On The Integration Of The Grammar-Translation Method And The Communicative Approach

With China's entry into the WTO and successful bid for both the Olympic Games in 2008 and the World Expo in 2010, China will inevitably increase contacts with people all over the world. Meanwhile, society poses higher and higher demands on foreign language teaching. "After many years of English study, however, a great number are disappointed to find they are still unable [a great number of students are disappointed to find themselves unable] to speak or understand the language well" (Wang Jian, et al. 2000: 131).For some time, English has been one of the most important courses in senior high school. As is well-known, for high scores in the national university entrance examination, grammar is explained and analyzed in a very detailed way in class which not only wastes too much time and makes students bored of studying English too early, but also prevents learners from developing their ability to speak and to listen, i.e. to communicate with others in the target language. After class, students have to do a great many "multiple choices". As a consequence, the four skills, especially oral English, are neglected.Learners trained with the Grammar-Translation Method may have a sound linguistic competence but are weak, perhaps very weak, in oral skills. On the contrary, learners trained in the Communicative Approach may be quite strong in oral skills, but weak in linguistic competence, which will eventually hinder the development of communicative competence. On the basis of many instructive attempts made by experts, scholars and teachers at the forefront of English learning and teaching, the author suggests that in our classroom instruction we should, to change the above-mentioned situation, integrate the Grammar-Translation Method and the Communicative Approach to develop senior high school students' linguistic competence and communicative competence simultaneously.