Fig. 5.1. Evaluation schema for methods and materials

Requirements for optimal input

1. Comprehensible
2. Interesting/relevant
3. Not grammatically sequenced
4. Quantity
5. Filter level ("off the defensive")
6. Provides tools for conversational management


Learning

Restricted to:
1. Certain rules; those that are
    a. learnable
    b. portable
    c. not yet acquired
2. Certain people ("Monitor users")
3. Certain situations
    a. time
    b. focus on form

what my understanding of each method is. It should also be pointed out that this analysis assumes that the methods are used in their pure forms, a situation which, I am sure, does not occur in every classroom.

1. GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION

While there is some variation, grammar-translation usually consists of the following activities:


(1)
Explanation of a grammar rule, with example sentences.
(2)
Vocabulary, presented in the form of a bilingual list.
(3)
A reading selection, emphasizing the rule presented in (1) above and the vocabulary presented in (2).
(4)
Exercises designed to provide practice on the grammar and vocabulary of the lesson. These exercises emphasize the conscious control of structure ("focus on", in the sense of Krashen and Seliger, 1975) and include translation in both directions, from L1 to L2 and L2 to L1.

Most grammar-translation classes are designed for foreign language instruction and are taught in the student's first language. We turn now to an analysis of grammar-translation in terms of the matrix in Fig. 5.1.

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