The Direct Method was developed as a response to the grammar translation method. The direct method consists in giving or teaching the class in the language to study; this means that teachers cannot speak in their native language. If the students do not know any word or phrase, teachers cannot explain those things in their native language; so teachers need to explain things in the teaching language. This method can be considered useful because it applies some interesting activities where the students can practice the language. This method contains activities such as: reading aloud, question and answer exercise, conversation practice, fill in the blank, dictation, and paragraph writing. The Direct Method develops the four skills that beginners need to learn; the students can grasp the information easier because those exercises help to develop the skills. However, beginners can find this method kind of difficult because the class is in the foreign language and they cannot understand all the things giving in class. Here we have some principles of The Direct Method:
a) The native language should not be used in the classroom.
b) Teachers should demonstrate, not to explain or translate.
c) Syllabus is based on situations or topics, not usually on linguistic structures.
d) Pronunciation should be worked on the right form.
These principles help teachers and students to maintain a straight way of teaching and learning. Teachers need to teach according the principles of the method because if they want to teach very well a foreign language, they need to apply all the things. As a result, this method could best to teach a foreign language.
Suggestopedia Method is a language teaching method developed by the Bulgarian Dr. Lozanov. Lozanov says that by using this method one can teach languages approximately three or five times as quickly as conventional methods. The name suggestopedia derives from the words “suggestion” and “pedagogy”. The suggestopedia method is based in interaction and communication. Teachers and students need some privileges; for example, this method consists that chairs need to be comfortable, classrooms need to be paint with a stimulating color, and is based on music most of the time. In this method teachers need to play music in order to students relax their brain and they can gather the information through the calm environment. The suggestopedia method develops some activities I order to achieve the process of learning the language, the activities are the following: reading, sing, discuss, writing, grammar. This method develops the four skills, but most of the time the method develops only the speaking skill. The suggestopedia has some principles that show haw the method works and here we have some of them:
a) The students have to feel relaxed and confident.
b) Students learn to believe in the power of the human brain.
c) Students trust and respect teacher’s authority.
d) Students achieve a state of “infantilization”.
e) Errors are corrected gently.
These principles show how the way in what teachers and students need to behave inside the classroom and how the class needs to be taught. In this method teachers control the class not the students and teachers play the role of consultant. Students need to participate in all the activities that teachers have prepared for them. In conclusion, this method is good only for those students that are very patient and enjoy classical music to get relaxed and to get focus on subjects.
The Silent Way Method uses the cognitive materials that involve deductive and inductive grammar exercise. This method is based only on written exercise when the students have some doubts teachers can help them but not all the time teachers answer the questions. Students in this method work a lot because they need to be focused in the exercise and they need to be very responsible with their own studies. Teachers give one or at least two examples then students have to understand the directions and work on the exercise. This method has some principles that help to understand better the method:
a) The teachers should start with something that students already know.
b) Language is not learning by repeating after a model, students need to develop their own inner criteria for correctness.
c) Students should learn to relay on each other and themselves.
d) Students can learn from one another, teachers’ silence encourage group cooperation.
These principles are kind of difficult to understand because nowadays schools do not allow this behavior or this way to teach. The silent way method can help teacher only with students that are very talkative and hyperactive in order to keep them quiet and calm. Some teachers can use this method, but is not use in achieve the goals that they want.
Conclusion
The three method explain before are used to teach students a foreign language; this method were created in order to improve the effectiveness of teaching language. Every method has its own way to teach, but I will give my opinion about which of the three methods are the best. In my opinion the best method is the “direct method” because this method applies the four skills when the students can learn how to read, to write, to listen, and to speak; teachers can correct errors in the instant, so students can learn better in that way. The direct method is used actually in schools, this method is the best because teachers and students can develop a good environment in the classroom where students do not get bored and they can find the class very interesting. Next, the suggestopedia method is a good method, but if we talk about to applying this method to our country will not work because students in our country are not accustomed to listening classical music; as a matter of the fact, students will get bored and they will dislike the class. However, in Europe this method works very well because European culture gives the students the way to get accustomed to those things. As a result, this method in my opinion is regular because is based on classical music in order to understand things and gather information about the language. The third method which is the silent way method is the worst in my opinion because is based only in exercise and teachers do not help the students to much, so students need to do a lot of work in order to understand things. Teachers need to be facilitators; they need to help their students, but this method does not do it.