We can exploit authentic material from a wide range of sources to present our target language.
The rules and structures students discover are often more valid, relevant and authentic than in a deductive approach, as they can be drawn from real use of English.
The action of discovery helps learners remember.
It reflects the acquisition process that children learn by, i. e. being in contact with the language and using it, then finding rules and applying them to new contexts.
This kind of task and the independence it fosters- is stimulating and motivating for many learners.
This approach naturally encourages more communication, as learners need to discuss language together.
We are able to respond better to the needs of our learners. For example, we can clearly see and address problems with understanding of a certain rule or item of lexis as learners go through the process of identifying and analyzing it.
We can support and encourage new learning styles and strategies. For example, this kind of approach is good to develop reflective learning and learning in groups, As can be seen, both approaches provide opportunities for learning and address the needs of different kinds of learners and learning contexts. Like almost all the decisions we make in the classroom, we must be guided by our learners’ aims.
The inductive approach may be more attractive to us as teachers but does it support our students’ learning fully?
The deductive approach may be more controllable but does it give our learners the opportunity to develop their strategies and learning styles?
And like many of our decisions regarding the way we teach, the best way forward may be to blend the two, guided by our aims and our understanding of our own learners. For example, it may be useful for a class to start with a deductive approach and then move on to a more inductive way of learning once they are used to analysis of the language and ways of describing it.