Direct Method of English Language TeachingClass. B.EdSemester: 2nd

Ajab Ali Lashari(SMIU)

Direct Method Definition: A method of teaching language directly establishing a direct

or immediate association between experience and expression, between the English word, phrase or idiom and its meaning through demonstration, dramatization without the use of the mother tongue.

Aims of this Method: Direct method aims to build a direct relation between experience and

language, word and idea, thought and expression. This method intends for students to learn how to communicate in the

target language. This method is based on the assumption that the learner should

experience the new language in the same way as he/she experienced his/her mother tongue.

The Direct Method, it’s sometimes called the Natural Method. Not limited to but often used in teaching foreign languages, the method refrains from using the learners' native language and uses only the target language.

It’s named “direct", because meaning should be connected directly with the target language without translation into the native language.

History

It was established in Germany and France around 1900, and it was an answer to the dissatisfaction with the older Grammar Translation Method, which teaches students grammar and vocabulary through direct translations and thus focuses on the written language.

One of its main proponents was the German Maximilian Berlitz, whose schools in the form of Berlitz International exist to this day.

Direct Method is also known as:

Natural Method Phonetical Method

Anti-Grammatical Method

Reform Method

Background• In the mid and late 19 century,

Europe experienced a wave of increasing opportunities of communication, due to industrialization and international trade and travel.

• A need was felt to develop oral proficiency in foreign languages.

• Language teachers had already found Grammar-translation method inadequate and ineffective in developing 'communicative ability' in learners.

Background

• They strongly advocate an alternative method in which language was presented in contexts and the mother tongue was avoided.

• Its principal advocates were Prendergast and Sauveur who proposed what they called Natural Method that suggest radical change from Grammar- translation. It is this method that later on came to be known as the Direct Method

•DM believe L2 learning must be an imitation of L1 learning, as this is the natural way humans learn any language.•According to the German scholar F. Franke, a language could best be taught by using it actively in the classroom.•Rather than using analytical procedures that focus on explanation of grammar rules, teachers must encourage direct and spontaneous use of the L2 in the classroom.•These natural language learning principles provided the foundation for what came to be known as the Direct Method, which refers to the most widely known of the natural methods. •Direct Method argued that a L2 could be taught without translation or the use of the learner's native tongue if meaning was conveyed directly through demonstration and action.

The main principles of the Direct Method

Principles

1- Classroom instructions are conducted exclusively in the target language.

2- Only everyday vocabulary and sentences are taught during the initial phase; grammar, reading and writing are introduced in intermediate phase.

3- Oral communication skills are built up in a carefully graded progression organized around question-and-answer exchanges between teachers and students in small, intensive classes.

4- Grammar is taught inductively. Students Figure Out Rules Themselves. Because we aren’t translating

for our students, we’re introducing language in context through action and interaction. We’re pushing students to think in English and to develop their own understanding of the rules of the language. For example, by hearing the teacher say “he is a student” to Ricardo, and “they are students” to Chris and Natalia, students start learning verb conjugations without creating diagrams or having patterns laid out for them.

5- Concrete vocabulary is taught through demonstration, objects, and pictures; abstract vocabulary is taught by association of ideas.

6- Both speech and listening comprehensions are taught.

7- Correct pronunciation and grammar are emphasized.

8- Student should be speaking at least 89% of the time during the lesson.

9- Students are taught from inception to ask questions as well as answer them.

Techniques

• Q & A: The teacher asks questions of any nature and the students answer.

• Dictation: The teacher chooses a grade appropriate passage and reads the text

• aloud. Teacher reads the passage three times

Techniques

• Reading Aloud:

Students take turn reading sections of a passage, play or dialogue out loud.

Techniques• Map Drawing:

Students are given a map without labeled then the students label it by using the directions the teacher gives.

• Paragraph Writing :

The students are asked to write a passage in their own words.

The teaching techniques rely mostly on·         Reading aloud,·         Question answer exercise,·         Self-correction,·         Conversation practice,·         Fill-in-the-blank exercise,·         Dictation·         Paragraph writing.

Never translate: demonstrateNever explain: actNever make a speech: ask questionsNever imitate mistakes: correctNever speak with single words: use sentencesNever speak too much: make students speak muchNever use the book: use your lesson planNever jump around: follow your planNever go too fast: keep the pace of the studentNever speak too slowly: speak normallyNever speak too quickly: speak naturallyNever speak too loudly: speak naturallyNever be impatient: take it easy

Teacher’s Role

The role of the teacher is to direct class activities, encourage students to participate in class and corrects their mistakes immediately.But students and teacher are partners in the learning process.

Student’s Role

Students are very active. Oral communication skills are emphasized, there is a large amount of Learner-Learner interaction.

Error Correction

The teacher, using various techniques, tries to get students to self-correct whenever possible

Use of Mother Tongue

Student’s native language shouldn’t be used in the classroom

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING USING DIRECT METHOD

• Teacher ask student using target language and student answer in full sentences.

Question & Answer Exercise

• Student read sections of passages, plays or dialogs out loud

Reading Aloud

• Teacher reads passage aloud various amount of times at various tempos, students writing down what they hear

Dictation

• Teacher facilitates opportunities for students to self correct using follow-up questions, tone, etc

Student Self Correct

• Students write paragraphs in their own words using the target language and various models

Paragraph Writing

• Teacher asks students and students ask students questions using the target language

Conversation Practice

• Items use target language only and inductive rather than explicit grammar rules

Fill-In-The-Blank Exercise

Advantages & Disadvantages of Direct MethodAdvantages Disadvantages

Students are encourage & motivated to use L2 spontaneously.

Lack of teachers that interested in using DM(not many teachers creative to create their own materials)

Its emphasis on speech made it more attractive for those who have needs of real communication in the target language

DM ignores written work & reading activities and sufficient attention is not paid to reading & writing skills.

It make learning process interesting and fun because DM encourage using realia during learning process.

In large class, DM is not properly applied.(not satisfy the needs of individual)

Students are able to understand what they learn.(it focus on meaning not the rules)

DM is not suitable for public school because it is costly.(realia, visual materials)

CriticismIn spite of its achievements, the direct method fell short from fulfilling the needs of educational systems. One of its major shortcomings is that it was hard for public schools to integrate it. As R. Brown (1994:56) points out, the Direct Method “did not take well in public schools where the constraints of budget, classroom size, time, and teacher background (native speakers or native like fluency) made such a method difficult to use.”• After a short popularity in the beginning of

the 20th century, it soon began to lose its appeal because of these constraints. It then paved the way to the Audio-lingual Method.