Imagine stepping into a language class where there are no grammar drills, no translations and not a single word of your native language spoken. That\u2019s the world of the direct method: an immersive approach focused on teaching language naturally, through listening, speaking, and hands-on interaction\u2014much like how you learned your first language.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s explore the core principles and techniques behind this unique teaching style to see if it could be a good fit for your classroom.<\/p>\n
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Around the turn of the 19th<\/sup> century, a method arose that served to right the shortcomings of the grammar-translation method\u2014the most prevalent language teaching approach in those days.<\/p>\n The direct method<\/a>\u2014a language teaching approach that emphasizes immersion in the target language\u2014was developed as an antithesis to grammar-translation method. When the grammar-translation method’s weaknesses became apparent, the direct method expressly addressed those competencies scarcely touched by its predecessor.<\/p>\n So what’s the grammar-translation method? Let\u2019s review.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the teaching method that\u00a0puts grammar\u2014its rules, morphology,\u00a0syntax\u2014at the forefront. Meaning, language is taught by analyzing the different elements of language and explicitly prescribing correct ways of combining those elements.<\/p>\n A teacher composing a sample sentence on the board, and then labeling the words as nouns, verbs and adjectives while explaining how they relate to each other, is using grammar-translation method to teach language. The approach is usually championed in textbooks where the different parts of speech have their own chapters and, at the end of each\u00a0chapter, practice exercises abound.<\/p>\n The \u201ctranslation\u201d part of “grammar-translation” is embodied in the vocabulary lists that give the equivalents of words in the target language. Translation exercises where students are asked to translate words, phrases and sentences are often used.<\/p>\n The grammar-translation method is especially adept at developing writing and reading skills, which is very important in dealing with Latin and Greek\u2014dead languages, but for which a wealth of preserved literature abounds. But when it comes to practical, modern, spoken languages, it hasn’t resulted in students with communicative ability to carry an interesting conversation in the target language.<\/p>\n So now comes the direct method<\/a>, a repudiation of its predecessor.<\/p>\n As we shall soon see, grammar, which is at the core of the grammar-translation method, isn’t even expressly taught in this approach. There are no grammar exercises, no committing of rules to memory, no lessons on how to write the plural form of a noun or how to conjugate a verb. That\u2019s why it’s also known as the \u201canti-grammatical method.\u201d<\/p>\n And while the grammar-translation is taught using the students\u2019 first language, the direct method uses only the target language. Imagine! In a Spanish class that uses this method, you’d only use Spanish to teach your students the language.<\/p>\n The direct method is also known as \u201cthe natural method\u201d because it looks to the process of first language acquisition<\/a> to set the context and techniques for second language acquisition. When we learned our mother tongue, we didn\u2019t go through grammar lessons and translation drills. So, how did<\/em> we learn our first language?<\/p>\n Well, why don\u2019t we look more closely into these things in the next section.<\/p>\n As mentioned before, grammar isn’t explicitly taught in the direct method.<\/p>\n You won\u2019t be telling students\u00a0about rules and such. Instead, you’ll let your students figure out the rules for themselves. Your job is to give them plenty of materials to piece together so they can connect the dots and discover the parameters for themselves.<\/p>\n Just as we acquired our first language through repeated exposure, so should it be in class. We didn\u2019t memorize anything for our mother tongue, we simply acquired it through repeated exposure.<\/p>\n So, how do you teach grammar when you aren’t supposed to point out any linguistic rule?<\/p>\n It\u2019s actually easier than you think. And, as a fulfilling bonus, you get to witness your students slowly figure things out for themselves.<\/p>\n Students learn best when you teach them things that are only slightly beyond their reach. And you help them \u201cget there\u201d by giving them simple inputs that they can actually use to figure things out.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say that in a German class you want to teach the word for the color red\u2014a vocabulary lesson. Instead of using direct translation and writing on the board, \u201cRED = ROT,\u201d<\/em> you make things more interesting and more fun. Bring several objects of the color\u2014perhaps a red truck, a red ball, a red cap, a rose and lipstick.<\/p>\n Every time you point to the objects, say \u201cDas ist rot. Rot.