Direct method (education)

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The direct method of teaching foreign languages, sometimes called the natural method, refrains
from using the learners' native language and uses only the target language. It was established in
Germany and France around 1900. Characteristic features of the direct method are

 teaching vocabulary through pantomiming, real-life objects and other visual materials
 teaching grammar by using an inductive approach (i.e. having learners find out rules
through the presentation of adequate linguistic forms in the target language)
 centrality of spoken language (including a native-like pronunciation)
 focus on question-answer patterns
 teacher-centering

Contents
[hide]

 1 Principles
 2 Historical context
 3 See also
 4 References

[edit] Principles
1. Classroom instructions are conducted exclusively in the target language.
2. Only everyday vocabulary and sentences are taught.
3. Oral communication skills are built up in a carefully graded progression organized
around question-and-answer exchanges between teachers and students in small, intensive
classes.
4. Grammar is taught inductively.
5. New teaching points are introduced orally.
6. Concrete vocabulary is taught through demonstration, objects, and pictures; abstract
vocabulary is taught by association of ideas.
7. Both speech and listening comprehensions are taught.
8. Correct pronunciation and grammar are emphasized.
9. Student should be speaking at least 80% of the time during the lesson.
10. Students are taught from inception to ask questions as well as answer them.

[edit] Historical context

There was an attempt to set up conditions that imitate mother tongue acquisition, which is why
the beginnings of these attempts were called the natural method. At the turn of the 18th and 19th
centuries, Sauveur and Franke proposed that language teaching should be undertaken within the
target-language system, which was the first stimulus for the rise of the direct method.

The audio-lingual method was developed in an attempt to address some of the perceived
weaknesses of the direct method.

Direct method
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The direct method of teaching was developed as a response to the Grammar-Translation method.
It sought to immerse the learner in the same way as when a first language is learnt. All teaching
is done in the target language, grammar is taught inductively, there is a focus on speaking and
listening, and only useful ‘everyday' language is taught. The weakness in the Direct Method is its
assumption that a second language can be learnt in exactly the same way as a first, when in fact
the conditions under which a second language is learnt are very different.

Example
The teacher explains new vocabulary using realia, visual aids or demonstrations.

In the classroom
Aspects of the Direct Method are still evident in many ELT classrooms, such as the emphasis on
listening and speaking, the use of the target language for all class instructions, and the use of
visuals and realia to illustrate meaning.

Some Literature on this Topic

The Direct Method, also called the Natural Approach, developed towards the end of the
19th century. It represents are critical reaction to the teaching methods of the ancient
Grammar Translation Method which produced knowledge about language rather than
knowledge of language. The general goal of the Direct Method is to provide learners
with a practically useful knowledge of language. They should learn to speak and
understand the target language in everyday situations.

The historical background to the call for a new approach to the teaching of modern
languages like French and English has both socio-economic and scientific aspects. On
the social and economic level the industrialization of western European countries
created a demand for a practically useful knowledge in subjects like mathematics,
physics, and modern languages. In Germany this gave rise to a new type of school
called Realschule. Unlike the traditional grammar schools the new type of school
catered mainly for children from the rising middle-classes. On the scientific side the call
for the teaching of living languages like French and English was accompanied by the
development of new linguistic approaches to the study of language. One of the most
prominent aspects of that development is the rise of phonetics and phonology as a new
linguistic discipline with the creation of the international phonetic alphabet. At a time
when teachers had no access to modern gadgets like tape recorders or videos this
provided them with the first sound information on how to pronounce the target language
words.

The teaching methods recommended by the new reform movement followed logically
from the emphasis on providing a useful knowledge of target knowledge, because that
can only be developed by the direct use of the target language in class. Rather than
forcing learners to accumulate abstract knowledge about rules of grammar, declensions
and conjugations, with translations as a test of knowledge, reformers proposed that the
target language should be learnt like children learn their first language, that is by using it
in class. This is why the new approach is known as the Natural Approach or the Direct
Method. Typical of the new teaching methods is the use of chains of activities
accompanied by verbal comments like: I go to the door. I open the door. I close the
door. I return to my place. I sit down. They are also called Gouin Series after the French
reformer Gouin. There can be no doubt, however, that given the general authoritarian
attitude to education typical of the 19 th century teachers remained very much in
command and all teaching was very much teacher centred.

