Revolutionary GSD method

I never intended to make a new method. I thought

we had plenty of them already! It just happened
while I was teaching.
I always wanted to deliver sense, order and deep
understanding of English language to my students.
This inevitably meant embedding applied linguistics
and L1 into my teaching. So I did!
From 2003 to 2009- more than 4000 students
benefited from GSD method and we made a school
with 7 branches out of one single classroom.
The method was named a MIRACLE by our
students, but teachers know that the secret lies
within the applied linguistics!
I named it the Gradual Skill-Developing method for
it really introduces the language gradually in a true
linguistic order!
 Can we start building a house
from the roof ?

Can we start our first lesson with the whole sentences in a

completely new language?
 Usage of L1- the mother tongue
Case 1- Introducing- Beginner level (no L1 allowed)
Teacher: “Hello! My name is…(say your names)”
Students: “Hello! My name is say your names!”

Case 2- Giving directions- Elementary (no L1 allowed)

Student: Can you please translate me to the other page of the street?
Teacher: Did you mean…help me get across to the other side?

Case 3- Present Perfect- Pre-intermediate level (no L1 allowed)

Student: I was* been there…
Teacher: No, no! You say- I… been there...(teacher navigates the auxiliary verb)
Student: Oh, I know! I am*been there many times!
*Two classical mistakes of a Serbian speaker literally translating Serbian Present Perfect into English
using to be which is Serbian auxiliary: to have is not an auxiliary verb in Serbian.
• How would a native English teacher/ teacher using only L2,
recognize or explain such errors?
• How much time would it take?
• How many courses would it take to reach basic knowledge?
• Would a student ever be sure of his L2 competence?
 What is the real beginning for the
beginners?
• Starter course? 0 level
• Beginner course?? 0,5 level
• Elementary??? 1st level

None of the above!!!

Real beginning is APPLIED LINGUISTICS

as a short introduction to any course book!
LINGUISTICS- corner stone of every
language: both learning and teaching!
teaching

MOTHER
TONGUE
 OUR STUDENT IS:
A HOMO SAPIENS OR A PARROT ?

GSD method enables student to think and Mindless methods praise behaviorism:
gradually understand language principles. they equal a student to a parrot!
Michael Swan- about the
importance of linguistics
“One thing that worries me, though,
is that language itself (especially
grammar and pronunciation) has
tended to disappear from language
teaching, at least in the UK-based
orthodoxy of the last twenty years.

Learning a foreign language centrally

involves learning the key structures,
phonology and vocabulary of that
language and no amount of activity-
based fluency practice can compensate
if that is neglected”

Swan, Michael., Interview for the ELT

news, www.ELTnews.com
Penny Ur- the usage of mother
tongue in ELT practice
The only really valid argument, in my
opinion, in favour of minimizing (not
banishing) L1 use is that over-use of
L1 lessens the time available for
English use in the classroom.
Obviously we want our students to
have maximum exposure to English
in our lessons. But this means limiting
L1 use, not banishing it altogether.
Insisting on keeping to English even
when students don’t understand what
is being said may lead to the
message ‘it doesn’t matter if you don’t
understand’”
SEETA online forum, 2008, www.seeta.eu
Language gone upside down !
• Grammar translation method- GTM
• Direct method- DM
• Audio-lingual method- ALM
• Silent way- SW- Caleb Gattegno
• Suggestopedia- Georgi Lazanov
• Community language learning-CLL
• Total physical response- TPR method
• Communicative approach- CA method
• Neuro -linguistic programming- NLP method
Almost every method denies the previous- taking into
consideration only a certain aspect of the language
learning, emphasizing a single view!
 David Crystal: Decline of the
communicative approach
“ Well, it had to decline. The
reason being that it was never
worked through…
… that approach only works
as long as you can keep in
touch with the traditional
approach.
Because it's no good saying:
"That's a fascinating use of
language over there, you
ought to use it." if the
response is "How?"

