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Direct Method

 Hello! It is nice to have you back! Today, I will talk about one of the most interesting methods to teach English, in my opinion. I am referring of course to the direct method. 

This method is based on a lot of spoken and listening practice. Back in the times, scholars wanted to replicate the natural way of learning a language, and thought of teaching the target language as a first language, just as babies do, through listening and speaking practice. There was almost inexisting presence of the mother tongue, and they based all the classes on spontaneous communication. Unlike the GTM, the direct method is more student-centered and error correction is not as important as in other methods. Grammar rules were taught inductively, which means that students would learn them in context, by practicing or listening to dialogues, for instance.

Some of the pros of the direct method are that students are more likely to be proficient at speaking and listening, which are everyday skills, they can communicate spontaneously and naturally, and their pronunciation gets better; On the other hand, if we over-avoid mistake correction, they will keep on happening. Classes are more dynamic and that´s also a pro, but students also need theory in adequate doses. Last but not least, the direct method supports a stress-free  environment to learn.

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