Direct Method

This approach, also known as the ‘oral‘ or ‘natural‘ method, originated around the 1900s as an
alternative to the traditional grammatical translation method. So, during the nineteenth century,
the Direct Method (or Natural Method) was developed as an antithesis to the popular
grammar-translation method. When the grammar-translation method’s weaknesses became
apparent, the direct method expressly addressed those competencies scarcely touched by its
predecessor. It is also known as the Reform Method / Natural Method / Phonetic Method / Anti-
grammatical Method. One of the most famous supporters of this method was the German
Maximilian Berlitz. During the Renaissance period, this method became more effective in
learning target language. Because in this time, communication was a very significant issue for
people for revolutionary changes. So, the DM became more familiar with teaching. But now it is
less than before. As it emphasizes interaction more, it is less useful for translation and literature.
So, The Direct Method receives its name from the fact that meaning is to be conveyed directly in
the target language through the use of demonstration and visual aids, with no recourse to the
students’ native language. It was based on the assumption that the learner of a foreign language
should think directly in the target language. The learner learns the target language through
discussion, conversation and reading in the second language. It does not take recourse to
translation and foreign grammar.
Dr. Michael West considers that the best thing about this method is that it links the foreign word
with the idea that it represents. Hence, instead of being called a Direct Method it should be called
a Direct Principle. The direct method focuses on full immersion in the classroom environment
where not one word of the students’ native language is spoken. The focus is not on grammar but
instead on learning through listening and speaking. So, The basic idea of the Direct Method was
that second language learning should be more like first language learning (lots of oral
interaction, spontaneous use of the language, no translation between first and second languages,
and little or no analysis of grammatical rules). According to H.G. Palmer, The Direct Method
has the following:
1. Translation in every shape or form is banished from the classroom including the use of the
mother tongue and that of the bilingual dictionary.
2. The use of disconnected sentences is replaced by the use of connected texts.
3. Pronunciation is taught systematically in accordance with the principles of phonetics and
phonology of the target language.
4. The meanings of words and forms are taught by means of object or natural context.
5. The vocabulary and structure of the language are inculcated to a large extent by the teacher
and answered by students.
Aims of DM
The Direct Method aims at establishing the direct bond between thought and expressions and
between experience and language. It is based on the assumption that the learner should
experience the new language in the same way as he experienced his mother tongue. In the
Grammar Translation Method, the foreign concept or idea is first translated into the mother
tongue and then understood. But in the Direct Method the intervention of the mother tongue is
done away with when the learner understands what he reads or hears in the second or foreign
language without thinking of the mother tongue equivalence. Likewise, he speaks or writes the
foreign language without the need of translating his thought or idea from the mother tongue into
the second/foreign language. He acquires what Champion calls that instinctive, unerring
language sense which we all possess in variant degree in the mother tongue, and which
superseding all rules, grammar and dictionaries, resting at bottom on the direct association
between experience and expression, is the only sure guide in the use of language.
The Principles of the Direct Method

● Teach language inductively: In this method, we don’t explain the rules to the students;
we let them figure it out for themselves. We challenge them and guide them to the correct
use of the language, but we also force them to think through things as they learn. We can
do this by showing them objects and even calling the objects by the wrong color, so they
will figure out what the object is NOT as well as what it is.
● Only use the target language: Our goal is to not have the students translating from their
mother tongue but to learn instead to think in the foreign language. When a person
learned their first language, there was no translation from another language; they had
nothing to base it on. The direct method approach believes in trying to mimic first
language acquisition.
● Oral communication is the main objective: The direct approach focuses on speaking
far more than the importance of reading and writing. This practice is the complete
opposite of the grammar-translation approach, where students learn all of the rules of a
language but often cannot speak or communicate effectively in the second language.
Using the direct method, we encourage our students to speak, even to make grammatical
mistakes, so they can get their point across and put into practice what they are learning in
their classrooms.
● Sentence is the Unit of Speech Therefore, the teaching of a language starts with the
teaching of sentence patterns rather than individual words. This enables the learner to
internalize the structure of the target language. New vocabulary items are introduced
gradually based on the principle of selection and gradation. They are taught through
material association, explanation or use in suitable context.

