LITERATURE REVIEW
2.2 THEORIES RELATED TO ONLINE ENGLISH TEACHING
2.2.3 Teaching Approaches
The essential thing in the teaching process is the teaching method. A suitable teaching method can cultivate students’ enthusiasm in learning and guide students to learn independently and achieve their learning goals (Fenstermacher, Soltis & Sanger, 2015). This part mainly introduces the grammar-translation method, communicative approach, ICT-based approach, and student-centered vs teacher-centered.
2.2.3.1 Grammar-Translation Method (GTM)
The grammar-translation method (GTM) uses traditional grammar to teach foreign languages and is used in language teaching (Bhatti & Mukhtar, 2017). In addition, the grammar-translation approach focuses on cultivating students’ reading ability and writing ability of foreign literary works (Mart, 2013).
The grammar-translation method advocates the use of mother tongue to teach foreign languages, using translation as the primary method, and learning grammar as a way, emphasizing the central position of grammar in teaching (Nielson, 2018). In the teaching process, the class organizes the learning in the mother tongue, answers the questions in the mother tongue, and translates the content of the teaching text into a foreign language to develop the students’ foreign language reading ability (Elmayantie, 2015). On the other hand, teachers should help students learn essential grammar points and improve their foreign language comprehension (Omar, 2019).
In modern classrooms, students develop their foreign language writing skills through classroom exercises and tests (Khan, Mansoor & Manzoor, 2016). For example, students must memorize grammar points in writing class and then do exercises after the teaching text. The content of the activities is written answers to the questions designed in the text, translation exercises in the native language and foreign language, and fill-in-the-blank selection activities; or requires students to take a test of
grammar-related knowledge. Thus, grammar-translation methods are all helping students improve their reading and writing skills to reach the level of understanding the target language and literature (Abrar & Thamrin, 2020).
2.2.3.2 Communication Approach
The communicative approach was invented by the linguist Hymes, a language teaching theory with students’ main body (Winarsih, 2017). It advocates that language learning should cultivate the communicative ability to use language as the teaching goal. The communicative approach also encourages learners to interact with other students or teachers to achieve the purpose of learning (Malik & Gunawan, 2018).
Teachers are only the organizers and facilitators of teaching (Vega Llobera, Gràcia Garcia & Riba, 2020). Teachers should effectively organize student-centered learning activities, stimulate students’ enthusiasm in communication, and provide students with more speaking opportunities (Fattah & Saidalvi, 2019). On the other hand, teachers should pay attention to the design and inspection of learning activities (Lebedev & Vasiliew, 2016). Teachers should help students develop their language communication abilities and communication skills in actual dialogue activities (Chung, 2017). It increases students’ confidence in communicating with others and improves students’ ability to overcome difficulties and solve problems.
In modern classrooms, the communicative approach uses language as a communicative tool to organize teaching, learning and using (Mirbabayeva, 2021).
Teachers collect students to communicate and interact according to their learning goals, master the use of language knowledge to share with others, obtain information, and form communicative skills (Herouach, 2020). For example, in an English course, teachers can organize students to perform role-playing, simulating a dialogue in a
particular scene. Students will discuss and exchange opinions in groups and finally share their thoughts in class. In addition, the communicative approach cultivates students’ oral expression skills and enhances the team spirit among students (Maarof, 2018).
2.2.3.3 ICT-Based Approach
Information and communication technology covers various online teaching platforms, such as video conferencing and distance learning (Ortiz, Mora, Gamboa &
Gatica, 2021). It makes full use of the Internet and various open service systems to provide learning services for learners. For example, two interactive learning interfaces are provided in chat rooms and BBS forums (Rahayu & Wijaya, 2018). Both teachers and students can post speeches, comments and answer questions, which becomes a powerful supplement to classroom learning and after-school tutoring.
Traditional teaching models tend to be teacher-centered, and students passively accept knowledge (Byers, Imms & Hartnell-Young, 2018). The ICT approach focuses more on student-centered, cultivating students' creative use of knowledge (Eickelmann
& Vennemann, 2017). Students can choose learning content and path according to their learning needs to determine their learning progress; they can learn in a personalized, active, and independent manner (Bilyalova, 2017). In addition, students can actively interact with the outside world, teachers, and classmates in the learning process and improve their language ability and learning efficiency in practice and innovation (Rana & Rana, 2020).
In classroom teaching, teachers used ICT methods around classroom teaching content. For example, teachers assign teaching tasks to allow students to collect text-related background knowledge through the Internet before class, discuss the
materials contained by students in class, and deepen the teaching content (Tsinonis, 2018). In addition, students can also learn through ICT and arrange their learning content and learning methods independently according to their hobbies and English proficiency. Finally, students can realize a personalized learning model to stimulate their learning motivation (Agrawal & Mittal, 2018).
2.2.3.4 Student-Centered VS Teacher-Centered
Student-centered is a modern teaching concept, which advocates the student-centered organization of teaching and exerts the subjective and active role of the student’s main body of learning (Klemenčič, 2017). In addition, student-centered is the affirmation and emphasis on students’ differences, emphasizing that education should recognize and pay attention to students’ differences in learning effects (Yamagata, 2018).
Student-centered teaching methods cultivate students’ interest in learning and allow students to learn independently under the drive of the claim (Akdemir & Özçelik, 2019). Based on the constructivist student-centered teaching method, learners construct their knowledge structure and learning strategies based on their different knowledge savings and learning experience (Li & Guo, 2015). In student-centered teaching, students can independently formulate and implement learning goals, independently choose learning methods, autonomously control the entire learning process and evaluate learning (Rahmawan & Wiyanah, 2018). Its teaching method can meet the different needs of students in education and truly realize personalized teaching (Anyanwu & Iwuamadi, 2015). Student-centered teaching encourages students to actively participate in the learning process, use critical thinking, and find a learning style that suits them.
The opposite idea of student-centered is teacher-centered. Learning is the teacher’s responsibility, the teacher is the active imparter of knowledge, and the student is the object of knowledge imparting. The teacher-centered teaching method ignores the role of students as the main body of learning (Kaymakamoglu, 2018). In teacher-centered teaching, teachers used irrigation methods to help students understand basic concepts and relationships (Ahmed, 2013). Students gain this understanding by listening to lectures. Without actively participating in classroom teaching, learning cooperation and communication are less, and they are susceptible to teachers’ teaching experience (Dole, Bloom & Kowalske, 2016). As a result, students only focus on teachers and passively receive knowledge, which is not conducive to the growth of innovative talents (Utha & Rinzin, 2019). The teacher-centered teaching makes students passively study, with low learning motivation and interest, because they cannot construct their learning process and learning content.
Most of the traditional teaching methods are teacher-centered. In traditional classrooms, teachers used “cramming method of teaching” to help students understand knowledge, and students obtain this understanding by attend a lecture and taking notes (Muganga & Ssenkusu, 2019). There was a lack of effective communication and interaction between teachers and students. Students cannot construct their learning targets and processes, and teachers’ teaching methods cannot meet their learning needs, while lead to students to lose their enthusiasm and motivation, thereby affecting their learning efficiency and academic performance (Chen & Yu, 2019). On the contrary, Online teaching is student-centered and mainly cultivates students’ interest and creative ability. Students could choose their learning contents and methods according to their targets and learning needs. Students achieved personalization and autonomy throughout the learning process (Ali, 2019). In addition, students could actively interact with teachers and classmates as well as shared their learning experiences.
Students could also effectively improve their language ability and learning efficiency in online teaching (Rayens & Ellis, 2018).