THE POST-METHODS ERA

Approaches and Methods in Language TeachingRichards and Rodgers, 2001

Lemmuela Alvita Kurniawati (136332040)

The Nature of Approaches

Having a core set of theories and beliefs about the nature of language, language learning, and principles in language teaching

Having a variety of interpretations on how principles of language teaching are applied

Allowing individual interpretations and application

Consisting of prescriptions and techniques in English language teaching

Having a long shelf

life

Approaches in English Language Teaching

Communicative Language Teaching

Competency-Based Language Teaching

Content-Based Instruction

Cooperative Learning

Lexical Approaches Multiple Intelligences

The Natural Approach

Neurolinguistic Programming

Task-Based Language Teaching Whole Language

Are linked to specific claims and to prescribed practices.

Contain what to teach and how to teach it.

Are seen as a rich resource of activities, some of which can be adapted from one’s own ideology.

Are relatively fixed in time and there is generally little scope for individual interpretation.

The Nature of Methods

Audiolingualism Counseling-Learning

Situational Language Teaching

The Silent Way Suggestopedia Total Physical Response

Methods in English Language Teaching

Questions Affected the Extent to Which a New Approach or Method is Adopted

1• What advantages does the new approach or method offer?

2

• How compatible is it with teachers’ existing beliefs and attitudes and with the organization and practices within classroom and schools?

3

• Is the new approach or method very complicated and difficult to understand and use?

4

• Has it been tested out in some schools and classrooms before teachers are expected to use it?

5

• Have the benefits of the new approach or method been clearly communicated to teachers and institutions?

6• How clear and practical is the new approach or method?

The Disadvantages of Methods and Approaches

Approaches and Methods

Unlikely to be widely adopted

Difficult to understand and use

Lack clear practical application

Post method era

Criticism of Approaches and Methods

The Top-down Criticism

Role of Contextual Factors

The Need for Curriculum Development Process

Lack of Research Basis

Similarities of Classroom Practices

1

2

3

4

5

1. The Top-down Criticism

ApproachesMethods

Approaches tend to allow for varying interpretations in practice, methods typically prescribe for teachers what

and how to teach.

1. The Top-down Criticism (continued)

The role of teachers

To accept the theory underlying the

method and apply them

To use method and its prescribed techniques

and principles appropriately

The role of students

To receive the method passively

To submit themselves to exercises and activities in the applied method

Good teaching

MethodThe opposed

view of method

Teaching methods must be flexible and adaptive

to learners’ need and interest

Students bring different learning styles and preferences to the learning process

Students are consulted in the process of

developing a teaching program

2. Role of Contextual Factors

In trying to apply approaches or methods, teachers sometimes ignore what is the starting point in language program design,

namely, a careful consideration of the context in which teaching and learning occurs.

Richards & Rodgers, 2001

Teaching learning occurs

The cultural context

The political context

The local institutional

context

The context constituted by the teachers and learners

Education

al

planning

and

implement

ation

practices

involve:

The careful examination of the teaching objectives

The development and trial use in schools of those methods and materials which are judged most likely to achieve the objectives which teachers agreed uponThe assessment of the extent to which the development work has in fact achieved its objectives

The feedback of all the experience gained, to provide a starting point for further study

3. The Need for Curriculum Development Process

3. Lack of Research Basis

FEW books written by method gurus are based on second language acquisition research.

Researchers who study language learning reluctantly dispense prescriptions for teaching based on the results of the research.

Researches on language learning do not support the simplistic theories and prescriptions found in approaches and methods.

Lack of research basis in adopting

methods and approaches

4. Similarities of Classroom Practices

Are not informative because they refer to a pool of classroom practices which are used uniformly (Swaffar, Arens, and Morgan 1982: 31).

Are quite distinctive at the early, and rather indistinguishable from each other at the later stage (Brown 1997: 3)

Some scholars criticized the use of methods believe that methods:

LEARN how to use different approaches and methods and understand when they might be useful

UNDERSTAND some of the issues and controversies that characterize the history of language teaching

PARTICIPATE in language learning experiences based on different approaches and methods as a basis for reflection and comparison

BE AWARE of the rich set of activity resources available to the imaginative teacher

APPRECIATE how theory and practice can be linked from a variety of different perspectives

Beyond Approaches and MethodsApproaches and methods can still be usefully studied and selectively mastered in order to:

Looking Forward