Direct Method in Foreign Language Teaching

Many popular theories of second language acquisition have been analyzed throughout history. The socialization of L2 learners, their present emotional state that is present at time of acquisition, as well as the comprehensible input and output with the use of scaffolding play a major role in second language acquisition. Let us also not forget the importance of written expression as well as reading comprehension with these L2 learners. Each play a role in language development. However, I believe that in acquiring a language, one must use a variety of techniques that work together to create a balance within the learning environment. Furthermore, all L2 learners learn differently and so a variety of resources will need to be used based on the ability of each student. There are many theories that have been developed by highly qualified experts in the field on linguistics. However, I will address those areas that I agree with as I present my personal theories on second language acquisition.

For this research requirement I chose three different experiments to examine thoroughly. The first of these experiments came from the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. The study done in this journal was an examination of orthographic learning and self-teaching in a bilingual and biliterate context. The aim of the study was to figure out the advantages and/or disadvantages of a student learning a native language when they are either monolingual, bilingual, or biliterate, and the study was focused on learning English because this is the most commonly learned non-native language in the world.

The second language classroom is full of theories of how to get students to acquire the target language (L2). These theories have been around for many years and have been debated and revised numerous times. Theories such as the grammar translation theory, used up until the 1940’s, are no longer in favour because of their inability for learners to use the language in colloquial situations have been superseded by new innovative ideas. At the time of writing this paper, there are three main theories used in the second language classroom: Behaviorist, Innate, and Interactionist.

Pachler, N., Barnes, A., and Field, K., 2009, Learning to teach Modern Foreign Languages in th

Learning had been widely discussed among the researchers. It had become the subject matter that interests psychologists, educationists, scientists and came up with a number of learning theories. There are many different theories that attempt to describe the learning process. The theorists came out with some methods and approaches to be applied in the language teaching in the classroom. Approaches consist of specific principles in the language teaching and to apply these approaches, methods are needed which include various procedures and techniques. In this coursework, I would discuss on two theories, methods and approaches, two of their strength and limitations. In addition, I would further discuss on the implementation of one of the theories in the English language classroom.

Language arts in English was introduced in second grade. Students could ask questions in English

The Direct Method was a popular method during the beginning of the twentieth century, especially in private language schools where the students were highly motivated and native-speaking teachers could be employed.

Knowledge of foreign language has recently turned into necessary to people to feel comfortable in the increasingly diverse global community. Also, while studying another language people study the culture of that country that makes the view of the person wider and gives additional development to the person. Because to study another language and culture gives one the powerful key to successful communication: knowing how, when, and why to say what to whom. Now every country tries to provide studying second language at schools. So, there are many reasons for studying a foreign language including academic, professional, and personal. As for academic studying a foreign language can improve cognitive and critical thinking abilities. Knowledge of a foreign language gives an advantage in every career. Foreign language study provides the ability to gain an understanding of the country’s trading partners. Many multinational corporations and nongovernmental organizations need people with foreign language abilities. Learning a language is not just learning about its pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, it is learning to see the world as the other culture sees it. To study a language well, the teacher must have professional skills and have perfect knowledge in language. Also, it is important to involve students in studying and to make the subject interesting. For language teacher is obligatory to be a good trainer in speaking and writing and know how to make his lessons easy for

Starting learning English as a foreign language in Vietnam, I was aware of the importance of acquiring and applying a new language in modern lives. When mastering a new language, especially a popular one, we can gradually narrow the gaps between people from many nations. However, how to maximize the effectiveness of language teaching and learning is a simple task. Accordingly, I wish to learn linguistics, the major that has made me understand learners can successfully acquire a new language using scientific and social methods.

how it is learned and used. Nowadays learning and teaching applied linguistics aims to solve

Effective language learning is the necessity of time. No matter in which discipline you are or what field of occupation you have effective language is a vital goal to success, which cannot be ignored. There are several standards, which determine the criteria for effective language and the learning processes. However, determining a standard is the first and foremost element in this regard. Language teaching and language learning are two entirely different fields, which have their

I received the professional training in teaching English to speakers of other languages in the Master’s and doctoral programs at the OSU. Through graduate coursework, I have learned the processes of foreign and second (English) language acquisition,

The importance of this research is demonstrated in the fact that it does not only discuss the theory of Monitor Model, but it also links it with the nativist perspective on language acquisition. It also discusses how we can implement this theory in the language classroom by providing some teaching strategies and approaches that teachers can use. This suggests that second language theories can be developed into various teaching approaches that teachers can benefit from in their teaching. Moreover, I believe that these approaches will benefit learners more because than others because they will have scientific basis and evidence from research. As a result, both

There are two different and contrasting arguments about whether L1 should be used in the foreign language classroom and today the English-only policy is a topic of heated debate. While some believe that L1 interferes with the acquisition of the target language, others think that it can be appropriately used in the classroom in specific occasions. According to Nation (2003), the use of the first language has a small but important role and there are many reasons for its use in the classroom. Although the use of L2 is pivotal when learning a new language, L1 should be used as well in order to facilitate the understanding of complex concepts (e.g. grammar rules, expressions and vocabulary), to assess comprehension as well as to use class time efficiently (Atkinson, 1987). In “Using L1 in the L2 Classroom”, Schweers (1999) reported a crucial statement written by Auerbach (1993): “Starting with the L1 provides a sense of security and validates the learners’ lived experiences, allowing them to express themselves. The learner is then willing to experiment and take risks with English.” These brief sentences explain that the use of L1 in the language classroom has positive and favorable aspects which will allow a valuable and efficacious learning of the new language.

In this section, we briefly review some of the methods used throughout the history of language teaching (Cook 2001; Richards and Rodgers 2001; Howatt 2004 ). The reason for this review is twofold: firstly, it explains the history as well as the development of the debate surrounding the use of the L1. Secondly, since one of the questions that prompted the new directions in language teaching is ―what should the role of the native language be? (Richards and Rogers 2001, p. 14), we need to know how the different methods tackled this issue in different ways.