Direct method for language teaching

English Language Teaching

1. Direct method for language teaching Kalsoom Jahan Lecturer in english Lahore garrison university

2. Background Throughout the history of education, especially teaching languages, there have been many approaches and teaching methods used. During the nineteenth century, the Direct Method (or Natural Method) was developed as an antithesis to the popular grammar-translation method, which many believed was failing in the goal of effective communication in a second language. 

3. Direct method The direct method focuses on full immersion in the classroom environment where not one word of the students’ native language is spoken. The focus is not on grammar but instead on learning through listening and speaking. When using the natural approach, we don’t focus on the rules, we allow for mistakes, and we aim for excellent oral communication with our target words and language. 

4. The basic principles of the direct method approach are Teach language inductively: In this method, we don’t explain the rules to the students; we let them figure it out for themselves. We challenge them and guide them to the correct use of the language, but we also force them to think through things as they learn. We can do this by showing them objects and even calling the objects by the wrong color, so they will figure out what the object is NOT as well as what it is.

5. Only use the target language Our goal is to not have the students translating from their mother tongue but to learn instead to think in the foreign language. When a person learned their first language, there was no translation from another language; they had nothing to base it on. The direct method approach believes in trying to mimic first language acquisition. 

6. Oral communication is the main objective The direct approach focuses on speaking far more than the importance of reading and writing. This practice is the complete opposite of the grammar-translation approach, where students learn all of the rules of a language but often cannot speak or communicate effectively in the second language. Using the direct method, we encourage our students to speak, even to make grammatical mistakes, so they can get their point across and put into practice what they are learning in their classrooms. 

7. Teaching styles used in the direct method approach are: Showing or using multiple examples of a word or concept Props and  TPR (total physical response) Listening and repetition Speaking Make sure to have a non-threatening environment

8. Advantages 1. The focus is on Oral Practice. Therefore, the  pronunciation  improves. 2. In teaching vocabulary such as words, idioms, this method is good. 3. As there is direct relation between  thought  and expression, it helps the learners in having good fluency. Using direct method, a teacher helps students having good command over English. 4. In this method, the teacher proceeds from particular to general and from concrete to abstract.

9. advantages 5. It makes the teaching English easier and more pleasant. A teacher uses various images/ pictures to illustrates his/her point. 6. This method creates the suitable environment for learning  English Language . 7. As the unit of speech in Direct Method is a sentence, students learn to speak complete sentences without any hesitation. So they get confidence with command over good English.

10. Disadvantages 1. Owing to over-emphasis on oral practice, the other skills namely reading and writing are ignored to a great extent. 2. Average and below average students, especially from rural background, find difficulty to grasp the things taught via this method. 3. This is an expensive method as the teacher is to use some aids for teaching.

11. disadvantages 4. For this method, competent teachers must be there. But  there  is the dearth of good English teachers in the country. Incompetent teachers can't use this method successfully. 5. In the early stage of learning, this method is completely unsuccessful. 6. The background at home must also be foreign language friendly for this method. The students whose parents can speak English well get more benefit from this method.

12. conclusion The direct method of teaching English originated as a reaction to grammar translation method. In this method English is taught to the students directly without interference of any other language. The central idea of this method is the association of words and sentences with their meanings through dramatization, demonstration, pointing etc. Though it has many disadvantages but it can be better to utilise in language classroom with little modification.

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