Features of DM
 1. Correct pronunciation and grammar are emphasized.
2. Vocabulary and sentences taught are of ordinary forms which are used daily. Concrete
vocabularies are taught through pictures and real objects, but abstract ones are presented
via association of ideas.
3. The demonstration is preferred for explanation and translation. Meaning should be taught
in the first instance by demonstration to establish the meaning and then be defined and
used in context to encourage thinking in the target language.
4. Every teaching point is introduced orally first and only after it is orally mastered, reading
and writing will be dealt with.
5. Conversation taught through imitation and practice. For this reason, either native or
nativelike teachers should be employed by these schools.
6. Pronunciation receives primary attention-focus on the form. Correct pronunciation and
grammar were emphasized.
7. Immediate correction is suggested: self-correction is preferred to teachers’ correction.
8. Its syllabus is topical, not structural.
9. Culture is part of the language, so the two should be taught together. In fact, learning a
language should be like visiting the country where it is spoken, only more effective
because “the language has been methodically and systematically arranged”.
10. Due to its emphasis on naturalness, DM doesn’t allow students to prepare homework in
advance.

Techniques of DM

1) Reading Aloud: Students take turns reading a section of the passage, play, or dialogue out
loud. At the end of each student’s turn, the teacher uses gestures, pictures, regalia, examples, or
other means to make the meaning of the section clear.

2) Question and Answer Exercise: this exercise is conducted only in the target language.
Students are asked questions and answers in full sentences so that they practice new words and
grammatical structures. They have the opportunity to ask questions as well as answer them.

3) Student Self-Correction: the teacher of this class has the students self-correct by asking them
to make a choice between what they said and an alternative answer he supplied. There are,
however, other ways of getting students to self-correct. Another possibility is for the teacher to
repeat what the student said, stopping just before the errors. The student then knows that the next
word was wrong.

4) Conversation Practice: the teacher asks students a number of questions in the target
language, which the students have to understand to be able to answer correctly. The questions
contained a particular grammar structure. Later, the students were able to ask each other their
own questions using the same grammatical structure.

5) Fill-in-the-blank Exercise: all the items are in the target language; furthermore, no explicit
grammar rule would be applied. The students would have induced the grammar rule they need to
fill in the blanks from examples and practice with earlier parts of the lesson.

6) Dictation: the teacher reads the passage three times. The first time the teacher reads it at
normal speed, while the students just listen. The second time he reads the passage phrase by
phrase, pausing long enough to allow students to write down what they have heard. The last time
the teacher again reads at a normal speed, and students check their work.

7) Paragraph Writing: the teacher in this class asked the students to write a paragraph in their
own words on the major geographical features of the United States. They could have done this
from memory, or they could have used the reading passage in the lesson as a model.

8) Map drawing: The class included one example of a technique used to give students listening
to comprehensive practice. The students were given a map with the geographical features
unnamed. Then the teacher gave the students directions

9) Props and TPR (total physical response): Visual cues are extremely important for a student
learning with the direct method. The student needs to see the image or the action many times in
order to associate the concept with the new word or language they are learning.

Merits
1. Power of the gestures and expression.

2. Interest in English language and relationship in meaning and words.

3. Involve all the people engaged in an activity

4. Direct Methods can depend on the low to high class of employees.

Demerits

1. Ignore the systematic written work that is done to a fixed plan in a thorough and efficient
way.
2. Direct Method is so expensive because that affects the aids which are high cost aids.
3. That method is helpful in early stages. It is not doing a good job in the higher classes.
4. Not Comprehensive: Language learning involves acquisition of skills – listening,
speaking, reading and writing. The Direct Method concentrates on listening and speaking
but not reading and writing. That is why many of those who have learned English through
the Direct Method feel that they do not get adequate command over written language.
5. DM is not as structured as a method. That is, its materials are not probably graded and
sequenced. So, at times it is very confusing for learners who are bombarded with
examples of living language.
6. For people that are accustomed to teach or to be taught with the Grammar Translation
Method, Direct Method may not hold well.
7. Its overemphasis on the similarities between L1 acquisition and L2 learning disregard the
fact that the condition under which a child acquires his mother tongue is totally different
from the condition in which an adult learns a second language. In fact, the care time and
opportunities available in these two contexts cannot be compared at all.