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Also known as Reform Method / Natural Method / Phonetical Method / Antigrammatical Method
All reformers were vehemently opposed to teaching of formal grammar and aware
that language learning was more than the learning of rules and the acquisition of
imperfect translation skills.
Vietor ('Die Sprachunterricht muss umkehren' 1882) "This study of grammar is a
useless torture. It is certainly not understood; therefore it can have no effect as far
as the moulding of the intellect is concerned and no-one could seriously believe
that children could learn their living German tongue from it."
Instead grammar should be acquired inductively by inducing the rules of how the
language behaves from the actual language itself. "Never tell the children anything
they can find out for themselves." (Jesperin 1904)
Direct Method based on belief that:
1 Knowing a language was being able to speak it! Primacy of spoken word. New
method laid great stress on correct pronunciation and target language from outset.
Advocated teaching of oral skills at expense of every traditional aim of language
teaching.
2 Second language learning must be an imitation of first language learning, as
this is the natural way humans learn any language, and so MT has no place in FL
lesson. (Baby never relies on another language to learn its first language).
3 Printed word must be kept away from second language learner for as long as
possible (same as first language learner, who doesn't use printed word until he has
good grasp of speech).
4 The written word / writing should be delayed until after the printed word has
been introduced.
5 The learning of grammar/ translating skills should be avoided because they
involve the application of the MT.
6 All above items must be avoided because they hinder the acquisition of a good
oral proficiency.
Disadvantages of Direct Method
1 Major fallacy of Direct Method was belief that second language should be
learned in way in which first language was acquired - by total immersion technique.
But obviously far less time and opportunity in schools, compared with small child
learning his mother tongue.
4 The Direct Method rejects use of the printed word - but this objection is
illogical since second language learner has already mastered his reading skills.
Does printed word interfere with FL pronunciation? -In fact experiments show that
the printed word is of real help to consolidate the FL and actually reinforces
retention (ef 'Je ma pel') - leaves mental imprint, image of shape of word.
5 Later disciples of Direct Method took it to extremes and refused to speak a
single word of English in lessons. To avoid translating new words, they searched
for an association between new words and the idea it stood for: 'Voil un livre, voici
une craie'. Extreme Direct Methodists had cupboards full of realia. Explanations
became cumbersome and time-consuming. (Definition type explanations UN
meunier est UN homme qui travaille dans UN moulin' / 'court est le contraire de
long'). Teachers would be jumping over desks flapping fins, rather than say that the
English for 'saumon' is 'salmon'. Concepts like cependant'/ 'nanmoins' - obviously
need immediate translation!
6 Successful teacher of the Direct Method needed competence in his language /
stamina/ energy/ imagination/ ability and time to create own materials and courses beyond capacity of all but gifted few.
"The method by its very nature presupposes a teacher of immense vitality, of robust
health, one endowed with real fluency in the modern language he teaches. He must
be resourceful in the way of gesture and tricks of facial expression, able to sketch
rapidly on the board and in the language teaching day, he must be proof against
linguistic fatigue".
7 Also Direct Methodists failed to grade and structure their materials adequately
- no selection, grading or controlled presentation of vocabulary and structures.
Plunged pupils into flood of living language - quite bewildering for pupils.
However, many teachers did modify the Direct Method to meet practical
requirements of own schools, implemented main principles, i.e teaching through
oral practice and banning all translation into target language. Obviously
compromise was needed.
Direct method did pave the way for more communicative, oral based approach, and
as such represented an important step forward in the history of language teaching.
Comparison of first and second-language learning processes (Language Teaching
and the Bilingual Method, CJ Dodson, Pitman Publishing 1967,ISBN 0 273 31665
6)
If first and second-language learning processes are compared, the following pattern
emerges-
First-language learner
Second-language learner
2 He is neurologically immature,
thus his mother tongue is not fixed
2. He is neurologically
mature,thus his mother tongue is
fixed