The direct method of language teaching emphasizes learning languages through contextual use rather than grammatical rules, advocating for a natural acquisition similar to first language development. It involves immersive teaching techniques, such as exclusive use of the target language, vocabulary through demonstration, and a focus on communication and self-correction. Despite its advantages, the method faced criticism for being impractical in public educational settings due to constraints like budget and classroom size.

1. Direct Method of Language Teaching
“Teach the language not about the language”

2. Direct Method
is also known as:
Natural Method Phonetical
Method
Anti-Grammatical Reform
Method Method

3. 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.

4. Background
• They strongly advocate an alternative method
in which language was presented in contexts
and the mother tongue was avoided.
• Its principal advocates were Pendergast 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

5. Direct Method
The Direct Method is named “direct” because
meaning should be connected directly with the
target language without translation into the
native language.
Concept/ Target
Meaning language
L1 Target
concept
language

6. Theoretical Assumption:
• Language can be learnt only through
demonstration. Instead of analytical
procedures of explaining grammar rules,
students must be encourage to use
language naturally and spontaneously so
that they induce grammar.

7. Theoretical Assumption:
• The learning of second language was
seen as parallel to the acquisition of the
child's first language.
• This method therefore emphasize the
importance of sounds , simple sentences
and direct association of language with
object and person of immediate
environment- the classroom, the home,
the garden, etc.

8. Basic Principles
• 1. Classroom instruction
is conducted exclusively
in the target language.
The teacher should
demonstrate, not
explain or translate.
• NEVER TRANSLATE:
• DEMONSTRATE

9. Basic Principles
2. Only everyday
vocabulary and
sentences are taught.
• BASIC VOCABULARY
IS GIVEN FIRST
3. Vocabulary is taught
through known words,
demonstration,
authentic objects
(realia), pictures, and
miming.

10. Basic Principles
4.Grammar is taught
inductively. There
may never be an
explicit grammar
rule given.
• DO NOT GIVE RULES:
MAKE THEM FIGURE
OUT THE RULE.

11. Basic Principles
5. New teaching points
are introduced orally.
• ORAL
TRANSMISSION
6. Both speech and
listening
comprehension are
taught.

12. Basic Principles
7. The teacher, by asking the
student to make a choice,
gets him to correct his own
error.
• LEARNING BY SELF-
CORRECTION
8. The syllabus is based on
situations or topics, not
usually on linguistic
structures.
• CONTEXTUAL/TOPICAL
TEACHING

13. Basic Principles
9. Correct
pronunciation is
emphasized.
• 10. Students should
learn to think in the
target language as
soon as possible

14. Basic Principles
11.The purpose of
language learning is
communication;
therefore students
need to learn how to ask
questions as well as
answer them.
• COMMUNICATION-FIRST
PREFERENCE

15. 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

16. Techniques
• Reading Aloud:
Students take turn
reading sections of a
passage, play or
dialogue out loud.

17. 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.

18. Advantages
• One of its positive points is that it promises
to teach the language and Not about the
language.
• It is a natural method which teaches language
in the same way the mother tongue is
acquired. Only the target language is used and
the learning is contextualized..
• Its emphasis on speech made it more
attractive for those who have needs of real
communication in the target language. It is
one of the first methods to introduce the
teaching of vocabulary through realias.

19. Criticism
• In 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.

20. • Given by Ayesha Bashir, student of
AWKUM