Postmethod Condition

Teachers and researchers realize that no single research finding and no single method of language
teaching would bring total success in teaching a second language especially as it was seen that certain
learners seemed to be successful regardless of methods or techniques of teaching. This newer
understanding in foreign language teaching methodology has been described as the postmethod
condition because of a set of newer beliefs and assumptions surrounding foreign language teaching
practices. The postmethod condition is characterized by leaving methods-only arguments to find
effective strategies to teach in the most appropriate and effective way while considering the
practitioners views and roles in preparing and teaching language materials. Hence, instead of looking
for which language teaching method is the best to follow, the language teacher must find the most
effective strategies and techniques to enrich her or his teaching collection.
THE LIMITS OF METHOD: meaning, myth and death of method.
Meaning:
Method is a scholar's view through teaching on the basis of his own understanding of language teaching
and language learning. Method is a construct; Method is classroom activities;
Methodology is what teacher does in classroom to achieve effective learning. Methodology is a conduct.
The concept of method has little theoretical validity and even less practical utility. Its meaning is
ambiguous, and its claim dubious.
Myth:
The established methods maintained by multiple myths that have long been accepted. These myths
have created an inflated image of the concept of method.
Myth #1: There is a best method out there ready and waiting to be discovered.
Myth #2: Method constitutes the organizing principle for language teaching.
Myth #3: Method has a universal and ahistorical value.
Myth #4: Theorists conceive knowledge, and teachers consume knowledge.
Myth #5: Method is neutral, and has no ideological motivation.
Death of method:
Allwright explains the relative unhelpfulness of the method concept by listing six reasons.
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1- It is built on differences where similarities may be more important
2- it simplifies, unhelpfully, a highly complex set of issues
3- it diverts energies from potentially more productive concerns
4- it breeds a brand loyalty which is dubious to be helpful to the profession
5- it breeds complacency (self-satisfaction)
6- it offers a cheap, externally derived sense of coherence for language teachers which may itself
inhibit the development of a personally expensive internally derived sense of coherence.
THE LOGIC OF POSTMETHOD
The postmethod condition is a sustainable state of affairs that forces us to fundamentally restructure
our view of language teaching and teacher education. In short, it demands that we seriously consider
the essentials of a coherent postmethod pedagogy. I present below the essentials of postmethod
pedagogy in terms of pedagogic parameters and pedagogic indicators.
Pedagogic parameters:
1- The Parameter of Particularity. 2. The Parameter of Practicality 3. The Parameter of possibility
the three pedagogic parameters constitute the conceptual foundation for a postmethod
pedagogy
Particularity ( ), practicality ( ), possibility .
1- The Parameter of Particularity: is the most important parameter and relates to the advancement
of a context-sensitive pedagogy based on a true understanding of local linguistic, sociocultural,
and political particularities.
2- The Parameter of Practicality seeks to enable and encourage teachers to theorize from their
practice and practice what they theorize.
3- The Parameter of possibility emphasizes the importance of larger social, political, educational,
and institutional forces that shape identity formation and social transformation.
Pedagogic Indicators:
Those functions and features that governing postmethod pedagogy and reflect the role played by key
participants in the L2 learning and teaching. They indicate the degree to which shared decision making
by postmethod learners, teachers, and teacher educators is incorporated into the planning and
implementation of classroom aims and activities.


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1- The Postmethod Learner:
Postmethod pedagogy allows learners a role in pedagogic decision making by treating them as active
and autonomous players. Postmethod pedagogy takes into account two views of learner autonomy, a
narrow view and a broad view.
The narrow view seeks to develop in the learner a capacity to learn to learn. It stands for academic
autonomy.
The broad view goes beyond that to include a capacity to learn to liberate as well. It stands for liberatory
autonomy.
If academic autonomy enables learners to be effective learners, liberatory autonomy empowers them
to be critical thinkers.
Generally, learning to learn means learning to use appropriate strategies to realize desired learning
objectives. As Kumaravadivelu stated learners can gain some of these opportunities by:
1- Identifying their learning strategies and styles
2- stretching their strategies and styles
3- reaching out for additional language reception or production beyond what they get in the classroom
4- collaborating with other learners
5- Taking advantage of communicating with competent speakers.
Meaningful liberatory autonomy can be promoted in the language classroom by,
1- Encouraging learners to assume, the role of mini-ethnographers
2- asking them to reflect on their developing identities by writing diaries or journal
3- helping them in the formation of learning communities
4- Providing opportunities to explore the unlimited possibilities offered by internet
Taken together, what the two types of autonomy promise is the development of overall academic ability,
intellectual competence, social consciousness, and mental attitude necessary for learners to benefit
opportunities, and overcome challenges both in and outside the classroom.
2- The postmethod teacher
The postmethod teacher is considered to be an independent teacher. Teacher independence is so
central that it can be seen as the heart of postmethod pedagogy.
Postmethod pedagogy,
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1- recognizes the teachers' prior knowledge
2- recognize their potential to know how to teach and act autonomously
3- promotes the ability of teachers to know how to develop a thoughtful approach of teaching
4- promotes the ability of teachers to know to analyze and evaluate their own teaching acts
5- promotes the ability of teachers to know how to initiate change in their classroom
6- promotes the ability of teachers to know how to monitor the effects of such changes
What postmethod pedagogy assumes is that over time, teachers develop a coherent pedagogic
framework consisting of core principles that are applied across teaching situations and this personal
knowledge will eventually lead them to construct their own theory of practice. In pursuing their
professional self-development, postmethod teachers do teacher research involving the triple
parameters of particularity, practicality, and possibility. Teacher research is initiated and implemented
by them, and is motivated by their own desire to self-explore and self-improve. Most part of such
teacher research is doable if, it is not separated from and is fully integrated with day-to- day teaching
and learning.
3- postmethod teacher educator
The task of the postmethod teacher educator is to create conditions for future teachers to gain
necessary ability and autonomy that enable them form their own pedagogic experiences, and transform
such experiences.
In practical terms, the role of the postmethod teacher educator becomes one of:
1- helping student teachers identify the inequalities built into the current teacher education programs,
which treat teacher educators as producers of knowledge, and practicing teachers as consumers of
knowledge;
2- enabling future teachers to express and share their thoughts and experience,
3- encouraging future teachers to think critically
4- creating conditions for teachers to gain basic classroom-discourse analytical skills
5- redirect part of their own research outline to do empowering research, that is, research on their
student teachers;
6- exposing student teachers to a pedagogy of possibility