Índice
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
The natural approach by Krashen and Terrell.................................................................................3
Krashen and Terrell’s different views of the approach...................................................................4
THEORETICAL BASIS OF THE NATURAL APPROACH........................................................4
The Natural Order Hypothesis.........................................................................................................6
The Input Hypothesis.......................................................................................................................6
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION - LANGUAGE LEARNING.........................................................7
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION........................................................................................................7
LANGUAGE LEARNING..............................................................................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................10
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Introduction
The purpose of this present work is to talk about ‘The Natural Approach’ which is a method of
language teaching developed by Krashen and Terrell theory. And how the method is applied for
second language learners. Also about the Krashen and Terrell’s views of the approach.
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The natural approach by Krashen and Terrell
The natural approach method is a method of language teaching developed by Stephen Krashen
and Tracy Terrell in late 1970s and early 1980s.
This method is based on the theory that language acquisition occurs only when students receive
comprehensible input and the emphasis is on reading and listening comprehension for beginning
students.
Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language – natural communication - in
which speakers is concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are
conveying and understanding.
It foster naturalistic language acquisition in classroom setting, and emphasizes communication,
places decreased importance on conscious grammar study and explicitly correction of student
errors. Efforts are also made to make the learning environment as stress-free as possible.
In the natural approach, language output is not forced, but allowed to emerge spontaneously after
students have attended to large amounts of comprehensible language input.
Krashen and Terrell refer to their method of picking up ability in another language directly
without instruction in its grammar as 'the traditional approach'. They consider their approach as a
traditional one whereas many methodologists consider Grammar Translation Method as the
traditional method. For Krashen, even Grammar Translation Method is not as old and traditional
as the method of acquiring a language in its natural environment, a method which has been used
for hundreds of thousands of years.
The term 'natural’ emphasizes that the principles behind the NA are believed to conform to the
naturalistic principles found in successful second language acquisition. One may think that the
Natural Approach and the Natural Method are similar. The Natural Method (or the Direct
Method) and the Natural Approach differ in that the former lays more emphasis on teacher
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monologues, formal questions and answers, and error correction. Krashen and Terrell note that
"the Natural Approach is in many ways the natural, direct method 'rediscovered'[and] it is similar
to other communicative approaches being developed today". The Natural Approach, like TPR, is
regarded as a comprehension-based approach because of its emphasis on initial delay (silent
period) in the production of language. What is novel is that the NA focuses on exposure to input
instead of grammar practice, and on emotional preparedness for acquisition to take place.
Krashen and Terrell’s different views of the approach
The natural approach has become closely associated with Krashen’s monitor, and it is often seen
as an application of the theory to language teaching. Despite this perception, there are some
differences, particularly Terrell’s view that some degree of conscious grammar study can be
beneficial. The syllabus focuses on activities, which Terrell sees as promoting subconscious
language acquisition. He divided these activities into four main areas:
1. Content activities such as learning a new subject in the target language.
2. Activities that focus on personalizing language such as students sharing their favorite
games, music and problem solving activities.
This method has seven chapters such as:
1. Language teaching approach.
2. Second language acquisition theory.
3. Classroom implications of the theory.
4. How to begin using the natural approach.
5. Oral communication development through acquisition activities.
6. Additional sources of input for acquisition.
7. Testing and classroom management.
THEORETICAL BASIS OF THE NATURAL APPROACH
Theory of Language
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Krashen regards 'communication' as the main function of language. The focus is on teaching
communicative abilities.
Krashen and Terrell believe that a language is essentially its lexicon. They stress the importance
of vocabulary and view language as a vehicle for communicating meanings and messages.
According to Krashen, acquisition can take place only when people comprehend messages in the
teaching language. The lexicon for both perception and production is considered critical in the
organization and interpretation of messages. In Krashen's view, acquisition is the natural
assimilation of language rules by using language for communication.
Theory of Language Learning
The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis
Krashen, in his theory of second language acquisition suggested that adults have two different
ways of developing competence in second languages: Acquisition and learning. There are two
independent ways of developing ability in second languages.
Acquisition- is a subconscious process identical in all important ways to the process children
utilize in acquiring their first language.
Learning- is a conscious process that results in knowing about the rules of language (Krashen
1985:1).
The Acquisition-Learning distinction is the most fundamental of all the hypotheses in Krashen's
theory and the most widely known among linguists and language practitioners.
According to Krashen there are two independent systems of second language performance:
The acquired system and the learned system.
