THE NATURAL APPROACH VS. DIRECT METHOD

Principles:

Principles within the Natural Approach and the Direct Method are very complex, I’ll give you a little comparison of all of them.

Natural Approach:

The acquisition/learning hypothesis.

This hypotheses talks about the two ways of getting information, the acquisition which is the spontaneous way of getting information and the learning which is the way the we learn in a conscious stage.

Direct Method:

Students learned sequences of strictly-chosen grammatical phrases by listening and repetition.

This principle tells us that students do not acquire knowledge, they strictly learn it y repeating unlike the acquisition/learning hypotheses that besides of learning, the students also acquire knowledge smoothly.

Natural Approach:

The Monitor Hypotheses.

This hypotheses implies that the conscious learning monitors or checks everything that is being learned and analyses every single piece of knowledge for a better understanding or use from the student.

Direct Method:

Classes was developed by using abstract vocabulary.

Using an abstract vocabulary implies that students must have a high level of understanding unlike natural approach where knowledge arrives naturally is not necessary to have a lot of abstract understanding of things.

Natural Approach:

Natural Order Hypotheses.

Everything in life has an order and also in learning there’s a natural way for learning.

Especially when learning a second language, order is a crucial element for its complete understanding.

Direct Method:

Grammar is taught inductively.

Grammar is fundamental in the second language learning, it is a rule to learn at least the basic grammar rules for a good learning.

Natural Approach:

Input Hypotheses.

This hypotheses refers that learners will be able to have a good or excellent learning IF the information they receive is comprehensible and adequate for their level. That way they improve and progress along the second or new language.

Direct Method:

No translation is allowed.

If a learner wants to be prepared for a new language then not translating is very important.

If translation is allowed then some of the learners might get accustomed to translate every single thing they listen or write and that is a mistake if they don’t know basic grammar rules, because translation is not completely accurate, for example, some things may have only a meaning in Spanish and others only in English.

Natural Approach:

The Affective Filter Hypotheses.

This hypotheses implies that the emotional status of the learner can block or only allow the kind of knowledge that he/she needs, not letting another useless knowledge or information pass into the important data. This works as a firewall in computer systems, not letting bad or malicious information entering the system.

Direct Method:

Teaching speech was taught by listening comprehension.

Speeches are easier to develop to students while they listen to other people’s conversations, they get information and develop their hearing, and Listening Comprehension helps students to gain confidence for their own speeches practices.

As you can see every principle of each method has its strong and weak points, that’s why different methods were created so one can fulfill other’s work.

Advantages and Disadvantages:

Natural Approach

Advantages

-          This method is very easy

-          Reliable as it’s widely used

-          There’s no grammar instruction in this method

Disadvantages

-          It takes long time and learner can do only elementary things

-          It does not suit for those who do not have much time

-          The method rarely concerns about correctness

Direct Method

Advantages

-          This method introduces the use of teaching vocabulary using regalia which is stills used today when teaching English to speakers of other language.

Disadvantages

-          The big disadvantage of this method is that pretend that the second language is learn exactly the same way as the first. Second language acquisitions varies considerably from first language acquisitions.

When we talk about advantages and disadvantages we have some differences, Natural Approach does not tend to make the second language to be learnt perfectly as direct method does, Natural Approach is based on spontaneous learning, not perfection.

Student’s Roles:

Natural Approach

-          Provide information about their specific goals.

-          Decide when to produce speech and when to upgrade it.

Direct Method

-          The learner’s role is to communicate in realistic conditions of the target language.

The student or learner’s role in both methods implies a goal, this goals differentiate from each approach in certain ways.

In the Natural Approach the students provides his/her personal goals, specific personal goals unlike the Direct Method, here the student has to achieve an specific goal from that method that is to communicate in real conversations with native speakers lets say…

As you can see, both methods are very important because they complement each other, Natural Approach and Direct Method, Silent Way and Suggestopedia, TPR and CLL, etc. They all develop abilities in students and help teachers in their task, making students learn a new language…

THANK YOU FOR READING J