The

Natural
Approach
Alexis MartnezRamrez

Background
Tracy Dale Terrel
Spanish Teacher in California
1977 A proposal for a new

philosophy
of
language
teaching called the Natural
Approach
Attemp to incorporate the

naturalistic
principles
identified in L2 Acquisition

Stephen Krashen
Applied linguist at the University of

Southern California.
They both elaborated a Theoretical Rationale

for the Natural Approach.

Krashens influential theory of L2 acquisition.
The Natural Approach: Language

acquisition in the classroom (1983).

Book, two parts:

Theoretical sections by Krashe on L2Acq

Sections on implementation and classroom procedures b

Terrell

Natural Approach as a Traditional Approach

based
on
the
use
of
languages
in
communicative situations without recourse to
the native language
Therefore, with no reference to grammar

analysis, grammatical drilling,

particular theory of grammar.
Such approaches have been called

natural, psychological, phonetic,

new, reform, direct, analytic,
imitative and so forth.

or

to

Natural Approach

Natural Method

Natural in the Direct Method:

Emphasized the principles of naturalistic language learning in
young children.
Similarly, the NA is believed to conform to the naturalistic

principles found in succesful second language acquisition.

However, it places less emphasis on T monologues, direct

repetition, and formal questions and answers, and less focus

on accurate production of target language sentences..

In the Natural Approach there is an

emphasis on:
Exposure , or input, rather than practice,
Optimizing emotional preparedness for

learning,
A prolonged period of attention to what

the language learners hear before they

try to produce language and,
A willingness to use written and other

materials as a source of comprehensible

input.

The Natual Approach is one of the

Comprehension-based Approaches

Approach
Theory of Language
The essence of languages is meaning. Vocabulary,

not grammar, is the heart of language. (Brown, 2007)

Krashen & Terrell Communication, as primary function of

language.
So the Natural Approach, is a Communicative Approach.
And they were against earlier methods that had focused on grammar.
Because they were built not around actual theories of language

acquisition, but on theories of something else, e.g. the structure of

language (Krashen & Terrell, 1983).

CLT NA little attention to a Theory of Language.

In a recent critic they are said not to have a theory of language.
Their emphasis on vocabulary may suggest a view of languages

as its lexicon and the grammar the way to exploit it to produce

messages.
The quantity of information in the lexicon far outweighs

that in any other part of the language, and if there is

anything to the notion of redundancy it should be easier
to reconstruct a message containing just words than one
containing just the syntactic relations. The significant fact
is the subordinate role of grammar. The most important
thing is to get the words in. (Bolinger, in Terrell, 1977)

Language is a vehicle for communicating meanings

and messages.
Acquisition can take place only when people

understand messages in the target language

(Krashen & Terrell, 1983)
The NA assumes

linguistic hierarchy of structural

complexity that on masters through encounters
with input containing structures at the I+1
level.

Lexical

items in messages are necessarily

grammatically structured, and more complex
messages involve more complex grammatical
structure.

But there is no need for teachers, learners nor

language teaching materials to pay attention to

grammatical structures.

Theory of Learning
Krashens Language Acquisition Theory
The NA is based on an empirically grounded theory of second language

acquisition, which has been supported by a large number of scientific

studies in a wide variety of language acquisition and learning contexts
(Krashen & Terrell, 1983).

The Acqusition/Learning Hypothesis

Acquisition:

The natural unconscious process

proficiency through meaningful communication.

to

language

Learning: Conscious process in which language rules are developed

through formal teaching and correction of errors.

Therefore, Learning cannot lead to Acquisition.

The Monitor Hypothesis

Conscious learning can function only as a monitor or editor

that checks and repairs the output of the acquired system.

Limits to success:
Time. There must be sufficient time for a learner to choose
and apply a learned rule.
Focus on form. The language user must be focused on

correctness or on the form of the output.

Knowledge of rules. The performer must know the rules. The

monitor does best with rules that are simple in two ways.
They must be simple [0 describe and they must not require
complex movements and rearrangements.

The Natural Order Hypothesis

The acquisition of grammatical structures proceeds in a predictable order.
Research has shown a certain order in first language acquisition of

English, and a similar natural order is found in second language

acquisition.
Errors are signs of naturalistic

developmental processes.

