The Postmethod Condition: (E)merging Strategies for Second/Foreign Language Teaching

Abstract

Recent explorations in L2 pedagogy signal a shift away from the conventional concept of method toward a “postmethod condition” that can potentially refigure the relationship between theorizers and teachers by empowering teachers with knowledge, skill, and autonomy. So empowered, teachers could devise for themselves a systematic, coherent, and relevant alternative to method, one informed by principled pragmatism. The postmethod condition can also reshape the character and content of L2 teaching, teacher education, and classroom research. In practical terms, it motivates a search for an open‐ended, coherent framework based on current theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical insights that will enable teachers to theorize from practice and practice what they theorize. This paper explores one such framework consisting of 10 macrostrategies, based on which teachers can design varied and situation‐specific microstrategies or classroom techniques to effect desired learning outcomes. The paper maintains that the framework can be used to transform classroom practitioners into strategic teachers as well as strategic researchers.

ESP pedagogy: Blending low and high order thinking

“…Heeding advice about strategizing framework for interactive L2 teaching and in line with facilitating low and high thinking skills, the following section identifies and defines the ICT-based tools that are relevant to strategic teaching and research within an ICT-supported GP framework. These ICT-based tools, in facilitating not only self-observation and self-assessment, but also peer-observation and peer-assessment, demonstrate HOW certain macro-strategies (Kumaravadivelu, 1994) 1 are made operational in Genre-based pedagogy.…”

“…A delivery tool, the Announcement gives -most primarily during the Familiarization phase of Blended 1 Kumaravadivelu (1994) enumerates 10 macro-strategies (general plans) derived from theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical knowledge related to L2 learning and teaching, that consist a strategic framework for L2 teaching: maximize learning opportunities, facilitate negotiated interaction, minimize perceptual mismatches, activate intuitive heuristics, foster language awareness, contextualize linguistic input, integrate language skills, promote learner autonomy, raise cultural consciousness, and ensure social relevance.…”

“…From the perspective of reflective teaching in ELT, this paper also offers a discrete illustration of a particular pattern of Post-method condition (Kumaravadivelu, 1994) characterized by a reflective approach to teaching which seeks to analyze and evaluate one's own teaching practice --to theorize from one's practice (not without adequate conceptual underpinnings based on "current theoretical, empirical and pedagogic insights" (Kumaravadivelu, 1994, p. 31), and practice what one has been theorized, converting classroom interactions into an ICT-supported research-teaching model. In disclosing an individual emerging reflective teaching strategies (which range from exploring ways and techniques of grappling with course management, experimenting in class, listening to colleagues' advice, reviewing literature on various teaching-learning issues, collaborating on projects with peers, to drafting pedagogical discoveries), this paper concurrently serves as a teacher development resource which adds to Murphy's list of ways of growing as professionals: "gaining teaching experience, participating in teacher-development courses, thinking about and discussing published scholarship, attending conferences, consulting colleagues, getting to know students better" (Murphy, 2001, p. 499).…”

Re-reading Your CELTA Training Course: A Case Study of Four International Teachers Working at a Saudi HE Institution

“…It could be argued that language teacher training programs that pay attention only to immediately measurable competencies are likely have a washback effect on the content of the courses as well as their classroom application (Murray, 2009). What is more, because the CBT philosophy of teacher training is rigidly applied in this course, important aspects of TESOL that should be developed on teacher training programs, such as a critical awareness of the characteristics of different teaching contexts and a conceptualization of the social, cultural and linguistic peculiarities of learners, together with their educational traditions and their levels of literacy, are overlooked (Canagrajah, 2002;Kubota & Lin, 2009;Kumaravadivelu, 1994;Pennycook, 1998). We are indebted to Murray (2009, p. 22), who convincingly articulates that, in this era of emerging TESOL pedagogies, "performance indicators aligned to elements of competency sit more comfortably with the methods era than with pluralistic teaching and learning contexts".…”

Rituals and Beliefs Ingrained in World Language Pedagogy: Defining Deep Structure and Conventional Wisdom

“…According to certain researchers and educators in the field of world language education, teachers are the main obstacle to reform in classroom practice (Glisan, 1996;Kumaravadivelu, 1994Kumaravadivelu, , 2001Kumaravadivelu, , 2003Kumaravadivelu, , 2005Musumeci, 1997Musumeci, , 2002. Musumeci (2002) asserts, "one of the biggest obstacles in language teaching practice is teachers" perception that there is not enough time to do what they are currently doing, let alone to do more or to try something different" (p. 161).…”