Crystal,David.,Interview for the ELT

news, www. ELTnews.com
 Adrian Tennant `s choice:
compilation of methods
• If I think of how I try and teach in
the classroom, I think I like
approaches that involve the learner
in the learning process.
• I don’t adhere to the idea of using
one particular approach such as
Grammar-Translation,
Communicative, The Silent Way
etc.
• I think all of these have their
advantages and disadvantages and
what any good teacher should do is
pick and choose the best things
from each.
Tennant, Adrian.,Interview via e-mail,
Nottingham, 2007, taken from the
British Council Serbia web page
 Wheels of change
• New ideas are usually based on old ones
(whether or not they admit it!), but may
contain genuinely new variations within
them.
• What we want is an integrated teaching-
learning model, combining worthwhile old
ideas with useful and productive new ones.

Penny Ur: “Wheels of change”, ETAI

conference, 2006
 Turning it UPSIDE RIGHT !

Learning primarily means understanding the matter that is

being exposed in order to memorize it.
Learning has to be systematical, logical- otherwise
language would not be a science, but rather a mess!
 1. Alphabet 2. Sound
&IPA formation

3.Parts of
7. Unit 1 the speech

7 STEPS
6. Verbs and 4. Sentence structure
tense system (word order)

5.Core vocabulary
(grammar words)
 REMOVING THE MIST AWAY:AWAY
Comparative and contrastive linguistics
Serbian- familiar English - unfamiliar

one sound=one sign one sound= 2,3 signs

A= / a: / /a:/= car
H=/ h / one sound=one sign
I= / i / /h/= hot
two sounds=one sign
/ai/= m i ne

NOUN NOUN
• Case flexions • No case flexions
• Genders • Mostly no gender
• Number • Number
• Congruency • No congruency
 Core vocabulary and grammar
In GSD method we first introduce
parts of the speech in linguistic zamenice upitne reči
order of the sentence structure: imenice
position, function, meaning in L1, rečce
subdivisions and possible usages
brojevi
in the language. pridevi veznici
glagoli
• Articles članovi prilozi
• Adjectives
• Numerals
• Nouns
• Pronouns
v
• Wh-words r
• Particles s
• Conjunctions t
e
• Prepositions
• Verbs r
e
• Adverbs č
i
 GSD MAGIC POTION
• GSD methods allows no misunderstanding- L1 is used to explain,
introduce, contrast and compare mother tongue and English
• Grammar and translation are important but not the only matter
• Pronunciation is given from the first day and develops gradually
• All skills are treated equally: reading, writing, listening, speaking
• Certain aspects of all previous methods are used in different
contexts: every approach is appropriate- only at a different stage
of the lesson
• Teacher is active, productive, clear, creative, human but highly
demanding and principal in criteria, working within the given level
• Students are engaged in all 4 skills by taking part, concluding,
thinking, giving examples, producing the language on their own
• Humor, personalizing, creativity, interaction, logics and
understanding are the main principles of GSD method
 What about the course book?
Course book is not a Bible- it is the principles of our teaching
that make it come to life and be useful:
• Pre-teach everything new
• Exemplify whatever you teach
• Practice immediately!
• Challenge your students to reach the goals
• Resume all that is being learnt
• Question the student's understanding
• Correct and use the mistakes to explain better
• Inspire your students to work by games
• Humanize every possible bit of the book
• Personalize the book, make your students use and produce the
language according to their needs
• Test all that was taught by creative writing tasks and regular checks
• Keep control of the progress your students make
• Remember that teaching means bringing sense and success to
your students at every moment of the class!
 What `s in it for me?
• Are you teaching English?
• Do you find difficulties in your approach?
• Can you define your approach at all?
• Would you like to make a real success in
your classroom?
• Would you like your students to worship you?
GSD method is applicable worldwide
because it is based on linguistics!
linguistics
 GSD method is universal!
• After 4000 Serbian students in barely 3 years-
it has proven its reliability and effectiveness
• The 300-page teacher training guide is being
modified for worldwide usage
• Search www.gsdmethod.com for details by
the end of 2009
• Visit www.britanicca.rs to see how it works!