor of chaos I picked was French; four years long. And I wasn't slacking either: I was studious, participated in the classroom, handed in all of my homeworks, held presentations and even powered through the entire children book assigned to us! Yet, after graduation, all my years of doing grammar drills, memorizing all the vocab and participating in the speaking tasks magically vanished just like they have been doing after every exam. It's as if my brain was programmed to "Pass the exam, then we'll be deleting that."

Merits and demerits of the traditional method¶

Now let's take a step back and pause right here. We now established the general language learning method applied in education systems. We understand what it tries to achieve and how it mostly goes about it. But how should we now perceive the traditional method as a language learning method as a whole. To do this, we are gonna look at the merits and demerits of the tradition method.

One of the best things it provides is that, there is a teacher who ideally teaches and helps you understand. And that person you can ask really anything and they will help you. For example, when you speak in the foreign language, they can correct you and your peers, essentially getting real time feedback. On the other hand, a teacher can't always be there and correct your pronunciation or grammar, especially when there are multiple people speaking. So there is also a danger of forming bad habits when speaking if you're not getting constant feedback. To add to that; being in classroom like environment with a teacher may take away some independency, because the teacher usually dictates what you learn. You'll rarely have a choice but to read a most often a text about something you're not interested in. Sometimes you might want to the teacher to review a certain topic or to jump ahead a few chapters because you understand it already, but the teacher usually won't do that because the others might not be at the same level yet. So there is this set pace you most often have to go by in order to progress in the language.

Something it does well is the social aspect; being in an environment with people who are trying to achieve the same goal as you are. Ideally, you'll help each other be it by teaching what you have learned or just having the company of another. Being in a group of people sharing the same goal, not only improves your own work ethic but also makes learning more memorable and fun. While this sounds idealistic in text, reality can be different and not everyone might be willing to participate in class or pay attention or even worse, disturb each other and not learn something in result. One might think back to the time nostalgic; sitting in last row in class with your friends, banting and playing around and not having learning anything at the end of class, but this approach won't make you learn a language.

It's also worth noting exams which are like measurable benchmarks for progress. Ideally students get motivated by their results and try to improve for next time. Especially by being in a classroom like setting, a sense of community is created where you work towards a shared goal with others, which makes overcoming challenges easier. However one could also get discouraged depending on how an exam goes. Not to mention, having to take an exam can lead to just studying enough of the foreign language to get a passing grade or worse not studying at all and cheating. This can lead to something thats called inert knowledge where students may be able to memorize and recall information but struggle to actually use it in new situations.

Conclusion¶

All in all I think I mentioned enough points speaking for and speaking against the traditional method, allowing us evaluate the method as a whole. When evaluating a language learning method we should keep in mind these points:

You actually acquire the language to your desired level. When learning a language you need to define for yourself what you want to achieve by learning it. Do you want to be conversationally fluent or be able to read books without dictionaries or do you just want to watch youtube and shows without any problems. A method should reflect these goals. Thats why a method should actually make you acquire the language to your desired level.
The time it takes to reach 1. The time it takes to reach your goal is also important. Optimally we want to reach our goals as fast as we can without paying the price of burnout or wasting our time, which is why the time it takes to reach your desired level must be considered as well.
The fun you're having I mention enjoyment here as an aspect because in general if you have fun doing something you will have a significantly easier time doing it.

Based on the arguments I presented so far we can safely conclude that traditional methods have their place in education teaching students about foreign languages. But as outlined it can result in students not actually being able to be proficient at that language. For me it wasn’t until I stepped outside the classroom and its language-learning textbooks that I discovered personal interests, through watching YouTube or playing video games, where I truly began to use the language and started becoming fluent.

The traditional method is language education first and language acquisition second.

Most of the pros I mentioned only manifest themselves if one has the motivation to learn a foreign language. Not a superficial interest but a real personal goal they can strive towards and be motivated by. No students wants to spent hours every day for years discussing and reading about school and migration problems, cultural differences or how a political system elsewhere work in a foreign language. One would get way more motivated if they could actually engage with material/media important to them.

The bottom line¶

Someone who is interested in something will inherently pour in more effort into something than someone who is not interested in that same thing. They're less likely to give up and actually try to understand whatever interest they have. It lacks personal interest driven material to motivate students and real world exposure of the language as in material made by natives for natives to solidify itself as a language learning method justifiable to follow for years. Especially when there are different methods that solve these issues and make you achieve your goals faster, easier and more enjoyable.