WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Preliminary definition: a language-teaching method

A coherent set of teaching procedures and behaviours based on a theory of what
language is and how it is learnt
1. THE PAST
Grammar-translation method
Procedures:

Grammatical rules and exercises

Vocabulary lists
Reading passages, studied and
translated

Underlying approach:

Language is grammar and vocabulary; learning it implies learning and

memorizing information about it.

Very little speaking

Lessons normally conducted in L1
Grammatical syllabus
Emphasis on accuracy

Direct Method

Procedures

Only English used

A lot of teacher-student dialogues
Later, systematic teaching of
grammar and vocabulary

Underlying rationale

English is a system of communication, best learnt through English-only

interaction. It is important to learn to speak it correctly.

Mainly speaking
Both communication and
accuracy stressed
A grammatical syllabus.

Audio-lingual method

Procedures:

Mimicry, memorization,
repetition
Mainly speaking
No grammar explanations

Underlying rationale:

Language is speech, not writing; language is a set of habits; teach the language,
not about the language.

Very little vocabulary teaching

A grammatical syllabus
Emphasis on accuracy

Task-based language teaching (TBLT)

Procedures
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2012

Mainly communicative tasks

No pre-set grammatical or lexical
syllabus
Fluency rather than accuracy

Underlying rationale

Language is primarily a system of communication. A second language is learnt

similarly to a first: through using it to interact with others.

emphasis on
accuracy
emphasis on
fluency
grammatical
syllabus
communicative
activities
use of L1
oral skills
written skills

Student-centred, teacher as
facilitator
Occasional reactive focus on
form

Grammartranslation

Direct
method

Audiolingualism

()

T
B
L
T

But in fact, these represent theoretical models: rarely if ever in fact taught in
their pure forms, but useful in providing a picture of different trends and
orientations in the history of ELT.

They were very often developed as reactions against a conventionally accepted

method, which sometimes led to the throwing out the baby with the bathwater
phenomenon.

A post-method era?

1. Opposition in principle to the concept of method as a basis for English

teaching:

Pennycook: The concept of method, interested knowledge, and the politics

of language teaching (1989)

Prabhu: There is no best method (1990)

Kumaravadivelu: The post-method condition (1994); Towards a

postmethod pedagogy (2001); Understanding Language Teaching: from Method
to Postmethod (2006).

Pishghadam & Mirzaee: English language teaching in postmodern era

(2008)

2. Some evidence that method is not the critical variable in successful teaching

Clarke et al: Creating coherence: High achieving classrooms for minority

students (1996)
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2012

Communicative
Ding: Text tasks
memorization and imitation:
practices
ofon
successful
The
Reactive
focus
form
Chinese learners of English (2007)
Group and pair work
Student autonomy
And
yet
methods
are
alive
and
kicking!
Extensive reading

(Bell: Method and post-method: Are they really so incompatible? (2003)

Discouraged:
Task-based learning clearly a method continues to be promoted. Why?
Grammatical syllabus
Learning by heart
Grammar
and vocabulary
Teacher-dominated classroom
Some possible
reasons:
exercises
process
Assumption
that teachers need to be told how to teach
Use of L1
Political / power issues: maintaining
the dominance of universities and ministries
Discussion

Assumption
must
grow out ofinstruction
theory
How far doesthat
thispractice
overview
of task-based
correspond with:
Ideology
and political
correctness
a) The general
direction
of methodology courses in teacher training programs in
this
country?
A clear basis for teacher-training programs
b) Actual practice, as demonstrated by teachers observed in classrooms in this
2. THE PRESENT
country?
Objections
task-basedorthodoxy
instruction (Carless, 2009: 66). It is
TBLT is the dominant method:
An to
emerging
promoted
in teacher-preparation
courses,
the Littlewood,
literature 2007).
It
doesnt work
so well in the Asian
contextconferences,
(Carless, 2007;

Ellis: Task-based
Language
Learningminimal
and Teaching
(2003)
Interactive
communicative
tasks produce
language
(Seedhouse, 1999)

Leaver
Willis: Task-Based
Instruction
In Foreign
Language Education:
Opposition
on&practical
and theoretical
grounds
(Swan, 2005)
Practices and Programs (2004)
Most teachers, if asked, say they teach an eclectic method (Bell, 2007)

Nunan: Task-based Language Teaching (2004)

Response of the theorists: a weak task-based teaching model

Robinson: Task-based language learning: A review of issues (2011)

Ellis (2009): it is argued that task-based teaching need not be seen as an

Skehan: Task-based instruction (2003)

alternative to more traditional, form-focused approaches but can be used
alongside them (p.221)
Some characteristics:
But
then task-based procedures become only one component. Is it still a taskEncouraged
based approach? If not, what is it?

