The Methodology Series

DM stands for the Direct Method
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Teacher’s goals in using this method
Enabling students to communicate in the target language. To that end, they, students, are to be made to think in the target language through much exposure to the studied language and not involving the mother tongue at all, if possible.

Teachers’ roles
* still assumes a position of authority
* directs in-class activities

Students’ roles
Less passive than they were in the GTM as far as they are prompted to communicate by the T.

Interaction patterns
* Teacher → Students: Most common as interaction is often initiated by the teacher.
* Students → Teacher: Less common, but students can initiate the talk by asking questions.
* Students → Students: They can also converse with each other to a certain limit.

Students affective aspect, is it considered?
There are no principles of the method that relates to this side.

Language and culture views
Language is primarily spoken more than written. That explains why students are taught common, everyday speech of the target language.
Culture is given a much more important stake ( if you consider everyday speech as part and parcel of every people’s culture)

Language areas emphasized
Vocabulary (dangling more towards everyday life speech) is emphasized over grammar. This latter is taught inductively.

Language skills emphasized
Speaking is emphasized over all other skills. This does not mean that reading, listening and writing aren’t taught. Usually, reading or writing learning is based upon what has been introduced and studied orally.

Position of students’ primary tongue
All classes are taught exclusively in the target language, and it is recommended that students’ mother tongue not to be used in class aiming, thus, at achieving a native-like fluency.
Even thinking in the target language is fostered and favored to achieve the aforementioned goal that of a native-like fluency in using the language.

Evaluation
* Students are asked to use the language, not to demonstrate their knowledge of it.
* Students can be interviewed to assess their oral performance/ fluency.
* Students can be asked to write a paragraph about something they have studied.
, etcetera.

Prepared by: Nouamane ERRIFKI
References:

Diane-Larsen, Freeman. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. England: Oxford University Press, 1990.