A NEW METHODOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE IN TEACHING TURKISH TO FOREIGNERS THE NATURAL APPROACH AND ADAPTATIONS OF TEACHING TURKISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The aim of this study was to outline the Natural Approach, a foreign language teaching method, and to describe how the foreign language teaching principles of the Natural Approach can be used in Turkish teaching. Document analysis as a qualitative research method was used. Document analysis can be used as a stand alone data collection method. In document analysis, written materials containing information on the target subject or subjects to be studied are used (Yıldırım and Şimşek, 2011). In document analysis, reaching the original sources of the documents are considered very important. In this context, the original copy of the book The Natural Approach- Language Acquisition in the Classroom written by Karshen and Terrel, printed in 1983 was taken as reference. The original language of the book is English. In this study, it was aimed to describe the history and general principles of the Natural Approach, and its approaches to grammar teaching, curriculum and language classes, and recommendations on classroom management, the strategies developed for individual differences in languages classes, the view of the using a second language in class and how to adapt them to Turkish as a foreign language classes. According to the study results, many principles of the Natural Approach are still useful, and can be applied in classrooms where Turkish as a foreign language is taught. Some examples regarding the adaptations of some basic principles of the Natural Approach to Turkish as a foreign language classes and teaching Turkish are presented at the end of this study