Tasha Bella Ananda Nasution

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“ THE POSTMETHOD ERA ”

A. The Definition of the Post-Method Era

“A language teaching method is a single set of procedures which teachers are to follow
in the classroom. Methods usually based on a set of beliefs about the nature of language and
learning” (Nunan, 2003) in Thornbury (2009:1). At around the same time, Kumaravadivelu
(1994) in Thornbury (2009:1) identified what he called the ‘post method condition’, a result
of ‘the widespread dissatisfaction with the conventional concept of method’ .

Rather than subscribe to single set of procedures, post-method teachers adapt their
approach in accordance with a local, contextual factor, while at the same time being guided by
a number of ’macro-strategies’. Two such macro-strategies are ‘maximize learning
opportunities’ and ‘promote learner autonomy.’ Post-methodologist have used against methods
to show how they inflate the influence of methods to better knock them down. The roots of
post-methodology in the larger area of postmodernism, arguing that post-method, rather than
being evidence of the maturation of teaching practices, is a further manifestation of the search
for method and so is subject to the same criticisms.

Post-method, despites its disparagement of innovations called methods, can be seen as

an attempt to unify these disparate element in to a more holistic, redefined communicative
language teaching (CLT) through a dialectical process of building and deconstructing forces.
Brown (2007:40) states “By the early 1990s it was readily apparent that we didn’t need a new
method. We needed, instead, to get on with the business of unifying our approach to language
teaching and designing effective tasks and techniques that were informed by that approach.”
So, in short, the post method era was the era when there was not a specific language teaching
method used.
 B. ELT Methodologies and Emerging Issues

Forty-seven years ago, Teachers of English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL)

was founded with the aim to offer teachers and administrators an opportunity to discuss issues
related to ELT (Alatis, 1987). This prominent organization has been connecting professionals
worldwide through conferences and publications by examining concerns related to the diversity
of student populations, geographical and social contexts as well as methodologies and
approaches considered more suitable for a particular class.

Although language methodologies started being conceptualized as early as the 1880s

with the Reform Movement (Danesi, 2003), I will provide an analysis from a more current
perspective, when the ELT profession began to burgeon. The history of ELT methodologies is
somewhat extensive (see Brown, 2014 for a comprehensive overview). In the 1960s, the
Audiolingual Method gained popularity with its overemphasis on oral drills and production.

Until recently, one of the most infamous misconceptions was that methodologies were
being implemented as a “one-size-its-all” in classrooms across the globe and were expected to
be successful. Using one single methodology was assumed to be effective in a class of young
English learners in Japan as well as among internationally educated professionals living in
Canada, for example. Also, these methods did not take affective or cognitive variables into
account.

Do learners who have very limited knowledge of the language feel anxious when
making an oral presentation in front of a class? Do all learners have the same ability to
recognize grammatical structures of the language and apply hypotheses when learning other
structures? The 2000s introduced the post-method era: a shift from using methods in the purist
sense to recognizing that the nature of language learning is complex and non-linear.

Choosing one method and expecting that a prescribed set of instructions will be
effective with every learner is discouraged (Larsen-Freeman, 2011). Yet, having a solid
understanding of these methods is invaluable as it equips teachers with several tools that can
be implemented in their lessons. Ultimately, merging the knowledge of teaching methodologies
with other aspects that are not only linguistic in nature will enhance ELT, and consequently
English learning.
 C. Affective and Cognitive

Variables Brown (2014) has raised important aspects to consider when guiding
students through their language learning journey; essentially, beyond methods, teachers should
implement metacognitive, cognitive, and socio-affective strategies. Having students relect on
their own learning process, or learning about how they learn a language best, can be facilitative.
At this point, teachers and students can collaborate and choose from the multiple directions
available so they can get to their destination.

For example, given that each learner has a preferred cognitive strategy for learning
vocabulary items, simply asking them to relect on what they ind the most effective way to learn
and remember vocabulary words can be helpful. Rather than having all learners conform to one
particular path, it is important to remind them about the several strategies to learn vocabulary
and encourage them to choose the ones they ind most helpful. A useful strategy suggested by
Brown (2014) is to implement activities that lower learners’ inhibitions, encourage risk-taking,
and build self-conidence.

