Advantages of Direct Method:
a) Direct Method may make the language learning experience interesting, appealing and
lively since all the class always participates in the discussion.
b) It is a
natural method of learning. The natural order of learning a language is through the four skills:
listening, speaking, reading and writing. That is the way how children learn
their L1 in natural surroundings.
c) The classes have
much more student talk time (STT) rather than teacher talk time (TTT).
d) The learners who are taught English
through this method express themselves adequately in spoken English because
they listen to L2 more than L1 during the whole course. This can leave the
learners with a sense of motivation when they need to practice, they can
understand what people say and do not struggle to express themselves at the
basic level.
e) Language is taught by using real-life
experience and the learners who learn through this method, they do not have the
habit of first thinking in L1 and then translating the idea into L2. However, the learners who are taught through
the Grammar Translation Method find difficult to stop their habits of first
thinking in L1 and then translation the ides into L2.
f) This method is very helpful in the
development of good pronunciation, fluency, and power of expressions. In this
method students get a chance to communicate with their teacher. They can easily tell their problems to their
teacher.
g) Grammar translation method teaches the
knowledge of language whereas this method teaches the language itself in real
use.
Disadvantages of Direct Method:
h) This
method advances from concrete to abstract and many abstract ideas cannot be
explained in a foreign language without the help of the mother tongue, much
energy and time are consumed in the interpretation of ideas. So, it is not a
time-saving method but a time-consuming method.
i) Proper
justice is not done with the natural order of language learning: listening,
speaking, reading and writing in this method. More focus is placed on listening
and speaking rather than reading and writing.
j) Due to
the dearth of trained teachers, it causes linguistic and communicative problems
between teacher and student. However, it requires a proficient teacher in the
English language.
k) This
method this not applicable in large classes because it does not fulfill the
needs of the individual in big classes.
l) It
requires a lot of energy and does not save the teacher's labor.
m) It
requires plenty of audio-visual aids and the standard of education in
developing countries is very low.
n) It helps
the students to a very small extent in sociolinguistic competence
Commentary on advantages & disadvantages:
After examining, advantages, and disadvantages, it can be argued that the Direct Method was incredibly profitable in private schools where inspired students came to study the language. However, this method is not applicable in public schools because of the small size of the classroom, teacher background and budget problems. Moreover, it develops little communicative competence in learners.
It is believed that the learners who learn English
through the Direct Method, they can use the target language in their social
life. Believers of this method say that second language acquisition is the replication
of the first language. This method emerged as a movement against the Grammar
Translation Method. The core principles of this method are: Grammar is taught
inductively; demonstration is used to teach concrete ideas; abstract thoughts
are taught via affiliation of ideas; speaking and listening skills are
improved; emphasis is also placed on correct pronunciation and grammar.
Errors are corrected at a good time because the
teacher knows every correction of errors can drop the motivation level of the
learners. The demand for this method is to have native-like teaching and it is
very difficult to fulfill this demand. With these and other problems, this
method was rejected in Europe and it paved the way for the Audio-lingualism
method.
Since the students are of elementary level, Direct Method looks to
be a fabulous approach to teach the students though it. The main focus of this
method is on listening and speaking skills, although pronunciation and grammar
are also emphases. The direct method in language teaching became trendy by the
end of the 19th century and recognized as a conceivable alternative
of GTM.
This method started to use widely in schools and emerged as a response in
opposition to the Grammar Translation Method which had been botched to generate
learners who could articulate the foreign language basically that they had been
learning. Supporters of this method say that learning a second language is the replication
of the first language. A child learns the second language as he acquires his
first language. Krashen says a comprehensive input requires learning the second
language. He says that by enhancing the students' self-esteem, motivation,
interest, and number of communicative activities the process of language
learning can be improved.
Through this method teacher teaches the students orally and develop
their oral communication skill, reading and writing come later. Through
practical examples, the teacher tries to improve their pronunciation. Everyday
vocabulary and sentences are taught to the students and grammar is taught
inductively. The best way to teach students is through game-based activities.
That is why; I also used many interesting activities in the lesson plan so that
students' interests remain alive in the classroom and they may not feel boredom
while learning.
Conclusion:
In Direct Method Teacher’s behaviour with students should be friendly
and she should not be strict on them. In this way, they will not be able to
learn things properly and they form a bad image of a teacher in their minds.
Teacher's strict behaviour causes an irreversible loss to their learning. I
will have a partner-like relationship with my students throughout the lesson so
that they can feel relaxed and comfortable in the classroom.
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