\u201d<\/em> (This is red. Red.) Go through the different objects and keep on repeating \u201crot.<\/em>\u201d With repeated exposure, your students will soon get the point. To check for comprehension, point to an object of different color, say a blue pen, and ask, \u201cRot?<\/em>\u201d The class should give a resounding \u201cNein!\u201d<\/em> (No!)<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say that in an ESL class you want to teach some grammar rule, like how to form the plural of nouns. You might want to bring two sets of pictures. One depicting lone objects, the other, depicting a group. You hold the pictures side by side, clearly enunciating, for example, \u201ccar\u201d on your right and \u201ccars\u201d on your left. Repeat this process for several pairs of pictures, emphasizing the \u201cs\u201d sound each time.<\/p>\n Your students will pick up on the clues and figure out the rules for themselves. Now you have to trust them on this. They may not get it right away, they may not get all of it, but you have to let those light bulbs work by themselves because this is the kind of learning that really stays with the students.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll have more to say about specific techniques and strategies of the direct method in the next section.<\/p>\n This is a biggie: “Only use the target language.” That’s the first thing you read in any direct method\u00a0lesson plan.<\/p>\n While some do prefer to have some room to throw a little mother tongue here and there, like in teaching vocabulary, direct method purists would never utter a single sound outside the target language.<\/p>\n Even in the first few sessions of the course when members of the class will be absolute beginners and all the words that are coming out of your mouth will\u00a0sound like Greek to them (even if you’re not teaching Greek), you need to stick the target language when doing your presentations. That is, do everything possible\u2014demonstrating, dramatizing, gesturing\u2014to send your message using only the target language.<\/p>\n The idea is that going through translations only bogs down learning. Students should be trained to think in the target language. Going through translations conditions them to think first in their first language, before converting the information to the target language.<\/p>\n Your students should be trained to see the world through the lens of the target language. In a Spanish class for example, when a student sees a red fruit hanging from a tree, she should immediately be thinking, \u201cla manzana,\u201d<\/em> not \u201cthat\u2019s an apple, hmmm… let\u2019s see, apple is manzana<\/em>\u00a0in Spanish. That\u2019s la manzana!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n There should be a direct connection between the sight of the fruit and la manzana<\/em>. And it’s your job as the teacher to make this direct connection.<\/p>\n The direct method looks to the processes of first language acquisition and applies them a second time to second language acquisition.<\/p>\n When we first learned English, we didn’t have translations to get us through the day. Mommy and daddy talked to us in simple English and we slowly acquired it. Sure, there were times when we made\u00a0mistakes. But through trial and error, we groped our way to fluency. We not only speak English, we also think and dream in English.<\/p>\n If that\u2019s how your students acquired their first language, then there\u2019s no reason why\u00a0the same mechanism wouldn’t work in second (or third, or fourth) language acquisition.<\/p>\n This will allow students to excel in authentic situations where the language is actually being used. Because they’re used to this target language-only setting, they won’t be overwhelmed when confronting an unknown word or grammar structure when chatting with a native speaker or watching a video.<\/p>\n In the direct method, listening and speaking skills are given first priority.<\/p>\n This would seem obvious in the field of language learning, but this is in stark contrast to the grammar-translation method where, because of the focus on linguistic structures, reading and writing skills are primarily developed.<\/p>\n Not to sneer at writing and reading skills, but the time to focus hard on them\u00a0should come\u00a0later in the language acquisition process.<\/p>\n With the grammar-translation method, you have students who know about<\/em> the language and can translate a sentence accurately, knowing the different grammatical rules. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t have enough communicative skills to find their way through a speed date. With the direct method, instead of learning about<\/em> the language, students use the language to send and receive communication.<\/p>\n In the teaching techniques that we will talk about shortly, you will notice that students are actively engaged in the different classroom activities.<\/a> They\u2019re not just passively sitting while taking down copious notes.<\/p>\nThe Principles of the Direct Method<\/h2>\n
Language is learned inductively<\/h3>\n
Only the target language is used<\/h3>\n
Speaking is supreme<\/h3>\n