Contemporary International Foreign Language Teaching Methods Development Research

Foreign language teaching method/approach is the result of a long evolutionary development of foreign language teaching. From the very beginning of Grammar Translation Method to the recent Content-based Approach, foreign language teaching methods/approaches have been gradually modified through a history of more than 100 years, and adapted to meet changing needs and conditions, its process of development is characterized by a remarkable continuity and objectivity, and complying with the dialectical law of the development of things. By analyzing and comparing the basic internal elements of each method and approach, as well as their specific roles in different countries, we found, on the one hand, that the relationship between methods is not that of simple "pendulum movement" or replacement, but a spiral growing process. Each new method /approach broke from the old one but took with it some positive aspects of previous practices by critically assimilating useful tenets from its predecessors, thus the entire method /approach system moves on; on the other hand, there is a general trend in the development of foreign language teaching methods/approaches, which is foreign language teaching should basically follow the three principles of the development of human beings, the development of language, and language teaching rules as well. This trend has shown that the objective of modern foreign language teaching should be dedicated to promoting students' intellectuality with the learning of foreign language, and new method/approach won't survive and fulfill its fundamental roles in the practice of language teaching if it fails to take these principles seriously and comply with them. This trend is the right orientation of foreign language teaching.Adopting the methods of documentation, comparative analysis, case study and comparison, this dissertation makes a thorough study of the foreign language teaching methods/approaches in seven chapters. Chapter 1 tracks down the development of the concept of language teaching methods and approaches; chapter 2 and 3 probe into different methods/approaches by comparing the main methods and approaches thoroughly; chapter 4, 5 and 6 are mainly about the different practices of each method and approach in the United States, European countries and China. The conclusion part makes a brief discussion about the characteristics and three fundamental principles concerning the theme of this dissertation.