ASSIGNMENT

 

 

 

 

 

DIRECT METHOD

 

 

 

Prepared

by

Anju Varun

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

            All teaching whether good or bad, must include some sort of selection, grading and presentation. Selection – because it is impossible to teach any field of knowledge in all its totality. Hence we are forced to select that part of it which we wish to teach. Grading – because it is impossible to teach all of what we have Selected,  at once, we are forced to put something before or after something else. Presentation – because it is impossible to teach without communicating or trying to communicate something to somebody. All methods, therefore, must consciously or unconsciously, select grade, and present the learning material.

                               Where approach and method overlap, we tend to use them synonymously.

                  Methods are route maps in possession with which one can reach one’s destination without groping in the dark.

                  An approach is a set of co- relative assumptions dealing with the nature of language teaching and learning.

                             Direct Method is an important method of teaching English. It is a method of presenting the target language materials without employing another language as the media.

 

 

 

Content

 

The direct method

 The origin:-

                                    Language teachers of the 19^th century felt, for several reasons that the Old Grammar – Translation Method was inadequate to develop communicative ability in the learners. Hence, as a result of a revolt against Grammar –Translation Method, the Direct Method was evolved in 1901 in France. Its principles were adopted from Germany.

              The reformists thought that Second language ( L₂ ) could be taught without the help of First language ( L₁ ) through strategies in the line of L₁ acquisition. The chief advocates of this line were Pendergast (1806-1866 ) and Sauveur (1826-1907). They proposed a method called the Natural Method also known in other different names as Psychological Method, Reform Method, Phonological Method, Phoneme Method, Berlit’s Method and Antigrammatical Method. Later it became popular as Direct Method.

                France, Germany and  USA adopted this Method, as it helped to accelerate trade, commerce, industry, and travel. It was introduced to India in the 20^th century.

 

 

The Basic Philosophy

           The basic philosophy of the Direct Method is ‘fluency in reading and facility in writing will follow fluency in speech’, and its central idea is – association of words and sentences with their meanings through demonstration. As Kirkman holds – avoid the intervention of the vernacular, establish a direct immediate association between experience and expression grasp the meaning and develop instinctive infallible language skill as in the mother tongue. The Direct Method was evolved on close observation of how children learn their mother tongue.

                           Webster’s New International Dictionary gives the gist of the Direct Method: “Direct Method is a method of teaching a foreign language especially a modern language through conversation, discussion and reading in the language itself without the use of the pupil’s language,without translation and without the study of formal grammar”. The first words are taught by pointing to objects or pictures or by performing actions.

                             Champion.H says, “To teach directly is to establish a direct or immediate association between experience and expression, between the English word, phrase and idiom and meaning”.

                According to Kirkman, “the foreign word or group of words should be associated with its meaning direct, without the intervention of the native speech”.

According to Louis de Glen, the Direct Method is marked by three principles:-

1.   Direct association of experience and expression

2.   Inhibition of the mother tongue

3.   Taking sentence ( utterance ) as the unit of expression

           According to H.E.Palmer (English through Actions ) the Direct Method is characterised by:-

a.    Banishing translation in any form including the use of mother tongue and the bilingual dictionary in the classroom

b.   Teaching grammar. If required, inductively

c.    Oral teaching preceding any form of reading or writing

d.   Systematic teaching of phonetics

e.    Replacing disconnected speech with connected text

f.     Teaching meanings of words and phrases by means of objects or by natural contexts

g.   Inculcating vocabulary and structure of the language to a large extent by questions and answers.

      Theoretical grammar has no place in this method, as grammar is considered to be only a means of learning language, whereas the Direct Method advocates functional grammar. A limited vocabulary and structure of day-to-day use have to be taught according to the needs of the learners. Vocabulary items should be carefully chosen, graded and presented to suit the range of the learners’ experience.  Phonetic categories like stress, pronunciation, pause, intonation etc. must have priority over spelling and mechanics of writing. Maximum time should be allowed for practice and a favourable atmosphere should be created. Meanings of concrete words can be taught by showing objects, by pictures, by actions, by definition, by context, by demonstration, by use of synonyms or antonyms and quite seldom by translation if it saves a lot of time and effort. It should be remembered as Menmann says that the aural-oral principle is more appealing than the visual in fixing the foreign phraseology. Prof. Gurrey is of opinion that the Direct Method is not a method at all; it is a principle of direct association between word and thing,

idea and sentence.

 

 

 

Aims of Direct method:-

       The Direct Method aims at establishing a direct bond between thought and expression, experience and language. The idea is that the learner should experience the new language in the same way in which he experienced his mother tongue. In the GT Method, the foreign concept or idea is first translated into the mother tongue and then understood. But in the Direct Method the intervention of mother tongue is done away with. The learner understands when he hears or reads in the foreign language without thinking of the mother tongue equivalents. Likewise, he speaks or writes the foreign language without the need of translating his idea or thought from the mother tongue in to the foreign language. He begins to think in the new language as efficiently and fluently as he does in the case of mother tongue. He acquires what Champion calls that “ instinctive, unerring language sense which we all possess in varying degree in the mother tongue, and which superseding all rules, grammars and dictionaries, resting at bottom on the direct association between experience and expression, is the only sure guide in the use of language”.

