Why I Parted Company with Natural Approach

Stephen Krashen

“The Natural Approach never caught on in language teaching circles in the U.S. perhaps because it was too ‘radical’ compared to standard explicit instruction and practice of grammar and vocabulary. Among those who claim to use it, the Natural Approach has become an approach that layers input over the traditional syllabus, making input a technique to teach the same old things.” (VanPatten, 2017, p. 70).

This is exactly why I parted company with the Natural Approach.  After Tracy Terrell passed away, I was offered co-authorship of Dos Mundos, the Natural Approach Spanish textbook. I accepted, and joined the team of Tracy’s former students, who were, as I expected, a pleasure to work with.  I left the project over a dispute with the publisher, McGraw Hill. They insisted that each chapter have a grammatical focus, leading to exactly the problem that VanPatten describes. I resigned as co-author, made sure my name did not appear on the cover or title page, and I was listed only as one of several consultants.

The version of Natural Approach that the publisher would have been an example of “eclectic” teaching, a term made explicit by Mason (2018).  There is evidence that eclectic methods that include comprehensible input are more effective than pure skill-based approaches (Krashen, 2003; pp. 8-12), but there is now evidence that a “pure” comprehension approach is both more effective as well as more time-efficient than eclectic teaching (Mason, 2018).

It is time for the profession to move forward and seriously consider the impact of a pure approach, one that provides generous amounts of rich, compelling, and comprehensible input.

Krashen, S. 2003. Explorations in Language Acquisition and Use: The Taipei Lectures. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Mason, B. 2018. A Pure Comprehension Approach: More Effective and Efficient than Eclectic Second Language Teaching? IBU Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 6, 69-79.
VanPatten, B. 2017.  While We’re on the Topic.  Alexandria, VA: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.


Why I Parted Company with Natural Approach Stephen Krashen “The Natural Approach never caught on in language teaching circles in the U.S. perhaps because it was too ‘radical’ compared to standard explicit instruction and practice of grammar and vocabulary. Among those who claim to use it, the Natural Approach has become an approach that layers input over the traditional syllabus, making input a technique to teach the same old things.” (VanPatten, 2017, p. 70). This is exactly why I parted company with the Natural Approach. After Tracy Terrell passed away, I was offered co-authorship of Dos Mundos, the Natural Approach Spanish textbook. I accepted, and joined the team of Tracy’s former students, who were, as I expected, a pleasure to work with. I left the project over a dispute with the publisher, McGraw Hill. They insisted that each chapter have a grammatical focus, leading to exactly the problem that VanPatten describes. I resigned as co-author, made sure my name did not appear on the cover or title page, and I was listed only as one of several consultants. The version of Natural Approach that the publisher would have been an example of “eclectic” teaching, a term made explicit by Mason (2018). There is evidence that eclectic methods that include comprehensible input are more effective than pure skill-based approaches (Krashen, 2003; pp. 8-12), but there is now evidence that a “pure” comprehension approach is both more effective as well as more time-efficient than eclectic teaching (Mason, 2018). It is time for the profession to move forward and seriously consider the impact of a pure approach, one that provides generous amounts of rich, compelling, and comprehensible input. Krashen, S. 2003. Explorations in Language Acquisition and Use: The Taipei Lectures. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Mason, B. 2018. A Pure Comprehension Approach: More Effective and Efficient than Eclectic Second Language Teaching? IBU Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 6, 69-79. VanPatten, B. 2017. While We’re on the Topic. Alexandria, VA: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
CATESOL Newsletter - 2020 Virtual Conference & Thoughts on the Natural Approach