The Post -methods Era.(2014)

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UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE LA PAMPA

FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS HUMANAS,DEPARTAMENTO DE LENGUAS EXTRANJERAS.

PRACTICA EDUCATIVA II, DIDACTICA ESPECIAL DE LA LENGUA INGLESA Y RESIDENCIA EN PRIMARIA.PROF. ADJUNTA REGULAR A/C Estela Nélida Braun. AUXILIAR DOCENTE Prof. Liliana Monserrat.

ELT History of Methods• Richards and Rodgers (2001) , Diane Larsen Freeman (2001).

• Changes in Methods since 1900’s.How many different methods can we name?

• CRITICISM OF METHODS:

• A. They are usually eurocentric or American views that did not take into account socio-cultural concerns.

• B. They were part of textbooks that were meant to teach “homogeneous” clases all over the world.

• C. The teacher’s roles were of passive acceptance of new methods, sometimes believed to be new “dogmas”.

Kumaravadivelu (2003)• Teachers were not always successful in putting methods into practice

in their classrooms.

• Kumaravadivelu states that in the post-methods era it is necessary to question the relationship between theorizers and practicioners.

• THEORY –PRACTICE DICHOTOMY

• Researchers are Theoretical Teachers are Practical.

• Bring about teacher’s growth by discussing the limits of methods and helping construct a post-method pedagogy.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBWRgi9_bB4

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YrvW6p5uG0

Method vs. Post-method•Post-method can be defined as the construction of classroom procedures and principles by the teacher himself/herself based on his/her prior and experiential knowledge and/or certain strategies.

• Teachers know that methods are not based on the realities of their classroom but are “artificially transplanted” into their classrooms (Kumaravadivelu, 2006, pp. 162, 166).

• Such a top-down process cannot allow teachers to be in change and development. They also lack research basis as Allwright (1991) warns language teachers against “the uncritical acceptance of untested methods” (Cited in Kumaravadivelu, 2006, p.161).

• Brown (2002) also thinks that methods are not based on empirical study as they are too “artfuland intuitive” (p. 10).

Criticism of Traditional Methods• (1)Scholastic dimension- methods ignore local knowledge

and emphasizes Western knowledge;

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• (2)Linguistic dimension- methods encourage the use of English in the classroom preventing learners and teachers from using their L1 linguistic resource;

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• (3) Cultural dimension- methods considerlanguage teaching as culture teaching emphasizing “monoculturalism”, which create employment opportunities worldwide for native speakers of English making them privileged (pp. 541-544).

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The teacher at the centre of the Process• Teachers are considered as great sources as a result of their experience in the past as students, past experience of teaching, knowledge of one or more methods gained throughout their training as teachers, knowledge of other teachers’ actions and opinions and their experience as parents or caretakers (Prabhu, 1990).

The power of narratives• TASK:

• Draw a rope with knots that indicates all your experiences with teaching until now. Write about two instances that were important for your teacher education.

Art-craft conception of Teaching• Post-method teachers are:

• autonomous,

• analysts,

• strategic researchers and

• decision-makers. • Such teachers are also reflective as they observe their teaching, evaluate

the results, identify problems, find solutions, and try new techniques.

• Based on this, there is a movement from “science-research conceptions” towards “art-craft conception of teaching” (Arikan, 2006, p. 4) as well as a shift from top-down process to bottom-up process as teachers “theorize what they practice or practice what they theorize” (Kumaravadivelu, 2003a,pp 38)

The Post-method framework• PARTICULARITY: Sensitive to the particular context where

students and teachers carry out the educational aims.

• PRACTICALITY: The Method should be appropriate socailly, culturally and politically.

• POSSIBILITY:The method should be applicable.

TASKS:• 1. Summarize Kumaravadivelu’s STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK.

• 2. Choose one of the activities, analyze it and be ready to discuss it with your partners.

• 3. What is the difference between Eclecticism and Post-Methods?

• SOURCE: Dr. T. Karunakaran & M. Suresh Babu. Article published on the Dawn Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2, July - December 2013. English Language Teaching Methods –An Overview.