The acquired system- the product of a subconscious process very similar to the process children
undergo when they acquire their first language. It requires meaningful interaction in the target
language - natural communication - in which speakers are concentrated in the communicative
act.
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The learned system-is the product of formal instruction and it comprises a conscious process
which results in conscious knowledge about the language (knowledge of grammar rules).
According to Krashen learning is less important than acquisition.
Krashen believes that learned competence function as a monitor or editor. That is, while AC is
responsible for our fluent production of sentences, LC makes correction on these sentences either
before or after their production. This kind of conscious grammar correction, occurs most
typically in a grammar exam where the learner has enough time to focus on form and to make
use of his conscious knowledge of grammar rules as an aid to acquired competence.
The Natural Order Hypothesis
According to the hypothesis, the acquisition of grammatical structures proceeds in a predicted
progression. Certain grammatical structures are acquired before others in first language
acquisition and there is a similar natural order in Second Language Acquisition.
The Input Hypothesis
Krashen claims that people acquire language best by understanding input that is a little beyond
their present level of competence. Consequently, he believes that comprehensible input should be
provided, should be relevant and 'not grammatically sequenced
The Monitor Hypothesis
Second language learners have two means for internalising the target language. The first is
acquisition which is a subconscious and intuitive process of constructing the system of a
language.
The second means is a conscious learning process in which learners attend to form, figure out
rules and are generally aware of their own process. The monitor is an aspect of this second
process; it edits and makes corrections as they are consciously perceived.
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Krashen believes that fluency in second language performance is due to what we have acquired,
not what we have learned: Adults should do as much acquiring as possible for the purpose of
achieving communicative fluency. Therefore, the monitor should have only a minor role in the
process of gaining communicative competence, and Krashen suggests three conditions for its
use:
a) There must be enough time;
b) The focus must be on form and not on meaning;
C) The learner must know the rule.
The Affective Filter Hypothesis
According to Krashen, the learner's emotional state, is just like an adjustable filter which freely
passes or hinders input necessary to acquisition. The filter is 'affective' because there are some
factors which regulate its strength such as: self-confidence, motivation and anxiety state.
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION - LANGUAGE LEARNING
The expression «language learning» includes two clearly distinct.
One involves receiving information about the language, transforming it into knowledge through
intellectual effort and storing it through memorization, and other involves developing the skill of
interacting with foreigners to understand and speak their language. The first concept is called
language learning, while the other is language acquisition.
The distinction between acquisition and learning is one of the hypotheses most important
established by Stephen Krashen in his highly regarded theory of foreign language learning.
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Language acquisition refers to the process of natural assimilation, involving intuition and
subconscious learning, which is the product of real interactions between people where the learner
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is an active participant. It is similar to the way children learn their native tongue, develops
familiarity with the phonetic characteristics of the language as well as its structure and
vocabulary, is responsible for oral understanding, the capability for creative communication and
for the identification of cultural values. Teaching and learning are viewed as activities that
happen in a personal psychological plane. The acquisition approach praises the communicative
act and develops self-confidence in the learner.
LANGUAGE LEARNING
The concept of language learning is linked to the traditional approach to the study of languages
and today is still generally practiced in high schools worldwide. Attention is focused on the
language in its written form and the objective is for the student to understand the structure and
rules of the language through the application of intellect and logical deductive reasoning.
Teaching and learning are technical and governed by a formal instructional plan with a
predetermined syllabus
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Conclusion
I concluded that in the Natural Approach Method developed by Krahen and Terrell the language
output is not forced, is allowed to emerge spontaneously after students have attended to large
amounts of comprehensible language input, it emphasis communication and gives less
importance on conscious grammar. And as the method emphasis on communication than
grammar and correction, the learners are free to communicate or to express their thoughts
without shaming to commit mistakes or errors which are the best way to learn.
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Bibliography
Krashen, Stephen D., and Tracy D. Terrel. 1983. The natural approach; language acquisition in
the classroom, Harvard (18th ed)
Krashen, S.D., and Tracy D. Terrell. The Natural Approach: Language Acquisition in the
classroom, Hayward, Calif: Alemany Press, 1983.Print. Turabian (6th Ed).
Krashen, S.D.(1985). The input hypothesis: Issues and implications. New York, Longman.
Lewis, M.(1983). The lexical Aproach; the state of ELT and a way forward. Hove: Language
Teaching publication.
The Natural Approach: Language acquisition in the classroom, APA (6th Ed.)
Terrell, T.D.( 1977) “ A natural approach to be acquisition and learning of language”. Modern
language journal, 61.325-336.
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