IndexIntroductionGrammar translation methodCommunicative language teaching (CLT)Features of the teaching and learning processHow teachers respond to student errorsMethodologyBibliography:IntroductionNo need to explain why Nowadays everyone wants to speak English well! But what are the most effective methods for teaching a student in the 21st century? In this research proposal, to answer this question I refer to the different methodologies of teaching a foreign language and how they influence student performance. Current communicative language teaching (CLT) was compared with the grammar translation method (GTM). To address this topic, interviews were chosen as the research method. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Communicative language teaching can be described as “an approach to teaching English as a foreign language based on communicative skills.” Its main purpose is to help students have not only implicit and explicit knowledge of grammatical rules, but also knowledge of the rules of language use. (Swaine, 1980). As for the other method, “…GTM is applied to help students read and appreciate the objectives of foreign language literature. In other words, the essential purpose of learning a language is to be able to read literature written in the target language.” (Natsir M., January 2014). This issue is vital in light of the recent changes made to the national curriculum of the Kyrgyz Republic. According to the document cited above, language learning outcomes should not be limited to the acquisition of language skills alone, but rather prepare global citizens who can freely integrate into the world community. Therefore, it is crucial to be aware of which methods to choose to meet national standards and requirements. In an attempt to answer the question of the most efficient methods to teach a student in the 21st century, we will examine some theories on learning a foreign language proposed by various linguistic research. Basically, we will refer to the analysis of grammar translation methods and communicative methods of teaching and how they are applied in English as a foreign or second language classrooms. Grammar Translation MethodBefore any reforms made in the field of language teaching, The grammatical translation method was the dominant method for teaching the Latin and Greek languages ​​in the nineteenth century. Durani (2016) states that “The foundation of… GTM was an effort to teach grammar and translation and achieve the goal of languages ​​so that students acquired some knowledge of foreign languages ​​after studying a set of grammatical rules . The student applies knowledge and the text is easily interpreted.” Larsen-Freeman's idea cited in (Durrani, August 2016) states that the key concept of GTM was the idea that "the grammar of the target language can be useful for students and they can learn their native language well, at the same way this grammar can help them speak and write better in their native language”. (Larsen-Freeman, 2000) also emphasizes that all activities and tasks in class are prepared by the teacher to train students to pass tests and exams . (Larsen-Freeman, 2000) Howatt (1984) and Rivers (1981) cited in (Durrani, August 2016) also express the same opinion regarding the purpose of Larsen-Freeman's GTM.(2000), state that the grammar translation method is designed to teach students to “pass the standardized exam after preparation of reading and writing only classical materials.” In the article Grammar Translation Method (GTM) Versus Communicative Language Teaching (CLT); A Review of Literature by (Natsir M., January 2014) I came across Larsen-Freeman and Anderson's (2011) table where they described the key concepts of GTM. From the data table we can observe the following principles of GTM: grammar is taught deductively, students are taught to translate from their native language to the target language, lessons are more teacher-centered; there is a little peer work; there are no principles linked to students' feelings and emotions: learning is biological, the linguistic skills that are at the center of attention are grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing; there is a great use of the mother tongue in the teaching and learning processes; getting the right answer is extremely important; and the teacher is the only source of information. Although GTM is considered obsolete in most of the world today, there are some countries, such as Kyrgyzstan, that still use this method as a classic and traditional method of teaching a foreign language. There is a strong belief among Kyrgyzstan teachers that focusing primarily on grammar helps students understand and speak a foreign language better. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) After numerous studies conducted by great psychologists and biologists such as Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, the need for a change in language teaching has become crucial. Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development (1936) suggests that children can see and construct the model of the world by acting like little scientists: making observations and testing hypotheses. His studies suggested to us that the student is an active participant in the process and that intelligence is not something we are born with, but rather a characteristic that is acquired and developed in the process. Lev Vygotsky makes a very good point about the fact that we should pay more attention to the process than to the result. Piaget's understanding of child development can be paraphrased as the biological development that precedes learning. Unlike Jean Piaget (1936), Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky declared that students actively create meaning and their social work is central to this process. Vygotsky's theory suggests that learning precedes development. He stated that “…human learning presupposes a specific social nature and a process by which children grow into the intellectual lives of those around them” (Vygotsky, 1978). In support of the above mentioned theory another research project was conducted by Savignon (1972) which was cited by (Muhammad, 2016) to look for the benefits of CLT in learning a second language environment. In this research project at the University of Illinois, Savignon (1972) used the term “communicative competence to characterize learners' ability to interact with other speakers, to make meaning, as distinct from their ability to perform discrete point tests of grammatical knowledge". (Savignon, summer 1991). The participants in the study were university students who were learning French as a second language and had varying levels of proficiency. Savignon (1972) found that students whose lessons were led by instructors using CLT teaching methods showed better performance on fluency- and accuracy-based tasks. In comparison, student outcomes with a focus-only approach.