This document discusses the concept of "post-method" in language teaching. It provides definitions of post-method as rejecting rigidly prescribed teaching methods in favor of a more adaptive, learner-centered approach focused on critical reflection. The document also summarizes the limitations of prior language teaching "methods" and emphasizes historical teachings from Comenius in the 17th century that are similar to modern communicative language teachings. It concludes there is a need to move beyond rigidly predefined teaching "methods" and return to a focus on adaptive classroom pedagogy.

1. Post-Methods: Towards
Pedagogy in the new era
Alan Ramírez

2. First…

3. What method is this???
seven principles to improve student
motivation: (a) The teacher should be
lively and interesting, (b) presentations
should be brief, (c) examples should be
concrete, (d) students should always be
active, (e) activities must be useful and
relevant, (f) there should be variety in
every class, and (g) games should be
used.

4. Definition(s) of
Methodology…again
“…various individual techniques for teaching
of the basic skill areas of reading, writing,
listening, and speaking.” (Cohen, 1990).
“…universal technique for teaching of any
linguistic material in any skill area – e.g.
Presentation, Practice, Production (PPP)”
(Rivers, 1968).
“…comprises learning to put into practice
certain general principles of good language
teaching derived from research or
observation (Brown, 1994ª)

5. Definition(s) of method (the
one I liked)
Second of three hierarchical elements:
APPROACH, “METHOD” AND TECHNIQUE
“Overall plan for systematic presentation of
language based on a selected approach”
(approach is “a set of assumptions dealing
with the nature of language, learning and
teaching”). (Brown).
Richards & Rodgers disagree with that
definition (and hierarchy).

6. Define “post-
method”…(please!!!)
 “The shift of attention and orientation from
positivistic views of language towards a process-
oriented constructivist views in which learning is
viewed as an active process where learners reflect
upon their current and past knowledge and
experiences to generate new ideas and concepts”
(Fat’hi, 2011).
 “…a reaction against the perceived failures of
language pedagogies, and…a late embrace of
trends in the humanities and social sciences… a
number of ESL scholars began to turn to critical
pedagogies and to speak of a “post-methods” era”
(Richter, 2014).

7. Define “post-
method”…(please!!!)
“Critical Pedagogies reject traditional
concepts of teaching, which view the
instructor’s task as the application of theory
to practice, in favor of a perspective in which
teaching is the theorization of practice…”
(Richter, 2014).
“From a critical pedagogy perspective, the
goal of second language teacher education
should be to promote critical awareness,
critical self-reflection, and critical
pedagogical relations” (Richter, 2014).

8. Stern
“There is a "fundamental weakness" in the concept of
Method.”
"One of the most extraordinary and in some ways
totally unexpected phenomena in the recent history of
language teaching has been the 'method boom' of the
seventies.“
"the prolonged preoccupation with the new methods,
useful as it has been to widen our horizon, is becoming
increasingly unproductive and misguided.”

9. Not the newest idea?...
“Substitution tables, realia, language
games, dialogues, and many other parts of
the modern scene have been around for
centuries. Kelly (1969) concludes that the
"total corpus of ideas accessible to
language teachers has not changed
basically in 2,000 years” (Pennycook,
2007).

10. The case of Comenius
“As he wrote in 1651” …(Comenius)…, "In
our school we follow the rule that
everything (one) needs to know about
things should be taught with the help of
the things themselves, that is to say that
as far as possible, the real objects or
pictures of them should be presented so
that they can be seen, touched, heard,
tasted, etc." (Caravolas, 1984, p. 88)
"you learn by doing“ (Caravolas citing
Comenius from 1651).

11. The case of Comenius
“Classrooms, he suggests” …(Comenius)…,
“should be "workshops full of ardent
activity" (p. 94). He outlines seven
principles to improve student motivation:
(a) The teacher should be lively and
interesting, (b) presentations should be
brief, (c) examples should be concrete, (d)
students should always be active, (e)
activities must be useful and relevant, (f)
there should be variety in every class, and
(g) games should be used.” (Pennycook,
2007).

