Direct Method of Instruction To achieve quality education for second language learners, some teachers have turned to the Direct Method of instruction. In Collin’s English Dictionary (2012), the “Direct Method is defined as a technique of foreign-language teaching in which only the target language is used, little instruction is given concerning formal rules of grammar, and language use is often prompted in situational contexts.” The direct method of teaching was a comeback to the Grammar-Translation method. It aims to build a direct relation between experience and language, word and idea, thought and expression. Hall (2002) described that the rationale of the direct method is for the student to learn the second language or the target language; the same way the student learned his/her native language. This method of teaching has advantages, objectives, principles, and techniques, making it an effective approach to teaching a second language.
Advantages
The Direct Method approach makes the acquiring of a new language interesting and lively. It clearly establishes a direct bond between a word and its meaning. Students are trained to see the world through the lens of the target language. In a Samoan class for example, when a student sees a red fruit on the teachers desk, she should immediately be thinking, “o le apu lenā,” not “that’s an apple”, “hmmm… let’s see, apple is apu in Samoan. O le apu lenā!” This method facilitates alertness and participation of the students