Learning Spanish Part Eighteen: The Direct Method Of Language Instruction
Realizing that The Grammar Translation Method of second language instruction did not work to impart spoken proficiency in the target language, in the late 1800’s, The Direct Method surfaced in language instruction. The need for a system that worked to teach spoken competence is what drove those to create The Direct Method. What it entailed was methods of language acquisition that were more closely related to how first (native) languages were acquired. The main goal was to teach how to think in the second language and move as far away as possible from the harmful grammar-first approach. It did not seek to make constant references to one’s first or native language, as does The Grammar Translation Method.
The Direct Method brought a new wave of thought into second language teaching. The shift in philosophy of second language education led its proponents to believe that all instruction should be taught in the target language with no translation into the learner’s native tongue. The emphasis was in forming connections between meaning and the second language being learned. One of...