Lecture 5 The Direct Method INTRODUCTION v v

Lecture 5: The Direct Method

INTRODUCTION v v Increasing demand for oral proficiency in foreign languages Specialists in the Reform Movement sought new ideas and advocated: The study of the spoken language: learners should hear the language first, before seeing it in written form. Phonetic training. Sentences should be taught in meaningful contexts. The use of dialogues to introduce conversational phrases and idioms. An inductive approach to the teaching of grammar. Avoidance of translation or the mother tongue.

v The Direct Method has one very basic rule: No translation is allowed. i. e. v The Direct Method (Berlitz method) received its name from the fact that meaning is to be connected directly with the target language, without going through the process of translating into the students' native language.

General Goal v Learning how to communicate in the target language + learning to think in the TL: no native language. v Correct pronunciation. v Emphasis on listening and speaking. (GTM: reading, writing and translation).

Principles v The native language should not be used in the classroom: The teacher should demonstrate, not translate. It is desirable that students make a direct association between the target language and meaning. v Meaning demonstrated through the use of realia, pictures, and pantomime: Objects or pictures present in the immediate classroom environment should be used to help students understand the meaning. v The purpose of language learning is communication; therefore, students need to learn how to ask questions as well as answer them). Ss speak in the target language a great deal and communicate as if they were in real situations.

Principles v Lessons should contain some conversational activity, an opportunity for students to use language in real contexts. v Students should learn to think in the target language as soon as possible. v Pronunciation should be worked on right from the beginning of language instruction. v Self-correction facilitates language learning. v Ss practise vocabulary by using new words in complete sentences.

Principles v Grammar is taught inductively There is no grammar rule given. Ss are presented directly with examples. v Writing and reading are important skills to be developed during instruction. v The syllabus is based on situations or topics, not on linguistic structures. v Learning another language involves also learning about how speakers of that language live: their culture.

Techniques v Reading Aloud v Question and Answer Exercise v Getting Students to Self-correct v Conversation Practice v Fill-in-the-blank Exercise v Dictation

Techniques v Reading aloud Students take turns reading sections of a passage, play, or whatever teaching material. The teacher uses gestures, pictures, realia, examples, or other means to make the meaning of the section clear. v Question and answer exercise Students ask and answer Qs in full sentences and practise new words and grammatical rules.

Techniques v Self-correction - Make students self-correct by asking them to make a choice between what they said an alternative answer the teacher supplies; - Or the teacher may repeat what a student said, using a questioning tone or repeat what the students said and stop before the error to signal that something is wrong with students’ answers.

Techniques v Conversation exercise For communication purposes, teaching contains conversational activities: - starting with questions in the target language which contain a certain grammar structure, - then letting students ask Qs with each other with the same sentence patterns. - finally, students have free talk.

Techniques v Fill-in-blank exercise v Dictation: at normal speed – phrase by phrase. v Map drawing: A map is given with unnamed geographical features. The teacher gives directions and students label the map. Then change the roles. v Paragraph writing: They write a paragraph in their own words by using the teaching materials as a model.

Role of the teacher/ students v Teacher-centered. Student role is less passive than in GTM. v T/S are partners. v Teacher is the only demonstrator. He/she never translates but demonstrates the meaning through the use of realia, pictures or pantomime.

Advantages v Students learn the correct pronunciation and better oral skills because no native language is used and communication is the main activity in the class.

Disadvantages v Students may hesitate asking Qs. v It’s hard to practise the method in a class with more than 20 students. v It’s v It hard to explain abstract words. takes much time for the teacher to explain the words that might be trivial.

Disadvantages v It requires teachers who are native speakers or who have native-like fluency in the foreign language. v Critics pointed out that strict adherence to the principles of the Direct Method is often counterproductive, since teachers are required to avoid using the native tongue, when sometimes a simple brief explanation in the students’ native tongue would be a more efficient route to comprehension. v Its success depends on teacher’s skill and personality more than on the methodology itself. v Overemphasizes the similarites btw L 1 and L 2 learning.

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