Ch 3 the direct method
- 1. “Teachers in school and college who make no use of the direct method ought to lose their jobs.” (Dr. Wm R Price, cited in Skidmore, 1916)
- 2. What is direct in the Direct Method?
- 3. Meaning Target language L1
- 5. History ● As a complete departure from GTM ● Based on Gouin’s observations on children learning language in natural settings in 1880s. ● Popular in Europe and America until 1920s.
- 6. Objective ● Learning L2 is like learning L1 (without translation and explanation) ● To use another language to communicate.
- 7. Principles ● No translation ● No native language ● No grammar ● Demonstration is prefered to explanation and translation ● Self-correction over teacher-correction
- 8. Principles ● To Read, Write, Speak, and Think in the target language. ● Focusing on pronunciation ● Grammar learned inductively ● Learning how people of the target language live
- 9. Techniques ● Reading Aloud ● Question and Answer Exercise ● Getting Students to Self-correct ● Conversation Practice ● Fill-in-the-blank Exercise ● Dictation ● Map Drawing ● Paragraph Writing
- 10. Strengths ● Great emphasis on speaking and listening. ● Students learn the language, not about the language. ● Increase students’ interests ● Teaching vocabulary through realias
- 11. Drawbacks ● L2 learning == L1 learning ● Difficult to implement in public secondary school education (class size, teacher training, time limit) ● Favoring native teachers. ● Time-wasting ● Largely depend on teachers’ skills ● No systematic structural practice.
- 12. Questions for Discussion 1. Does it make sense that Students’ L1 should not be used to give meaning to the target language? 2. What can culture be taught in language classrooms? 3. Think of an way a teacher can use to get students to self-correct. 4. Are there any techniques that you will (or not) use? Why or why not?
- 13. References ● Ariza, E., Morales-Jones, C., M., Yahya, N., & Zainuddin, H. (2010). Fundamental of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages in K-12 Mainstream Classrooms. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. ● Richards, C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching: A Description and Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ● Skidmore, M. (1916). The direct method. Modern Language Journal, 1 (6), 215-225.
Editor's Notes
- #7: The weakness of the GTM makes the DM very attractive