In many English programs in Canada, learners are often required to make oral
presentations in front of the class: students who do not feel conident speaking English might
resist this type of assignment. One way to help students reach the inal outcome is to start
building their conidence early in the program by following a few steps. Teachers can ask
students to:

1) write down sentences they plan to use in their presentations;

2) audio-record their speech and have teachers listen and provide constructive feedback;

3) listen to teacher’s feedback and follow suggestions given; and

4) rehearse in pairs or in small groups.

D. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

Is there currently approach that is generally accepted norm in the field. Communicative
language teaching is an accepted paradigm with many interpretations and manifestation, the
latter arguments represent what appears to be too strong a rejection of a tradition that has viable
in many language teaching circles for several decades. Suffice it to say that no model will be
sufficient to satisfy all the criteria for a comprehensive theory of instructed second language
acquisition.

Beneath those method lay some important theoretical assumptions. In the 1910s and
1950s, the profession was to some extent convinced that teachers could behaviorally program
a scientifically ordered set of a linguistics structures into the minds of learners through
conditioning. The period saw a fovus on emotional and sociocultural factors operating whitin
learners.

1. CLT vs task-based language teaching

2. 1980s-1990s: the development of approaches that highlighted the
3. Communicative properties of language, classrooms characterized by
4. Authenticity, real-world simulation, meaningful tasks
5. Focus on social, cultural, and pragmatic features of language
6. Goal: to develop learners’ linguistic fluency, to build intrinsically, motivated
learners
7. CLT-related approaches: TBLT, learner-centered, cooperative, interactive,
whole language based, content-based

E. Cooperative Learning

Curriculum or classroom that is cooperative and therefore not competitive usually

involves the above learner contered characteristics. As student works together in pairs and
groups, they share information and come to each others aid they are a “ team” whoe players
must work together in order to achieve goals successfully.

Cooperative learning is is sometimes thought to be synonymous with collaborative

learning. But, cooperative learning is directive to student about how to work together in groups
than collaborative. Collaborative learning models have been developed within social
constructivist school of thought to promote communities of learnes that cut across the usual
student and teacher.

1. Work together as a team to achieve goals successfully, prescriptive to teachers about

classroom techniques.
 2. Challenges: accounting for varied cultural expectations, individual learning styles,
overreliance on the L1.
3. Collaborative learning: the learner engages with more capable others who provide
assistance, developed within social constructivist.

F. Other candidates for CLT approaches

a. Lexical Approach
1. lexis plays a central role in designing language courses and classroom methodology
b. teach prefabricated patterns (e.g., burst into tears) &
c. collocations (e.g. take an exam/a chance) - corpus analysis
2. Multiple Intelligences
a. Gardner’s model of intelligence (8 types)
b. multiplicity of types of activities

Conclusion:

ELT is a Journey with No Clear Path The shift from a methodology-based to a post-
method instructional practice demands the involvement of teachers and learners as key players
in the construction of knowledge. Teachers are no longer limited to choosing strategies from
several different methods. Rather, they should invite learners to embark on a journey where
their contexts, identities, affective and cognitive variables merge with critical practices in ELT.

Rather than teachers dictating which way to go, it is important that they learn about
their students and discover their aspirations. This will help both teachers and learners choose
the right way. And if it is the wrong way, they can always go back and take another path.
Teaching a language is an invitation for both teachers and learners to travel together to an
undiscovered, fascinating place where possibilities are limitless. The post-method era requires
that teachers are aware of several methodologies and the critical aspects described above for
the journey to be rewarding for both teachers and learner.
 REFERENCES

Liu, Jun. 2004. Methods in the Post-Methods Era: Report on An International Survey
on Language Teaching Methods. IJES 4(1) 137-152.

Norton, B. 2000. Identity and language learning. London, UK: Longman. Norton, B.
& Toohey, K. 2011. Identity, language learning, and social change. Language
Teaching, 44, 412–446

Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. 2001. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching
(2nd Ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Thornbury, Scott. 2009.Method, Post-Method, and Metodos. British Coucil. Accessed

London: university press