There was a marked change in teaching contents, however. The emphasis was now
on knowledge of words and phrases useful for everyday life, and of factual knowledge
about the target language country, its geography, major cities, industry, etc. In
contrast to that the reading of great literary texts by the greatest authors, which is typical
of the Grammar Translation Method, was given no priority. Note, however, that the still
strong and influential faction of grammar school teachers considered this a debasing of
the high principles of good education, and eventually many reformers were willing or
forced to compromise when they fought for recognition of the new type of
Oberrealschule as institutions entitled to issue school living certificates that granted
access to university studies and were equal in status to grammar school diplomas. It is
important to note this because for many years to come classroom reality was
characterized by a mixture of methods and goals of teaching that had their origin no
less in ancient grammar translation methods than in the reformist concepts of the Direct
Method.

"Tell them what you're going to say, say it, and then tell them what you said."

Probably as much as any other "instructional method," direct teaching, also known as direct instruction, is
both misunderstood but at the same time can be a powerful teaching tool in the classroom. For new
teachers, it provides an anchor, a proven technique that can provide a measure of stability in those first
hectic months of teaching. The name most associated with direct teaching is Madeline Hunter. Direct
teaching is also associated with Clinical Teaching, Target Teaching, and Instructional Theory into Practice
(TIP). To be sure, there are many who dismiss direct teaching as an ineffective model, but one must
question such assertions with a deeper question: "Ineffective compared to what?"
Direct teaching is a systematic instructional method that first and foremost requires the teacher to have a
command of the subject matter at as close to a mastery level as possible. This means that whether
subject matter is at the elementary level, middle school level, high school level, college level or adult
education level, that the teacher thoroughly "understand" the content. Such understanding presupposes
that the teacher "knows" more than the facts that describe the content. It also means that the teacher
understands the structure of the content. In short, it means that the teacher understands each item of the
content in more than one way. The main purpose of direct teaching is to provide information within a
structure that enables all students to attain the stated objectives at a level of mastery. Inferences may be
made at this point that direct teaching is least attractive to those teachers who themselves lack mastery of
the content. Can teachers be effective without using direct teaching? Of course. In fact, many, if not most
successful instructional episodes occupy a continuum of teaching methods from direct teaching to
cooperative learning and individual student projects.

Direct teaching or direct instruction is a systematic way of planning, communicating, and delivering in the
classroom. One does not become proficient at this, or any skill without practice and relevant feedback.
Direct teaching is probably best for teaching skills, not understandings, and so, the teacher must practice
these skills himself as perfectly as possible.

The following sites provide insight into Madeline Hunter's direct teaching model and ideas. The purpose is
to provide information that can help you sharpen your skills and help you understand this sometimes
maligned approach that can be a valuable part of your instructional repertoire. What follows is serious
information

Towards the end of the late 1800s, a revolution in language teaching philosophy took
place that is seen by many as the dawn of modern foreign language teaching. 
Teachers, frustrated by the limits of the Grammar Translation Method in terms of its
inability to create communicative competence in students, began to experiment with
new ways of teaching language.  Basically, teachers began attempting to teach foreign
languages in a way that was more similar to first language acquisition.  It incorporated
techniques designed to address all the areas that the Grammar Translation did not -
namely oral communication, more spontaneous use of the language, and developing
the ability to think in the target language.  Perhaps in an almost reflexive action, the
method also moved as far away as possible from various techniques typical of the
Grammar Translation Method - for instance using L1 as the language of instruction,
memorizing grammatical rules and lots of translation between L1 and the target
language.

The appearance of the "Direct Method" thus coincided with a new school of thinking that
dictated that all foreign language teaching should occur in the target language only, with
no translation and an emphasis on linking meaning to the language being learned.  The
method became very popular during the first quarter of the 20th century, especially in
private language schools in Europe where highly motivated students could study new
languages and not need to travel far in order to try them out and apply them
communicatively.  One of the most famous advocates of the Direct Method was the
German Charles Berlitz, whose schools and Berlitz Method are now world-renowned.

Still, the Direct Method was not without its problems.  As Brown (1994:56) points out,
"(it) did not take well in public education where the constraints of budget, classroom
size, time, and teacher background made such a method difficult to use."  By the late
1920s, the method was starting to go into decline and there was even a return to the
Grammar Translation Method, which guaranteed more in the way of scholastic
language learning orientated around reading and grammar skills.  But the Direct Method
continues to enjoy a popular following in private language school circles, and it was one
of the foundations upon which the well-known "Audiolingual Method" expanded from
starting half way through the 20th century.