Can we teach the English language using the native language of the place?

 Can we teach the English language using the native language of the place? 

Yes. One of the techniques in teaching the English language is the Grammar-Translation Method (GTM). In this method, "the meaning of the target language is made clear by translating it into the students’ native language. The language that is used in class is MOSTLY the students’ native language." [Larsen-Freeman, D. & Anderson, M. (2016). Techniques and principles in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.]. The extent of the use of the native language in teaching also depends on the previous exposure of the learners in the target language. So it doesn't mean that the native language will be used as the SOLE language in teaching the English language if the learners have some experience with the target language. In this case, the native language is merely used to make the meanings of the English words or phrases clear if the beginning learners are having a difficulty in comprehension. For example, I want to learn Arabic. At the start, my teacher will teach Arabic to me in English since I am a beginning learner. Eventually, the use of English in teaching Arabic decreases as I become proficient in the language. The goal of the GTM is to enable the learners to read and translate words/phrase/sentences from English to the native language since it is believed that one of the signs that the learner understands the target language is to be able to translate it to his/her native language.  

Cart before the horse: Integrating Technology in the Classroom.

Simply put, "putting the cart before the horse"  means doing things in the wrong order.  

The cart represents "technology" and the "horse" represents "pedagogy."  The figure above illustrates how some people tend to decide first the kind of technology to be used for teaching rather than on the reason or purpose for using the technology. Instead, pedagogy should dictate how to use the technology and what kind of technology to be used in online learning.  For instance, the first consideration in an online learning is how to put the following processes in teaching into online:

Face-to-face Learning	Online Learning	Technology to be used (What technology can be used to electronically send/deliver the files/activities to the students?)
Syllabus/Delivery Plan   (The hard copies are given to the students.)	How should the materials be given/delivered to the students online?	email?
Books/Hand-outs/Worksheets (The hard copies are given to the students.)	How should the materials be given/delivered to the students online?	email?
Classroom Teaching	How should teaching be done? fully online? blended?	MS Teams? Google Classroom? Zoom?
Quizzes and Examinations	How should quizzes or test be administered? fully online? blended? How to prevent plagiarism?	MS Forms? Google Forms? Moodle?  How to prevent plagiarism?

(The author has presented this study at the 20th Oman International ELT Conference last October 14-15, 2020. The author hopes to publish the full paper/research.)