Essay for Writing for Academic Purposes

Group 4 :           1. Candra Eka Pangestu          ( 183221135 ) ( Introduction )

                          2. Amalia Putri Hapsari           ( 183221136 ) ( Content        )

                          3. Nurviana Khoirotuliulla      ( 183221137 ) ( Conclusion  )

The Disadventage of Teaching English for Young Learners Using Direct Method

 Recently, English has become an international language that is taught by many people in the world. By mastering English, people can communicate with other people especially with foreign people easily. According to Wibowo, Wlija (1996:4), the definition language of comminication is the most complete and effective way to convey ideas, messages, intentions, feelings and opinions to other. And, according to Harimurti Kridalaksana (1993:21), language is a symbol system sounds an arbitary languange that allows people to work together, interact, and identify. Besides, it can reduce misunderstanding in communication. In Indonesia English now is the first foreign language which is taught to the students at school. Thus, English should be taught to the children as early as possible. The aim is to make the children as the young learner familiar with English. Teaching English to the young learners is not easy because English is not their mother tongue and it also likes a new thing for them. The direct method is put simply as a teaching method that use only the target language. This itself presents some of disadvantages.

   The first disadvantage of direct method is, students get struggle when they communicate with their teacher. As we know that English is not our mother tongue, it’s not our first language. According to Tyson in Munsofa (2015:194), teaching is a process of interaction, the teacher does something to a student; the student do something in return. So for the young learners they cannot get easily talk with their teacher. However, teaching is not an easy thing to do, not all people can do this job especially teaching another language. Teaching is the process of attending to people’s needs, experiences and feelings, and intervening so that they learn particular things, and go beyond the given(Smith,2015).

   The second disadvantage of direct method is, this method is based on the principles that auditory appeal is stronger that visual. But there are children who learn more with visual than with their oral- aural sense like ears and tongue. We can't deny that not all students have the same ability, some of them will understand more in reading, but some of them will understand more in listening. Especially for young learners, according to Purwaningsih, young learners are learners in Elementary school aging 9-10 years old who are learning English as foreign language. They will get struggle with unfamiliar words when the teacher uses this method. And, according to Curtain and Dahlberg (2004) are devided into four base on their age, they are first , Pre-school student ages 2-4 years normally still at kinderganten school. Secondly, Primary student ages 5-7 years and thirdly, Intermediate students age 8-11 formallyat elementary school and the last Early adolescent student ages 11-14 formally at Junior high school.

   The third disadvantage of direct method is, this method ignores systematic written work and reading activities and sufficient attention is not paid to reading and writing. According to Collins Dictionary direct method is 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 elicited in situational contexts. Also, according to Hassan Basarally (2010) stated Direct Method is relevant to one of the 12 principles of second language acquisition. This method didn't pay attention much in writing and reading, and how students suppose to know the words if they didn't read the words but just listen. For young learners they just not to get to know how to listen and speak the words but also how to write and how to read the words.

   In conclusion, direct method is not effective. Teachers should make class interesting, if teachers keep using this method students will get bored easily. Also, some of them that don't understand English very well will get struggle and even more their grade will get low. It Is important for teacher to vary the types of learning activites since children lose interest  more quicly (cameron, 2001). Direct method is difficult as the no use of language. Maybe won’t be suitable for average or weaker students. It requires competent teachers. It gives overemphasis on listening and speaking skills. It isn’t effectivein early stages of learning.