The Direct Method for English (DME) is developed not just for native English teachers, but for English teachers that have knowledge of their students' first language. For a lot of prospective ESL students DME is what they really like, since it forces them to repeat the words in the lesson, making them memorize them. This means that hard-working businessmen who are new to English can come to like it very quickly, since it leads them to learn vocabulary and grammar at a certain speed.
Everybody Starts On Page One
First, the student has to take a test to see what level that they are at. This determines what book that they should start the proper process with. All students, however, no matter how advanced they are, have to start with Book 1, page 1, meaning that they start with simple items such as "My name is..." and "Hello". The reasoning behind this is that a classroom of students all have to know the same vocabulary and how to use correct grammar in order for the lesson to meld correctly. For example, the person who knows the word "ceiling" doesn't know the word "attic", and another student is vice versa, but both will know what both words mean in their own language because the course book will cover both, so both are brought up to the same level, eventually. That's the theory behind it, at least. Students who are more advanced than Book 1 merely answer all questions all the way through until they get to the stage where they need to be educated at.
Language in Book 1 is mostly taught with the students' native language, so there are different books for different languages. Part of the course is, after going through it, the English vocabulary, where the teacher says the word twice for the student to repeat it. The teacher then tries to explain or mime the word, and if the student gets it, then they should be able to retain that word a little bit better rather than just being told it in the first place. So, the system goes like: new word, repeat, explain, feedback, confirmation.
Let's Get Physical
Mime and action (some DME teachers refer to it as the "Shakespeare moment") is an important part of the method, so a teacher has to be able to think on his/her feet if a student just doesn't get it. After the vocabulary, questions are asked twice and for the first few books at least, the student is pointed out and then s/he is led with the first part of the answer. So, the teacher would ask,"'What is your name?" (x2), point, then, "My name is..." and that part of the answer is repeated for the question to be answered. The teacher then corrects as appropriate. Leading the horse to water, as it were, puts the students under pressure, as each part of the lesson is supposed to be rapid-fire, making the student not have to think about the translation from their native tongue and instead have an immediate response in English.
The lesson is split into different parts, primarily revision, reading and a dictation, and then new vocabulary, questions and/or grammar. Sometimes there is a communication exercise as well, but not often. Where they actually read to in the book and what the lesson is about is determined in advance by the school's DME administrator, so the teacher does not need to do too much preparation in advance for the lesson. Also, it is allowed for the teacher to just have a few conversation lessons during the method's time, and there are games for the teacher to carry out if there is still time in the lesson to go and the last new page has been reached.
Results May Vary According To Use
There have been mixed reactions to the method by both teachers and students. For the teachers, the minimal preparation work helps if they have a busy schedule, but the constant repetition can end up with the teacher feeling a little bit too robotic, or that it doesn't let them be more creative. The method is not for teachers to like, however, it is supposed to be one of the most effective ways for students to learn, and it is, to a degree. Advanced students are usually impatient to get to the point where they actually learn something new, and these are the ones that are the toughest to crack. Brand new students to the program take to it quite well, although the teaching method can be a little bit strange to them. It can be effective if the teacher also insists for the students to study the course materials at home, as there should be an accompanying CD to each book. Also, if a student misses a lesson or two, then it can be hard for them at first to get back on track.
In all, the Direct Method for English is a good tool for new students, especially when it comes to pronunciation and proper grammar. The latter is especially clear for students to follow in the books, so long as the teacher makes sure that the students understand by asking more questions and gaining more feedback. Some respond to it, some do not, and these are more likely to work well with the classic methods.
James Clapham - After winning his Creative Writing Diploma, James Clapham moved to Slovakia. He currently works as an English teacher there, and is also ...
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