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Theories, Methods & Techniques of Teaching - The Direct Method

 

"In terms of the things that are negative about it, we've already said that it doesn't develop speaking but perhaps the biggest negative point about this particular methodology is that it's very unnatural. Ok, so despite the criticisms of this particular method, and particularly the fact that is unnatural, this particular methodology was in use all the way through the 17th, 18th and 19th century and indeed it's still in use today. However, Gouin in the 1880s and Berlitz in the early 1900s decided that this particular methodology was so unnatural that they wanted to come up with something new. The method that they came up with, they called the direct method. You will also sometimes see it as the natural method. What these two people were saying is that if we wish to learn a language then we should try to recreate the conditions that we learn our native language in and this is what the natural methodology tried to do."


Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next.

This unit discusses the difference between created and authentic materials. It explores in relative depths some of the advantages and disadvantages of both. The second half of the unit is dedicated to course books. It outlines the importance of finding the right balance between following the pre-existing syllabus and adapting the materials to the needs of any particular class.In this unit I learnt a lot. I saw how we pronounce words, and what sounds we use to make words. I also learnt about the phonemic alphabet and the benefits of it, I enjoyed learning about it because I never went in-depth with it in school. I also saw how to do a class on pronunciation and phonology, and because of that I feel much more prepared for teaching this in the future.



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