2. The definition of Direct Method
The direct method of teaching, which is
sometimes called the natural method, and is
often (but not exclusively) used in teaching
foreign languages, refrains from using the
learners' native language and uses only
the target language. It was established in
Germany and France around 1900 and
contrasts with the grammar–translation
method and other traditional approaches, as
well as with C.J.Dodson's bilingual method
3. The direct method of teaching was
developed around 1900 in Germany and
France. It is sometimes called the natural
method because the aim is to teach students in
a similar way that they acquire their first
language.
4. The direct method of learning English is fairly simple. In
consists, primarily, of just five parts.
Show – The student is shown something so that they
understand the word. For example, they might be shown
realia or other visual aids such as flash cards for nouns. The
teacher might use gestures to explain verbs, and so on.
Say – The teacher verbally presents the word or sentence,
taking care to pronounce the word correctly.
Try – The student then tries to repeat what the teacher is
saying.
Mould – The teacher corrects the students and ensures that
they are pronouncing words correctly.
Repeat – Finally, the students repeat the word a number of
times. Here the teacher uses a number of methods for
repetition, including group repetition,
5. Probably the biggest advantage of this method
of teaching English is that it actually teaches
the language and doesn’t teach about the
language. Furthermore, due to its emphasis on
speech, it is better for students who have a
need of real communication in English. Finally,
this method introduced the use of teaching
vocabulary using realia, which is still widely
used today when teaching English to speakers
of other languages.
6. One major disadvantage for this method is that is
works on the assumption that a second language is
learnt exactly the same way as the first. Second
language acquisition varies considerably from first
language acquisition.
Another criticism of the direct method is that it
was hard for public schools to integrate it. In his
book, R. Brown (1994:56) explains that the direct
method wasn’t successful in public schools
because of “constraints of budget, classroom size,
time, and teacher background (native speakers or
native like fluency) made such a method difficult
to use.