So whats going on?

Recent writing on methodology, conferences: sometimes a strong task-based

approach, sometimes a compromise. Teacher courses, national syllabuses are
largely TBLT-oriented. But teachers in the field are largely eclectic (tending
towards the traditional presentation-practice-production). Coursebook writers
and publishers have a dilemma: do they follow authoritative guidelines and
make their materials essentially TBLT-based; or do they do what the teachers
want, and sell their books? Bottom line: confusion.

SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

A personal view

I suggest a language pedagogy that is principled and localized,

determined by the teacher(s), informed by reflection on experience and
other professional knowledge sources
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2012

A pedagogy

Not a method because:

1. An unlimited number of possible classroom procedures

2. Not limited to one correct view of what language is and how language is
learnt.

3. Takes into account pedagogical aspects that methods tend to ignore:

student motivation, classroom management, large and/or heterogeneous
classes, classroom climate, lesson planning, homework

Principled

The main principle is the optimalization of learning: the teacher will choose
those procedures that in his/her view lead to the best learning by students.

Other principles: educational values; the creation of a positive classroom

climate and student motivation; the maintenance of caring relationships

Localized

Many decisions on principles and procedures will be based on local

considerations: the local student population; the teachers own personality and
preferences; the goals of the course; the local culture; upcoming exams

Determined by the teacher(s)

The teacher, or group of teachers in a school, decide on their pedagogy and

choose material, based on the teachers sense of plausibility (Prabhu, 1990)

Informed by reflection on experience and other professional knowledge

sources

The primary source of the teachers sense of plausibility is reflection on

experience. Other professional knowledge sources include: sharing with
colleagues; feedback from students; the professional literature (research,
theory, teachers websites and blogs, books on language pedagogy, practical
handbooks); courses, conferences

Anything goes?

Potentially any teaching procedure may be part of an individual teachers

pedagogy, provided

he/she can justify it, based on the principles and considerations listed
previously.

The functions of the teacher trainer

Not to tell the teacher to use a specific method, but rather to provide

1. Evidence-based information about how learning and teaching languages

2. A range of practical teaching ideas

3. Opportunities to reflect and discuss

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4. Personal recommendations

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2012

Examples from my own pedagogy

My own teaching includes the following:

Communicative discussion tasks

Samples: How many (non-obvious) things can you find in common with your
partner, that you didnt know before?

Design a profile of the kind of teacher you would like to teach your child English.
Divide the characteristics into necessary, desirable, unnecessary.

Because: these activities help students learn to be fluent speakers, give them
opportunities to practise language they know, are interesting and fun, help to
strengthen group relationships

Grammar exercises

Sample: Practise the modals: insert the appropriate forms.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Im sorry, but I must leave early (have to).

When I was young, I played with dolls (used to).
We should try to stay calm (ought to).
Teachers must prepare lessons. (have to).
Teenagers should be in bed by 11 oclock (be supposed to).
After he left, we could speak more easily (be able to).

OR

Practise the modals: insert the appropriate forms.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Im sorry, but I must (have to).

When I was young, I (used to).
We should (ought to).
Teachers must (have to).
Teenagers should (be supposed to).
After he left, we could (be able to).

Because: grammar exercises improve grammatical accuracy, give

opportunities to use the grammar in different mini-contexts (the more
meaningful and interesting the better).

