Comparison on Language-centered, Learner-centered and

Learning Centered Methods

By
Aunurrahman
Kumaravadivelu (2006) mentions that there are three important categories of language teaching
method. The methods are language-centered, learner-centered and learning-centered methods. These
methods are different in many ways and showed up as the improvement of the earlier method. The
comparison of each method will be discovered based on the theoretical principles and classroom
procedures which are covered in chapter 5 to 7 in Understanding Language Teaching: From Method to
Postmethod which was written by Kumaravadivelu (2006). The discussion are in the following
paragraphs.
Language-centered as the earliest method used, was derived from behaviorism with a great
emphasis on habit formation. Meanwhile, learner-centered and learning centered methods were based on
cognitive psychologists who focused on insight formation. Habit formation such as pattern practice can be
a boring practice and did not lead to fluent and effective communication in real life situations.
The opposite view presented by learner-centered and learning-centered methods looked at
language communication as a synthesis of textual, interpersonal, and ideational functions. However, if
learner-centered method tried to connect form and meaning, learning-centered method puts its main
attention on meaning only. Moreover, it was learning-centered pedagogists who tried to seriously and
systematically formulate theoretical principles and classroom procedures needed to translate an abstract
idea into a workable proposition.
It can be said that behaviorism unable to describe higher processes such as in language and
thought which has been done by the cognitivism view (Tomic, 1993). It is reasonable that languagecentered method, at the end, did not give great contribution to language teaching. Then, the learningcentered method failed to show the empirical evidence of its effectiveness in language teaching. As a
result, it is learner-centered method which mainly developed until now, specifically communicative
language teaching

which currently seen as a set of generally agreed upon principles that

can be applied in different ways, depending on the teaching context, the age of the
learners, their level, their learning goals and so on (Richards, 2005, p. 20).
References
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). Understanding language teaching: from method to post-method. Mahwah,
N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Richards, J. C. (2005). Communicative language teaching today. SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.
Retrieved from http://upbo.org/servlet/file/store7/item5633160/version1/PB_RichardsCommunicative-Language.pdf
Tomic, W. (1993). Behaviorism and Cognitivism in Education. Journal of Human Behavior, 30(3/4), 38
46.