Implementation of Postmethod Pedagogy as an Alternative to Communicative Language Teaching at the Tertiary Level Education

Abstract

Along with the subsequent development in the field of English Language Teaching, the idea of methods has been criticized for not being sensitive to the contextual factors and also for being imperialistic in nature. The linguistic and cultural dimensions of archetypal methods establish the culture and language of the native speakers as the only erudite variety by promoting monoculturalism and monolingualism. Furthermore, even in Bangladesh, it can be seen that CLT has been applied as a method to teach English as a foreign/second language since the mid-nineties, but it has not brought any significant changes. Therefore, to overcome the obstacles and limitations experienced by the application of the prototypical methods, the notion of postmethod pedagogy has been introduced which focuses on the significance of contextualized materials to bring authenticity in English language classrooms, which in turn ensures learners’ motivation and successful intake of the lesson. At the same time, it also emphasizes the importance of teacher and learner autonomy. Hence, this research paper explores the scopes of the implementation of postmethod pedagogy and its effectiveness at the tertiary level English language classrooms in Bangladesh.
 

Revisiting postmethod pedagogy: Adopting and adapting Socratic circle to secondary EFL teaching

“…Other empirical research has collected evidence demonstrating the disparity between theoretical acceptance and actual implementation of PMP. Islam's (2020) study indicates that in Bangladeshi tertiary education various factors (e.g., syllabus, course books, the evaluation system) hindered teachers and students from exercising autonomy. Teachers were able to achieve the parameter of particularity by tailoring teaching materials to students' needs.…”

“…On the one hand, PMP is upheld as empowering and inspiring for teachers; on the other, it is criticised as theoretically ideal but actually impractical (Akbari, 2008;Bell, 2003Bell, , 2007. Although an increasing number of studies have been exploring EFL teachers' perceptions and practice of PMP (Golzar, 2020;Islam, 2020;Kandel, 2019), a scarcity of research has been conducted in secondary EFL teaching contexts.…”