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1.4.TheNaturalandtheDirectMethods
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askedmerelyforthesakeoflanguagepractice.Hestressedtheroleofcontext,for
example,theneedtoaskquestionssothatonewouldgiverisetoanotherbecause
thiscontinuitywouldguidethelearnersintheprocessofunderstanding.
AnimportantfigureinthecommercialimplementationoftheDirect
MethodwasMaximillianBerlitz(1852–1921),whoopenedhisfirstlanguage
schoolinProvidence,RhodeIsland,makingforeignlanguagelearningavailable
throughtheDirectMethodintheUnitedStatesandEurope.Theneedforlearn-
ingthespokenlanguagewassostrongatthattimethathisschoolsmushroomed
inEuropeandAmerica.Healsowrotetextbooksandreferencegrammarsforhis
method.Theteachersheemployedwereallnativespeakersofthetargetlanguage
andundernocircumstanceswasthestudent,snativelanguageallowedtobeused
intheclassroom.Theemphasiswasonoralworkwitheverydayphrasesand
vocabulary,onintensivepractice,ampleuseofthequestion-and-answertechnique
anddelayedintroductionofgrammaticalexplanations.TheBerlitzMethodwas
quitesystematicandreplicable.Berlitzhimselfwasproudthatthecoursesinvar-
iousplaceswerecoordinatedinsuchawaythatastudentleavingschoolinone
citycouldcontinueinanother.
CriticsoftheDirectMethodstressedthatitwasinsufficientlyfocusedon
grammaticalaccuracyandsystematicityandthatitputhighdemandsonthe
teachers,languageproficiencyandenergyresources.However,theDirectMethod
addressedthepracticalneedsoflanguagelearners(RichardsandRodgers,1986).
Belowisalistofitscharacteristicfeatures:
1.Theemphasisinthismethodwasonspeakingandlistening.
2.Correctpronunciationwasofprimaryimportance.
3.Themainformsofactivitywereoral,especiallydialoguesandquestion-and
answerexchanges.
4.Newmaterialwasfirstintroducedorally.
5.Vocabularywaschosenonthebasisofitspracticalityanditsmeaningwas
demonstrateddirectly,withtheuseofobjects,picturesandgestures.
6.Grammarofthetargetlanguagewastaughtinductivelyinavarietyoforal
activities.
Inmostgeneralterms,thecharacteristictenetsoftheDirectMethod
responsibleforitsnamecentreonusinglanguageratherthantalkingaboutit.
Morespecifically,insteadofexplanation,thesetenetsstressinteractionandfocus
onthelearner,sactiveinvolvement,aswellaspractice,theprimacyofspeechover
writing,theroleofthenaturalpaceofspeakingandtheuseofconnectedtext.
OneofthespecialistswhorecognizedthelimitationsoftheDirectMethod
wasHenrySweet.Hepostulatedtheneedfortheteachingmethodtohaveasound
andsystematiclinguisticbasis.Asaresult,hesawawaytocombinetheDirect
Method,especiallyitsemphasisonlanguagelearningfromtextandconversation
wherelanguagewasarbitrarywiththeformalfocusongrammarrulesofthe
GrammarTranslationMethodwherelanguagewaslogicallyorganized,oncondi-
tionthatthestudyofgrammarbemademorepracticalandlinkedtomeaningful
material.