L1 for presenting new items to a class

Sample: How would you you translate these items? Or would you present them
through pictures? Other ways?

a man

a computer

very

go

only

young

a thing

think

big

an apple

Because: this is the easiest, quickest and often most accurate as a way in to
vocabulary meanings; it reflects students intuitive strategies; it saves time for
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use of the item in English contexts; it acknowledges and respects the students
L1; there is research support for use of L1 in vocabulary teaching (Laufer, 2008)

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Game-like procedures

Procedures that are games, but lead to learning

Samples: Quick Bingo (vocabulary); Guessing games (question forms);

Brainstorms with a time-limit (oral fluency)

Because: game-like activities are fun and motivating, increase attention and
participation, contribute to a positive classroom climate; prevent discipline
problems; encourage playful use of language (Bell, 2012)

TO SUMMARIZE

We can and should learn from the various methods, from professional and
research literature, from colleagues and students, from conferences

But the bottom line is:

It is the teachers own decision how to teach, based primarily on the

answer to the question: What will get my students to learn En glish
well?

P.S. Isnt this what is happening anyway?

To some extent. But in many situations there is an underlying uneasiness due to

dissonance between the official method and the reality of the classroom.

This dissonance should be faced and solved by releasing teachers from the
pressure to use TBLT and sanctioning their right to teach the way they believe is
best for their students learning.

References and further reading

Bell, D. M. (2007). Do teachers think that methods are dead? ELT Journal, 61(2),
135-143.

Bell, D. M. (2003). Method and postmethod: Are they really so incompatible?

TESOL Quarterly, 37(2), 32536

Bell, N. (2012). Comparing playful and nonplayful incidental attention to form.

Language Learning, 62(1), 236-265.

Carless D.. (2009). Revisiting the TBLT versus P-P-P debate: Voices from Hong
Kong. Asian Journal of English Language Teaching, 19, 4966

Clarke, M. A., Davis, A., Rhodes, L. K., & Baker, E.. (1996). Creating coherence:
High achieving classrooms for minority students [Final report of research
conducted under U.S. Department of Education, OERI. Achieving Classrooms for
Minority Students (HACMS), Field Initiated Studies Program]. Denver, Colorado:
University of Colorado at Denver.

Ding, Y. (2007). Text memorization and imitation: The practices of successful

Chinese learners of English. System, 35(2), 271-280.
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2012

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford: Oxford

University Press.

Ellis, R. (2009). Task-based language teaching: sorting out the

misunderstandings. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 19 (3), 221246222121246221246.

Kumaradavadivelu, B. (2001).
Quarterly, 35(4), 537-560.

Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). Understanding language teaching: from method to

postmethod. New York: Routledge.

Kumaravadivelu, B.1994. The postmethod condition: (E)merging strategies for

second/foreign language teaching. TESOL Quarterl,y 28 (1), 2747.

Laufer, B., & Girsai, N.. (2008). Form-focused instruction in second language
vocabulary learning: A case for contrastive analysis and translation. Applied
Linguistics, 27(4), 694-716.

Leaver, B. L., & Willis, J. R. (2004). Task-Based Instruction In Foreign Language

Education: Practices and Programs. Washington, D. C.: Georgetown University
Press.

Littlewood, W. (2007). Communicative and task-based language teaching in East

Asian classrooms. Language Teaching, 40, 243-249.

Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

Pennycook, A. (1989). The concept of method, interested knowledge, and the

politics of language teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 23 (4), 589-618. (Quote: There
are three important aspects to this: First, there is little agreement as to which
methods existed when, and in what order; second, there is little agreement
and conceptual coherence to the terms used; and third, there is little evidence
that methods ever reflected classroom reality.)

Pishghadam, R.. & Mirzaee, A. (2008). English Language Teaching in Postmodern

Era. Journal of Teaching English Language and Literature Society of Iran, 2 (7),
89-109.

Prabhu N. S.. 1990. There is no best method - why? TESOL Quarterly, 24 (2),
161-76.

Robinson, P. (2011). Task-Based Language Learning: A Review of Issues.

Language Learning, 61 (Issue supplement s1), 1-36.

Skehan, P. (2003). Task-based instruction. Language Teaching, 36, 1-14.

Sowden, C. (2007). Culture and the good teacher in the English language
classroom. ELT Journal, 61 (4), 304-310.

Walters, J., & Bozkurt, N. (2009). The effect of keeping vocabulary notebooks on
vocabulary acquisition . Language Teaching Research, 13(4), 403-423.

Towards a postmethod pedagogy. TESOL

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2012