Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas
Facultad de Lenguas, Campus Tuxtla
Licenciatura en la enseñanza del inglés
Evolución de la metodología en la enseñanza de las lenguas
Adapted by: Luna de los Santos and Montserrat Cruz Fuentes. October, 2023
THE NATURAL APPROACH
The natural approach was created in 1977, Tracy Terrell, a teacher of Spanish in California, outlined
"a proposal for a 'new' philosophy of language teaching which he called the Natural Approach". This
was an attempt to develop a language teaching proposal that incorporated the "naturalistic" principles
researchers had identified in studies of second language acquisition. The Natural Approach grew out
of Terrell's experiences teaching Spanish classes. Since that time Terrell and others have experimented
with implementing the Natural Approach in elementary- to advanced-level classes and with several
other languages. (Terrell 1977). The Natural Approach language learning theory was developed by
Drs. Stephen Krashen of USC and Tracy Terrell of the University of California, San Diego.
McLaughlin (1987) begins his critique by pointing out that Krashen never adequately defines
“acquisition”, “learning”, “conscious” and “subconscious”, and that without such clarification, it is
very difficult to independently determine whether subjects are “learning” or “acquiring” language.
This is perhaps the first area that needs to be explained in attempting to utilize the Natural Approach.
If the classroom situation is hopeless for attaining proficiency, then it is probably best not to start. As
we will see in an analysis of the specific methods in the book, any attempt to recreate an environment
suitable for “acquisition” is bound to be problematic.
In the Natural Approach there is an emphasis on exposure, or input, rather than practice; optimizing
emotional preparedness for learning; a prolonged period of attention to what the language learners
hear before they try to produce language; and a willingness to use written and other materials as a
source of comprehensible input. The emphasis on the central role of comprehension in the Natural
Approach links it to other comprehension-based approaches in language teaching.
The Natural Approach is a methodology for second language learning which focuses on
communicative skills, both oral and written. It is based on linguist Stephen Krashen's theory of
language acquisition, which assumes that speech emerges in four stages: (Lessow-Hurley, 1991).
1. Preproduction (listening and gestures)
2. Early production (short phrases)
3. Speech emergence (long phrases and sentences)
4. Intermediate fluency (conversation).
Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas
Facultad de Lenguas, Campus Tuxtla
Licenciatura en la enseñanza del inglés
Evolución de la metodología en la enseñanza de las lenguas
The aim of the natural approach is to develop communicative skills, and it is primarily intended to be
used with beginning learners. It is presented as a set of principles that can apply to a wide range of
learners and teaching situations, and concrete objectives depend on the specific context in which it is
used. (Richards & Rodgers, 2001)
Principles of the natural approach:
1. Students don’t learn the language,they acquire it
Instead of memorizing usage rules, vocabulary and conjugations, studying grammar, semantics and
phonology, (all of which constitute learning but not necessarily fluency), students acquire the
language through communicative and immersive activities.
2. Students are allowed to make mistakes
This doesn’t mean that grammar doesn’t matter. This means the teacher isn’t going to spend half of
the lesson correcting beginner students’ every mistake.
3. Students don’t stress
According to the Natural Approach, “pressure won’t lead to acquisition”. Language acquisition takes
place in a relaxed environment through enjoyable tasks.
Advantages:
● Students acquire the target language in a natural and easy way.
● Well-designed and carefully chosen materials ensure that the students acquire language from
easy to difficult, from simple to complex, and from concrete to abstract.
● The natural approach creates an excellent environment for beginners.
● Students interact in meaningful situations at their own level.
● This approach requires all activities to be engaging and motivating.
Disadvantages:
● Students may speak fluently, but not always accurately.
● Amassing engaging, meaningful tasks this approach requires is quite a bit of work for the
teacher.
● Doesn’t seem as effective for more advanced students.
● Some students require a more demanding approach in order to improve
Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas
Facultad de Lenguas, Campus Tuxtla
Licenciatura en la enseñanza del inglés
Evolución de la metodología en la enseñanza de las lenguas
In theory the natural approach makes more sense than all others combined. Children learn their
language effortlessly, painlessly,quickly and speak it fluently — the epitome of what all learners
would like to do.
REFERENCES
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. (s/f). The natural approach. Johannes
Gutenberg University Mainz. Recuperado el 20 de octubre de 2023, de
https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb06innovationftsk/the-natural-approach/
Шабо, К. (2018, agosto 20). The natural approach. Skyteach.
https://skyteach.ru/2018/08/20/the-natural-approach/
(S/f). Sdkrashen.com. Recuperado el 20 de octubre de 2023, de
https://www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/the_natural_approach.pdf
