IRECT METHOD

Also known as Reform Method / Natural Method / Phonetical Method / Antigrammatical Method
All reformers were vehemently opposed to teaching of formal grammar and aware
that language learning was more than the learning of rules and the acquisition of
imperfect translation skills.
Vietor ('Die Sprachunterricht muss umkehren' 1882) "This study of grammar is a
useless torture. It is certainly not understood; therefore it can have no effect as far
as the moulding of the intellect is concerned and no-one could seriously believe
that children could learn their living German tongue from it."
Instead grammar should be acquired inductively by inducing the rules of how the
language behaves from the actual language itself. "Never tell the children anything
they can find out for themselves." (Jesperin 1904)
Direct Method based on belief that:
1 Knowing a language was being able to speak it! Primacy of spoken word. New
method laid great stress on correct pronunciation and target language from outset.
Advocated teaching of oral skills at expense of every traditional aim of language
teaching.
2 Second language learning must be an imitation of first language learning, as
this is the natural way humans learn any language, and so MT has no place in FL
lesson. (Baby never relies on another language to learn its first language).
3 Printed word must be kept away from second language learner for as long as
possible (same as first language learner, who doesn't use printed word until he has
good grasp of speech).
4 The written word / writing should be delayed until after the printed word has
been introduced.
5 The learning of grammar/ translating skills should be avoided because they
involve the application of the MT.
6 All above items must be avoided because they hinder the acquisition of a good
oral proficiency.
Disadvantages of Direct Method
1 Major fallacy of Direct Method was belief that second language should be
learned in way in which first language was acquired - by total immersion technique.
But obviously far less time and opportunity in schools, compared with small child
learning his mother tongue.

2 Is first language learning process really applicable to second foreign language

learning at later stage
First language learning is essential part of child's total growth of awareness of
world around him. He starts off with blank sheet, then starts collecting/selecting
organising the experience of a totally new world, perceived through his senses, by
formulating a variety of pre-verbal concepts.
Subsequently part of the process of learning how to live is the acquisition of skills
to verbalise his desires and aversions and to label his concepts, so as to make living
more sufficient and secure.
Effectiveness of these verbalising skills depends on maturation level of the child /
on type of environment on intelligence.
Language is part of an intrinsic process through which child learns to recognise/
deal with new situations.
3

Compare learning of second language

At 11 years of age, child is not interested in recognition of new living

situations, child has normally learned the basic concepts and can handle
situations for ordinary living purposes. So as far as 'learning to live' is
concerned, no similarities between two processes of learning. (not the case
for immigrant children - they need to learn English for survival purposes therefore motivating force is totally different).
Older child has already at his disposal a first language, which is securely
fixed to the universe of things; (s)he is equipped with this advantage; first
language learner does not have this.
Older child is more mature and it would seem nonsensical to imitate first
language learning processes totally for learning additional language. (think
of contact hours needed) this is argument for using MT (anti Direct
Method).
What does foreign language learner wish to know first?
to know the FL equivalent of MT sentences/ words used in hitherto familiar
situations.
To learn how to handle certain known/ recurring situations through the
medium of the FL. He doesn't wish to handle completely new situations in
FL terms.

4 The Direct Method rejects use of the printed word - but this objection is
illogical since second language learner has already mastered his reading skills.

Does printed word interfere with FL pronunciation? -In fact experiments show that
the printed word is of real help to consolidate the FL and actually reinforces
retention (ef 'Je ma pel') - leaves mental imprint, image of shape of word.
5 Later disciples of Direct Method took it to extremes and refused to speak a
single word of English in lessons. To avoid translating new words, they searched
for an association between new words and the idea it stood for: 'Voil un livre, voici
une craie'. Extreme Direct Methodists had cupboards full of realia. Explanations
became cumbersome and time-consuming. (Definition type explanations UN
meunier est UN homme qui travaille dans UN moulin' / 'court est le contraire de
long'). Teachers would be jumping over desks flapping fins, rather than say that the
English for 'saumon' is 'salmon'. Concepts like cependant'/ 'nanmoins' - obviously
need immediate translation!
6 Successful teacher of the Direct Method needed competence in his language /
stamina/ energy/ imagination/ ability and time to create own materials and courses beyond capacity of all but gifted few.
"The method by its very nature presupposes a teacher of immense vitality, of robust
health, one endowed with real fluency in the modern language he teaches. He must
be resourceful in the way of gesture and tricks of facial expression, able to sketch
rapidly on the board and in the language teaching day, he must be proof against
linguistic fatigue".
7 Also Direct Methodists failed to grade and structure their materials adequately
- no selection, grading or controlled presentation of vocabulary and structures.
Plunged pupils into flood of living language - quite bewildering for pupils.
However, many teachers did modify the Direct Method to meet practical
requirements of own schools, implemented main principles, i.e teaching through
oral practice and banning all translation into target language. Obviously
compromise was needed.
Direct method did pave the way for more communicative, oral based approach, and
as such represented an important step forward in the history of language teaching.
Comparison of first and second-language learning processes (Language Teaching
and the Bilingual Method, CJ Dodson, Pitman Publishing 1967,ISBN 0 273 31665
6)

If first and second-language learning processes are compared, the following pattern
emerges-

First-language learner

Second-language learner

1. He has no command of another

language before learning the target
language

1. He has command of another

language before learning the
target language

2 He is neurologically immature,
thus his mother tongue is not fixed

2. He is neurologically
mature,thus his mother tongue is
fixed

3. He learns to recognise and cope

with reality through the target
language
4. He requires a high contactfrequency with the target language
to learn that all things have names
5 He requires a high contactfrequency with the target language
to recognise the meaning of sounds
representing the names of things,
because
heis neurologically immature
becausehis range of experience with
the outside world is limited and as
he has no knowledge of the

3. He learns to recognise and

cope with reality through the
mother tongue, not the target
language
4. He already knows that
allthings have names
5. He has already experienced
the process, involving high
contact-frequency and
maturation, of recognising the
meaning of sounds representing
the names of things in his mother
tongue. As he is now
neurologically mature, he need

equivalent meaning of sounds from

another language for the same
things
6. He requires a high contactfrequency to establish integration of
mother-tongue sounds with things

not be subjected a second time to

the same process in the new
target language merely to
recognise the equivalent meaning
of target-language sounds for the
same things. (Recognition of the
sound representing the thing
should not be confused With
the integration of the sound with
the thing, set
6 He has already established
integration of mother-tongue
sounds with things, but requires
high contact-frequency to
establish new integration of
target-language sounds with the
same things