12. A Glance to the Past
Focusing on Methods rather than “local”
Pedagogy (Rodgers, Brown,
Kumaravadivelu, Coleman)
“Designer Methods” (Richards & Rodgers,
Larsen-Freeman, Richard-Amato, Brown)
Looking for an undisputable way (Method
or approach) of teaching …(is there any?).

13. “Designer Methods” (which are
they?)
Silent Way
Counseling Learning
Natural Approach
Total Physical Response (TPR)
Suggestopedia

14. Approach Method
An approach is a set of beliefs and
principles that can be used as the
basis for teaching a language.
A method refers to a specific
instructional design or system based
on a particular theory of language and
of language learning. It contains
detailed specifications of content, roles
of teachers and learners, and teaching
procedures and techniques.
CLT Audiolingualism
CBLT Counseling Learning
CBI Situational LT
Cooperative Learning The Silent Way
Lexical Approaches Suggestopedia
Multiple Intelligences TPR
The Neuronal Approach
Neurolinguistic Programming
TBLT
Whole Language

15. Approach Method
Some approaches have in common
a set of theories and beliefs about
the nature of the language, of
language of learning, and a set of
principles for teaching a language.
Methods solve the problem of
novice teachers because many of
the basic decisions about what and
how to teach have already been
made for them.
They allow a variety of
interpretations of how the
principles can be applied.
They are learned through training.
Approaches tend to have a long
shelf life.
Methods tend to have a relatively
short shelf life.
They can be revised and updated
over time.
It is relatively fixed in time and
there is generically little scope for
individual interpretation.
Approaches tend to allow for
varying interpretations in practice.
Method prescribe for teachers
what and how to teach.

16. Political, social and cultural
factors
“Second Language Education (SLE) is
involved in a complex nexus of social,
cultural, economic, and political
relationships that involve students,
teachers, and theorists in differential
positions of power”
“First, that all education is political, and
second, that all knowledge is "interested."
(Pennycook, 2007).

17. Political, social and cultural
factors
 To regard the power of deciding what to teach to
school and to defend the free-market economy?
The economy affects approaches and methods
(Pennycook, citing Giroux, 1988).
 “Cummins suggests that many academics are
involved in a disinformation campaign that helps
to maintain the "covert racism and psychological
violence to which dominated minority students are
still subjected (1989, pp. 127-128) and to
preserve the political status quo that is being
threatened by the changing demographics with
the increasing numbers of Spanish-speaking
people in the U.S.” (Pennycook, 2007).

18. Contradictions
Does the philosophy of this era goes only
against “methods”? What about
“approaches”?
Check on the “twelve principles” suggested
by Brown for a reliable approach

19. Twelve Principles
1. Automaticity
2. Meaningful Learning
3. The anticipation of reward
4. Intrinsic motivation
5. Strategic investment
6. Language ego
7. Self-confidence
8. Risk taking
9. The language-culture connection
10. The native language effect
11. Interlanguage
12. Communicative competence

20. If you ask me to sum it up…
APPROACH METHOD-DESIGN PROCEDURE
Language Learning
Theory
*Methodology don’t
work
*Go back to basics
Why was it created?
*Disagreement with
dogmatic language
instruction
Technique & Practice
*the one that fits the
best to the classroom
Basic Principles
*Return to pedagogy
*Personal research
Main Objectives
*to propone a
pedagogical teaching
Start/End dates
*1990(?) - ?
Advantages
*Well…I am not sure!
Learner Roles
*To be aware of
his/her own learning
process
Author/Founder
*Stern, H.D. Brown,
Kumaravadivelu,
Alastair Pennycook.
Disadvantages
*Came up to scene to
late
Teacher Roles
*To be creative and to
adapt to his own
environment
Role of materials
*Develop self-learning