The Input Hypothesis

It explains the relationship between what the learner is exposed to of a language

(the input) and language acquisition.

The hypothesis relates to acquisition, and not to learning.
People acquire language best by understanding input that is slightly beyond their

current level of competence by understanding language containing I + 1 (Krashen

& Terrell, 1983).

Clues based on the situation and the context, extralinguistic in formation, and knowledge of the
world make comprehension possible.

The ability to speak fluently cannot be taught directly; it "emerges" independently in

time, after the acquirer has built up linguistic competence by understanding input.
If there is a sufficient quantity of comprehensible input, I+1 will usually be provided

automatically. Comprehensible input refers to utterances that the learner understands

based on the context in which they are used.
Input need not to be tuned to a learners current level of linguistic competence and in

fact cannot be so finely tuned in a language class, where learners will be at many
different levels of competence.

The Affective Filter Hypothesis

Krashen sees the learner's emotional state or attitudes as an adjustable filter

that freely passes, impedes, or blocks input necessary to acquisition.

Motivation. Learners with high motivation generally do better.
Self-confidence. Learners with self-confidence and a good self-image tend to be

more successful.
Anxiety.

Low personal anxiety and low classroom anxiety are more

conducive to second language acquisition.

Acquirers with a low affective filter seek and receive more input, interact with

confidence, and are more receptive to the input they receive.

The affective filter is said to rise in early adolescence, and this may account

for children's apparent superiority to older acquirers of a second language.

Implications of these hypotheses

As much comprehensible input as possible must he

presented.
Whatever

helps comprehension is important. Visual aids

are useful, as is exposure to a wide range of vocabulary
rather than study of syntactic structure.

The focus in the classroom should be on listening and

reading; speaking should be allowed to "emerge.

In order to lower the affective filter, student work should

center on meaningful communication rather than on form;

input should be interesting and so contribute to a relaxed
classroom atmosphere.

Objectives

Design

The Natural Approach "is for beginners and is designed to help them become

intermediates in communicative skills.

Specific objectives depend upon learner needs and the skill (reading, writing,

listening, or speaking) and level being taught.

Krashen and Terrell feel it is important to communicate to learners what they

can expect of a course as well as what they should not expect.

After 100-150 hours of Natural Approach Spanish, you will be able to: "get around"

in Spanish; you will be able to communicate with a monolingual native speaker of

Spanish without difficulty; read most ordinary texts in Spanish with some use of a
dictionary; know enough Spanish to continue to improve on your own.

After 100- 150 hours of Natural Approach Spanish you will not be able to: pass for a
native speaker, use Spanish as easily as you use English, understand native
speakers when they talk to each other; use Spanish on the telephone with great
comfort; participate easily in a conversation with several other native speakers on
unfamiliar topics. (Krashen & Terrell, 1983)

The syllabus
Based

on
selection
of
communicative
activities
and
topics derived from learner needs.

Krashen

and
Terrell
(1983)
classified in four areas those goals
in language courses that are
aimed by the Natural Approach.

The NA is primarily designed to

develop
basic
communication
skills both oral and written
On the other side, it holds that

the purpose of a language course

will vary according to the needs of
the students and their particular
interests.

The purpose of a language course will vary according to the

needs of the students and their particular interests (Krashen

& Terrell, 1983)

We do not expect the students at the end of a particular

course to have acquired a certain group of structures or forms.

Instead we expect them to deal with a particular set of topics
in a given situation.

It is difficult to specify communicative goals that necessarily fit

the needs of all students.

Any list of topics and situations must be understood as syllabus

suggestions rather than as specifications.

 Input is provided "over a wider variety of

topics while pursuing communicative goals,

the necessary grammatical structures are
automatically provided in the input
Krashen & Terrell, 1983

Types of Learning and Teaching Activities

Activities allowing

comprehensible input,
about things in the here-and-now. Focus on
meaning, not form (Brown, 2007).

From

the beginning, emphasis is on

presenting comprehensible input in the target
language.
E.g. objects in the classroom and the content of

pictures.

