THE POSTMETHOD ERA
A.
THE
DYSFUNCTION OF THE THEORY – PRACTICE DICHOTOMY
Recent work in
the language teaching profession shows a marked depature from the artificial
dichotomy of theory and practice. In this newer mode of viewing the profession,
teachers are researchers and are charged with the responsibility of reflecting
on their own practice. dysfunction” of theory and practice relationship (Marked
Clark 1994) and others offers strong argumentation against of the theory-
practice relationship .
(Hedgcock,
2002,p.308). Not only does such an understanding promote the notion of “a
privileged class of theorist and an underprivileged class of practitioners and
teachers. Furthermore, teachers are researcher and are charge with
responsibility of reflecting on their own practice.
B.
AN
ENLIGTENED ,ELECTIC APPROACH
The enlightened, eclectic approach incorporates a number of basic
principles of learning and teaching, inspired by the interconnection of reading
and observation, discussion and teaching. It is a dynamic composition of
perception and experience, where approach and classroom practice is in constant
interaction. Feedback on innovation yields new insight and more creative
possibilities which run in a cycle. When the eclectic approach is at work,
designing of a lesson depends upon the selection of focus. The approach chosen
is also guided by factors like the teacher’s experience as a learner, a
teacher, observer, reader, and specialized orientation in the same field, if
any. Approaches are necessarily controlled by varying contexts and are subject
to interpretation.
There are three reasons for
variation at the approach level :
a. An
approach is by definition dynamic and therefore subject to alterations and
modification as a result of one’s observation and experience.
b. Research
in second languange acquisition and pedagogy almost always fields findings that
are not conclusive but are subject to interpretation and
c. We
are constantly making new discoveries about languange learning and teaching as
our profesional stockpile of knowledge and experience builds
C. COMMUNICATIVE
LANGUAGE TEACHING
Communicative language teaching (CLT), or the
communicative approach, is an approach to language teaching that emphasizes
interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of study.
Language learners in environments utilizing CLT
techniques, learn and practice the target language through the interaction with
one another and the instructor, the study of "authentic texts" (those
written in the target language for purposes other than language learning), and
through the use of the language both in class and outside of class.
Learners converse about personal experiences with
partners, and instructors teach topics outside of the realm of traditional
grammar, in order to promote language skills in all types of situations. This
method also claims to encourage learners to incorporate their personal
experiences into their language learning environment, and to focus on the
learning experience in addition to the learning of the target language.
According to CLT, the goal of language education
is the ability to communicate in the target language. This is in contrast to
previous views in which grammatical competence was commonly given top priority.
CLT also focuses on the teacher being a facilitator, rather than an instructor.
Furthermore, the approach is a non-methodical system that does not use a
textbook series to teach the target language, but rather works on developing
sound oral/verbal skills prior to reading and writing.
The CLT can be defined as a unified yet broadly
based, theoretically well informed set of doctrines about the nature of
language and of language learning and teaching. CLT highlights the social,
cultural and pragmatic features of languages. In Communicative Language
Teachingthe grammatical, functional, socio-linguistic, and strategic discourse
components are at their best possible interplay. The techniques are utilitarian
and driven towards fulfillment of individual purposes. Fluency and accuracy are
complementary principles that alternatively acquire a high degree of
importance. Productive and contextualized communication is necessarily the goal
and the students need to work towards this goal through the development of
appropriate strategies for autonomous learning. The teacher here is the
facilitator who is supposed to facilitate authentic linguistic interaction and
encourage meaningful construction of language. The functional aspects like
fluency and spontaneity displace overt presentation and discussion of
grammatical rules and concentrate on the learner’s initiative, in CLT.Characteristics
of a CLT approach
1.
Overal goals.CLT suggests a focus on all the
components (grammatical, discourse, functional, sociolinguistic, and stategic)
of communicative competence . goals therefore must interwine the organization
(grammatical,discourse,) aspects of language with the pragmartic
(functional,sociolinguistic,strategis) aspects.
2. Relationship of form
and function. Language techniques are designed to engage learnes in the
pragmatic,authentic,functional use of language for meaningful purpose.
3. Fluency and accuracy
.A focus on student “flow” of comprehension and production and a focus on the
formal accucary of production are seen as complementary principles underlying
communicative techniques.
4. Focus on real-world
contexts .student in a communicative class ultimately have to use the
language,productively and receptively,in unrehearsed context outside the
classroom.classroom tasks must therefore equip students with the skills
necessary for communication in those contexts.
5. Autonomy,and strategic
involvement .student are given opportunities to focus on their own learning
process through raising their awareness of their own styles of learning
(strengths,weaknesess,prefences)and through the development of appropiate
strategis for production and comptrehension.such awareness and action will help
to develop autonomous learners capable of continuing to learn the language
beyond the classroom and the course.
6. Teachers roles . The
role of the teacher is that of facilitator and guide ,not an all-knowing font
of knowledge. The teacher is an emphetic “coach” vaines the students linguistic
development.
7. Student roles .student
in a CLT class are active participants in their own learning process.
Learner-centered,cooperative,collaborative learning is emphasized but not at
the expense appropriate teacher-centered activity.
D.