 

Principles of Direct Method

Oral teaching

The Direct Method emphasises the value of oral training in learning a foreign language. The pupil is provided sufficient practice in listening to the language and then speaking it. It also lays emphasis on a knowledge of phonetics to acquire an intelligible pronunciation. Oral training helps in the direct association of the words of the foreign language with the objects and ideas for which they stand.

Inhibition of the Mother tongue

Another way of securing a direct bond between experience and expression is to inhibit the mother tongue. That is to say so far as possible the mother tongue is not used in an English lesson. The pupils are taught new words by actually showing them the objects for which they stand or performing actions or by suitable illustrations in context. This enables them to think in English. They learn to respond directly in the foreign language. At the initial stage it may not be easy for the pupil to avoid the tendency to think in his mother tongue, but as his knowledge of the foreign langusge develops, this habit dies away.

The Sentence is the unit of speech

Since sentence is the unit of speech, the teaching through the Direct Method is started with the teaching of sentences, and not individual words.

Inductive teaching of grammar

In the Direct Method grammar is not taught for its own sake. It is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. Its aim is to enable the pupil to correct errors. Grammar is taught inductively. First, the pupil learns the language and then the various grammatical forms. It may be mentioned that in the Direct Method the lessons are prepared according to some grammatical plan.

Teaching new vocabulary

New vocabulary is taught after careful selection and gradation. Controlled vocabulary is taught in definite stages. New words are taught by material association, explanation or use in suitable context.

 

Some stages of the Direct Method

1.   The teacher shows a picture or object relating to the lesson in the text book and asks the class to read the passage.

2.   The teacher identifies the words or phrases in the passage which the students find difficult to understand and removes the difficulties using various strategies like explanation.

3.   Then the teacher checks to what extend the students have comprehended the passage asking simple questions.

4.   Some oral exercises are given to the class and the students do them.

5.   Practice and drill in pronunciation, answering questions are given.

Advantages of Direct Method

1.   It emphasises oral and speech practice, right pronunciation, stress etc.

2.   It makes direct association between thought and expression.

3.   It makes learning easy and pleasant.

4.   It can help cover more content in less time.

5.   It is more suitable to teach idioms.

6.   It is psychologically sound as the procedure is from concrete to abstract and from particular to general.

Disadvantages of Direct Method

1.   It gives over emphasis to oral work.

2.   It is less effective for average or below average students.

3.   It is expensive or hard in respect of teaching aids.

4.   It does not  give the required emphasis for gradation of materials.

5.   There will be lack of competent teachers to teach in this method.

6.   Course books or source books may not be available as required.

 

Arguments in favour of the Direct Method

 

1.   It is the natural method related to situations.

2.   A direct bond is established between thought and expression and thinking in English is encouraged.

3.   Sentence is the unit of expression, giving a coherent idea.

4.   Proficiency in listening and speaking is developed.

5.   Meanings can be taught through several strategies.

6.   The class becomes alive.

Arguments against the Direct Method

1.   It overlooks time and space.

2.   Only a limited number of words and sentences can be taught in a class. It will be difficult to teach the meanings of abstract ideas.

3.   Sufficient attention cannot be paid to reading and writing.

4.   It will ineffective if the teacher/learner is not linguistically minded.

5.   Mastery of formal grammar is neglected.

6.   It requires a lot of effort to teach meaning which can easily be done in the vernacular.

 

 

Ø Comparison between Direct Method and Grammar- Translation Method

Direct method:-

Ø Avoids close association between the foreign language and the mother tongue.

Ø Lays emphasis on speech.

Ø Follows the child’s natural way of learning.

Ø Teaches the language by use and not by rule. Does not favour the teaching of formal grammar at the early stage.

Grammar-Translation Method:-

Ø Maintains close association between the foreign language and the mother tongue.

Ø Lays no emphasis on speech.

Ø Follows the adult’s logical way of learning a language.

Ø Teaches the language by rule rather than use. Teaches formal grammar from the very beginning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conlusion

        A native like fluency in non-native English teachers cannot be expected and the assumption that an L₂ should be acquired in the manner the L₁ is acquired will be unrealistic. If selecting, grading and structuring are not carefully undertaken the students will not be able to cope up with the method. In USA, the Direct Method lost its significance in the 1920s and they were inclined to use other methods also. In UK, Henry-Sweet and his associate linguists adopted British approach known as Oral approach or Situational approach. In India, the Direct Method became popular in the 1920s and 1930s. The CIEFL, Hyderabad and the NCERT, New Delhi prepared text books on the Direct Method lines. The books were of two types : general series for class vi onwards and special series for Nursery classes onwards. For any language learning, exposure to the language is one of the most favourable factors. In India, inspite of its effectiveness, exposure to English ends in the class itself in general. In order to make up for this situation of lack of exposure, extensive use of facilities of Language Laboratory, TV, Radio, Films etc. will be helpful to a certain extent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

Ø Dr. Sivarajan, k, T.V.Ramakrishnan, K.Mridula (2007).English Language Education. Calicut University,Calicut

Ø A.L.Kohli(1970).Techniques of Teaching English.Dhanpat Rai and Sons, Delhi

 

Webliography

v www2.vobs.at/ludescher/Alternative %20 methods/direct-method.html

v www.teachingenglish.org.uk/knowledge-database/direct-method