Learners are not required to speak until they

feel ready, but they are expected to respond

to teacher commands and questions in other

The teacher talks slowly and distinctly, asking

questions and eliciting one-word answers.

"Acquisition activities" Those that focus on

meaningful
communication
language form.

rather

than

Pair or group work may be employed, followed

by whole-class discussion led by the teacher.

Techniques recommended by Krashen and

Terrell are often borrowed from other methods

and adapted to meet the requirements of
Natural Approach theory.
Total Physical
activities

Response,

command-based

Direct

Method, activities in which mime,

gesture, and context are used to elicit questions
and answers; and even situation-based practice
of structures and patterns.

Communicative

work activities

Language

Teaching,

Group-

Learning Roles
They should not try to learn the usual sense,

but should try to lose themselves in activities

involving meaningful communication (Brown,
2007).
The language acquirer is seen as a processor

of comprehensible input.
Learners' roles are seen to change according

to their stage of linguistic development.

Pre-Production Stage: Students "participate in the

language activity without having to respond in the

target language" (Krashen and Terrell 1983: 76). (e.g.
they can act out physical commands, point to
pictures, and so forth.)
Early-Production Stage, students respond to either-

or questions, use single words and short phrases, fill

in charts, and use fixed conversational patterns (e.g.,
How are you? What's your name?).
Speech-Emergent Phase, students involve

themselves in role play and games, contribute

personal information and opinions, and participate in
group problem solving.

Learners Four Responsibilities

Provide

information about their specific goals so that

acquisition activities can focus on the topics and situations
most relevant to their needs.

Take an active role in ensuring comprehensible input. They

should learn and use conversational management techniques

to regulate input.
Decide when to start producing speech and when to upgrade

it.
Where learning exercises (i.e. grammar study) are to be a part

of the program, decide with the teacher the relative amount of

time to be devoted to them and perhaps even complete and
correct them independently.

Teacher Roles
The teacher is the primary source of comprehensible input.

Must create positive low-anxiety climate. Must choose and

orchestrate a rich mixture of classroom activities (Brown,
2007).
Source: The teacher is the generator of a constant flow of

language input.
Environmenter:

The teacher creates a classroom

atmosphere that is interesting, friendly, and in which there is
a low affective filter for learning.

Director: The teacher is seen as responsible for collecting

materials and designing their use, based not just on teacher

perceptions but on elicited student needs and interests.

The Role of Instructional Material

Materials

come from realia rather than from

textbooks.
Primary
aim
is
to
promote
comprehension and communication (Brown, 2007).

They make classroom activities as meaningful as

possible by supplying "the extra- linguistic context

that helps the acquirer to understand and thereby
to acquire
Pictures and other visual aids facilitate the

acquisition of a large vocabulary within the

classroom.

Recommended materials include schedules,

brochures, advertisements, maps, and graded

books.
Games, in general, are seen as useful

classroom materials since

"games by their very nature, focus the student

on what it is they are doing and use the

language as a tool for reaching the goal rather
than as a goal in itself.

Video

Conclusions
The Natural Approach belongs to a tradition of language

teaching
methods
based
on
observation
and
interpretation of how learners acquire both first and
second languages in non formal settings.
Such

methods reject the formal (grammatical)

organization of language as a prerequisite to teaching.
A focus on comprehension and meaningful
communication as well as the provision of the right
kinds of comprehensible input provide the necessary
and sufficient conditions for successful classroom
second and foreign language acquisition.

The Natural Approach is hence evolutionary

rather than revolutionary in its procedures.

Its greatest claim to originality lies in its use

as a method that emphasizes comprehensible

and meaningful practice activities, rather than
production
of
grammatically
perfect
utterances and sentences.

Bibliography
Brown, H.D. (2007). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive

Approach to Language Teaching. USA: Pearson Longman.

Krashen, S.D. & Terrell, T.D. (1983). The Natural Approach:

Language Acquisition in the Classroom. Oxford: Pergamon.

Lightbown, P.M. (2006). How Languages are Learned. China:

Oxford University Press.

Richards, J.C. & Rodgers, T.S. (1997) Approaches and Methods

in Language Teaching: A description and analysis. USA:

Cambridge University Press