Task-Based
Language Teaching
Task-based
language teaching (TBLT) is a broadly defined approach to language teaching
research and practice which uses task as a unit of analysis for research and
practice in communicative language teaching. It has been situated within
experiential ‘learning by doing’ educational philosophy espoused by Dewey and
others (Long, 2015; Samuda & Bygate, 2008). As such, TBLT can be seen as an
extension of a so-called ‘strong’ version of CLT where communication is seen as
the major driving force in language learning (Howatt, 1984). In contrast to
such a holistic and experiential approach, a weak version of CLT is often
supported by some kind of functional and/or formal syllabus, where
communicative (production) tasks follow the presentation and practice of forms
(Ellis, 2003). Ellis makes a similar distinction between task-based and
task-supported language teaching (TSLT), in that TBLT uses task as the only
unit of analysis for syllabus design, while TSLT uses task plus another unit,
such as linguistic forms, functions, skills, lexis or concepts. TBLT represents
a development from CLT in its principled and systematic incorporation of a
focus on formal properties of the language, on one hand, and a return to CLT’s
conceptual foundations in its ability to bring together content, methodology
and experience, on the other (Samuda & Bygate, 2008 ).
There
are three main approaches to TBLT, which are Long’s (1985), Skehan’s (1998),
and Ellis’s (2003). approaches have in common is that they all stress the
characteristic of tasks in establishing contexts for natural language use and
that they focus on form.
Caracteristics
of TBLT :
·
Tasks ultimetly point learners beyond the forms of language
alone to real-world contexts.
·
Tasks specificly contribute to communicative goals.
·
Their elements are carefully desaigned and not simply
haphazardly or idiosyncratically thrown together.
·
Their objectives are well specific so that you can at some
later point accurately determain the succes of one task over another.
·
Tasks engage learners, at some level, in genuine
problem-solfing activity.
E. Learner-Centered Instruction
This
term applies to curricula as well as to specific techniques. It can be
contrasted with teacher-centered instruction, and has received recent
interpretation. Learner-centeredincludes :
·
Techniques that focus on or account for leaners needs,
styles, and goals.
·
Techniques that gives
some control to the students (group work or strategy training, for example)
·
Curricula that include the consultation and input of
students and that do not presuppose objectives in advanced.
·
Techniques that allow for student creativity and innovation.
·
Techniques that enhance a student’s sense of competence and
self-worth.
Because language teaching is a domain that so often
presupposes classrooms where students have very little language prifiency with
which to negotiate with the teacher, some teachers shy away from the notion of
giving learners the “power” associated with a learner-centered approach. Such
restraint is not necessary because, even in beginning level classes, teachers
can offer students certain choices. All of this efforts help to give students a
sense of “ownership” of their learning and thereby add to their instrinsic
motivation.
F. Cooperative Learning
Cooperative
learning is sometimes thought to be synonymous with collaborative
learning. To be sure, in a cooperative clasroom the student and theachers
work together to purpurea goals and objectives. But cooperative learning
" Ia more structured, more prescriptive to teachers about Classroom techiques,
more Directive to students about how to work together in groups [ than f.
collaborative learning ] "( oxford, 1997,p 443).In cooperative learning
models, a group learning activity is de pendent on the socially structured
exchange of information between learners. In collaborative learning, the
learning Enggeh" With more Copable others ( teachers, advanced peers,
etc) Who provide Assistance anda quldence" (Oxford, 1997,p
444).Collaborative learning midels have been Deve loped within social an
constructivist ( see chapter 1 of p LLT) schools of thought to promote
communities of learners that cut across the usual hierarchies of student and
teachers.
G.
Interactive Learning
interactive
teaching method is a form of learning and communicative activity in which
students are involved in the learning process and reflect on what they know and
what they are thinking. thus, the communicative purpose of, language compels us to
create opportunities for genuine interaction in the Classroom. An Interactive
couse or technique will provide for such negotiation Interactive classes will
most likely be found.
H.
Whole Language Education
A
term that once swept through our profession and is still in common use is whole
language education. Unfortunately, the term has been so widely and divergently
interpreted that it unfortunately lost the impact that it once had (see Rigg,
1991, for an excellent review of whole language education).
Whole
language is a label that has been used to describe:
·
Cooperative learning
·
Participatory learning
·
Student-centered
learning
·
Focus on the
community of learners focus on the social nature of language
·
Use of authentic,
natural language
·
Meaning-centered
language
·
Holistic assessment
techniques in testing
·
Intergration of the
four skill
I.
Content
– Based Instruction
Content-Based
Instruction is an approach in which the teaching is organized around the
content. Likewise, the principles of Content-Based Instruction are heavily
rooted on the principles of communicative language teaching since they involve
an active participation of students in the exchange of content.
J.
Other Candidates For CLT Approach
Richards
and Rodgers (2001) included Multiple Intelligences, Neurolinguistic
Programming, the Lexical Approach, and Competency-based Teaching among their
approaches and methods. Larsen-Freeman (2000) described the Participatory
Approach, Learning Strategy Training, and Multiple Intelligences in her book on
techniques and principles. Harmer (2001) adds Humanistic Teaching and the
Lexical Approach to his list of approaches and methods.Michael Lewis (1997) is
perhaps the best-known advocate for a lexical approach to L2 teaching. His
contention is not unlike that of Krashen (1997), who maintained that one can
"do" almost anything in a language with vocabulary, and once those
lexical units are internalized, other (grammatical and discourse) elements of
language can be acquired, given a meaningful context. Lewis extends his
approach central to a language course. Thus, phrases like not so good, bow's it
going.
REFERENCES
Brown, H Douglas. 2007. Teaching By Principles
An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, Third
Edition. America :Pearson Education
Richards,
C Jack and Theodore S.Rodgers.1986.Approaches
and Methods in Languange Teaching.America:Cambridge University Press
Richards, Jack (2006). Communicative
Language Teaching Today. USA: Cambridge University Press.
pp. 14–21. ISBN 9780521925129.
Willis, J. R., & Willis,
D. (2007). Doing task-based teaching. Oxford: Oxford University
Press
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