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Advantages and disadvantages of direct method
The merits/advantages of Direct Method are as follows:
- It facilitates understanding of English. In direct method the use of mother tongue is eliminated. The learner acquires the ability to understand directly what he hears or reads in English. Direct association between the object and the English word and between the English word and its meaning facilitates understanding of English without the intervention of mother tongue.
- It is a Natural Method. This method is a natural method. It teaches English language in the same way in which the child learns his mother-tongue ie. through listening and speaking. The language is taught through demonstration and conversation in natural or contrived context.
- It gives Fluency of Speech. “It is the quickest way of getting started in English” Macnee. Direct Method lays stress ‘on oral work. There is no intervention of mother-tongue. As such the student thinks in English directly. He finds himself self-confident and expresses. his thoughts in speech. Hence, it gradually leads to the acquisition of fluent speech. His pronunciation improves as he is given ample opportunities to hear and speak English. A student who is taught through this method converses in English with great facility and case.
- It facilitates Reading and Writing. “The direct method makes the reading of English literature easy.” – Champion. Since the student learns speaking English fluently, he learns writing quickly and correctly. Direct method makes the study of English literature easy and pleasant and also helps in its critical study. With the direct method of teaching, the students acquire love for reading supplementary readings(Readers), story books and English literature.
- It makes more use of Audio-Visual Aids. In this method, the unit of teaching English is not a word but a sentence. Since English is taught tllrough practical and concrete situations and actions, direct method makes use of variety of audio-visual aids. The use of these aids facilitates learning English and makes lesson interesting.
- It helps the critical Study of English Literature. Direct Method gives command over English language and creates interest in it. It helps the students to acquire a practical mastery of the language which helps in the study of English literature.
- Direct Method helps the teacher and the learner to cover up more syllabus in less time.
- Psychologically a sound method. Psychologically, this method is very sound because the teacher proceeds from particular to general and from concrete to abstract.
- Direct Bond Between Thought and Expression. There is a direct bond between thought and expression. So it helps the learner to have fluency in speech. It helps the students to have good command over the language.
- For teaching Idioms. For teaching the idioms of English, this method is more suitable.
- Involves many Activities. Direct method is an interesting method as it involves many activities.
- This method helps to being the words of passive vocabulary to active vocabulary.
- In this method cramming of words and their meanings is discouraged.
- This method develops linguistic sense.
- This method is psychologically sound and brings out the main principles of Modem Education.
Demerits/disadvantages of Direct Method
The demerits/disadvantages of Direct Method are as:
- Lack of Atmosphere. Proper atmosphere is required for the teaching of English. The atmosphere in our schools for direct method of teaching English is not there. Other subjects are taught in mother-tongue. The atmosphere created by the English teacher in his period soon vanishes with the ringing of the bell. English is taught as a separate subject and is not the medium. Therefore proper atmosphere is lacking.
- It is an incomplete Method. Direct method promotes the oral aspect of language learning and as such this method is incomplete. It does not give due attention to reading and writing. It has been observed that the pupils who are otherwise good at speaking English, commit many spelling mistakes in their writing.
- P. Gurrey and Dr. West do not consider it a method. In their opinion it is a principle which can be used along with some method.
- Lack of Suitable Teachers. Direct method of teaching English requires good teachers who can themselves speak good English and can teach through this method. In India, there is a shortage of such teachers who are skilled in the teaching of English. Most of the teachers of the subject have got very poor command of English. Their pronunciation is faulty and expression is poor. It becomes very difficult for them to teach English through Direct Method.
- It is a Difficult and Expensive Method. This method requires adequate proper audio-visual material and atmosphere. The cost of equipment and audio-material needed for this method is too heavy for Indian schools. Hence this method of teaching English becomes difficult and expensive. Our schools in general cannot provide such facilities.
- This method does not suit all schools and students. Direct method suits only those students who are linguistic minded, as its basic principle is that the aural-oral appeal is stronger than the visual in learning English. But it is not true in case of all students. The direct method does not suit all the students in different schools because our home environment is different.
- The direct method of teaching English is unpopular for the following reasons: (a) In the direct method of teaching English, the student should learn this language in the same manner he learns his mother-tongue. It is impossible as the atmosphere does not exist in the surroundings of the student. Hence, this method prevails only in the class-room: (b) The direct method of teaching is unpopular in India due to the shortage of teachers who can teach English through this method. Most of the teachers have very poor command over English. This results in unpopularity of direct method of teaching English.
- Another reason for the unpopularity of the direct method of teaching English in India is the lack of proper facilities in our schools for teaching English. Adequate and appropriate aids are not there. Our class-rooms are over-crowded. They fall short of space for free and independent activities of the teacher and the students required for this method. Our schools in general can not provide sufficient material for using this method successfully.
- The majority of English teachers in our Schools can not teach English through this method because they themselves have not been taught through this method or trained properly in this method. So they oppose direct method of teaching English. They do not want to take the trouble of teaching English through direct method.
- Laborious Method. Direct Method is a very laborious method on the part of teacher because teacher has to spend a lot of time for the preparation of the lesson.
- In this method Grammar is not taught systematically.
- Many a times it becomes quite difficult to bring word meaning and child’s experience together.
- It is sometimes possible that the teacher wants to convey some meaning and students assimilate a quite different meaning.
- This method gives less importance to systematic written work and reading lesson.
- In this method much time is consumed in creating life situations.
- Some scholars are of the opinion that this method does not initiate thinking in English. According to Menon and Patel, “The direct method was tried in India for a number of years, but it failed to yield the expected dividends in terms of children’s progress.
- The, method can not be used successfully for the average and below average students.
