THE NATURAL APPROACH

The Natural Approach (NA) is a product of Stephen Krashen, an applied linguist at the University of Southern California and Tracy Terrell, a teacher of Spanish in California. Krashen's work on second language acquisition and Terrell's teaching experiences form the bases of the Natural Approach.  

The term 'natural' emphasizes that the principles behind the NA are believed to conform to the naturalistic principles found in successful second language acquisition. The Natural Approach, like TPR, is regarded as a comprehension-based approach, because of its emphasis on an initial delay (silent period) in the production of language. What is novel, is that the NA focuses on exposure to input rather than grammar practice, and on emotional readiness for acquisition to take place.

 

The children acquire a language in four steps:

1.

Listening and understanding

The children can understand what you say in English, because you use pictures, objects, your body-language or they can understand it within the context. So you do not have to translate it.

2.

Showing understanding

Give the children the chance to show that they understand what you mean.

e.g. Topic: FRUIT. Objective: The children are able to show what an apple, a pear, an orange, etc. is

TPR (TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE) just focuses on that step.

Suggestions of commands:

"Touch the apple", "Turn the apple upside down", "Give me the apple", "Give the apple to....", "Swap the apple and the pear"...

By doing what you tell them to do, they show understanding without naming the item of vocabulary.

3.

Recalling, echoing, saying the words, structures

 At this stage the children recall and echo the words and structures exactly the same way as they have heard it/them from you. They can name the item of vocabulary.

4.

Using the words within a different context

 The children are able to use the words spontaneously when they need it.