Direct Method English Reading Series “直接法”英语阅读系列

Direct Method English Reading Series “直接法”英语阅读系列
Shanghai, China
1932, 1934, 1935, 1947
Printed ink on paper
Courtesy of the James G. Endicott Family 

James G. Endicott was a passionate advocate for Harold E. Palmer’s Direct Method, which prioritized learning a second language through speech, mimicking how children learn naturally, and aimed to teach rapid reading and accurate composition without translation. Jim and Mary prepared simplified English versions of classic novels like Moby Dick to support this approach. Their efforts led to the publication of several Direct Method texts by Chongqing University during Jim’s tenure at the Department of English Language and Literature.   

文幼章是Harold E. Palmer直接法的坚定支持者。这一教学方法主张通过语言的口语学习来掌握第二语言，模仿儿童自然习得语言的方式，以培养快速阅读能力和准确写作技能，而无需经过翻译。为推广这一方法，文幼章与文月华共同编写了多部经典小说的简化版英语教材。通过他们的努力，重庆大学在文幼章担任英语语言与文学系职务期间，出版了多本“直接法”教学读物。