Since my freshman year in high school, I have had many different French teachers, and have no doubt taken classes that use very different approaches to language learning.  Because of this inconsistency, my experience as a second language learner was and still is very inconsistent and difficult at times.  

The first year of French I had an excellent teacher; we mostly used the grammar translation approach in the beginning of the year because everyone had such limited experience with the language.  We spoke mostly in English, learning almost as a kindergarden class would: learning the colors, alphabet, weekdays, months, foods, etc.  There was also a lot of explanation of French verb mechanics, but it was still taught in English.  Once we had some confidence in our language skills, we were encouraged to use the language in writing and in some speaking.  

The next teacher I had used the total physical response method a lot, but I did not feel like it was very useful for the level of speaking I had come to.  She spent 2/5 of every class working on TPR, but it was rarely changed, so there was not much learning occurring; unfortunately, it was mostly rote memorization.  Unfortunately, this set me back for the following year because I had little idea of the structure of the French language and very limited, often irrelevant knowledge of vocabulary.  

Following this, a new teacher was made to play catch up, which she was unprepared for, so we mostly continued to use the grammar translation approach, which of course, set me back for college.  

At ISU, most of my classes have been taught with a communicative approach, but I am behind where I should be.  It is very helpful to use this approach when trying to actually use the French language, not just memorize some words or phrases.