Page 39 - Beyond Methods

Understanding postmethod pedagogy 27
preoccupation with meaning-making will ultimately lead to gram- matical as well as communicative mastery of the language and that learners can learn through the process of communication. In this approach, unlike the other two, language development is consid- ered more incidental than intentional.
According to learning-centered methods, language development is a nonlinear process, and therefore, does not require preselected, presequenced systematic language input but requires the creation of conditions in which learners can engage in meaningful activities in class. Proponents of learning-centered methods believe that lan- guage is best learned when the learner’s attention is focused on understanding, saying and doing something with language, and not when their attention is focused explicitly on linguistic features. They also hold the view that linguistic systems are too complex to be neatly analyzed, explicitly explained, and sequentially presented to the learner.
In seeking to redress what they consider to be a fundamental flaw that characterizes previous methods, proponents of learning- centered methods attempt to draw insights from the findings of re- search in second language acquisition. They claim that these insights can inform the theory and practice of language teaching methods. As a result, the changes they advocate relate to all aspects of learn- ing and teaching operations: syllabus design, materials production, classroom teaching, outcomes assessment, and teacher education.
Reflective task 2.2
Recall the method of teaching followed by your teacher when you learned an L2 in a formal, classroom context. Was it language-centered, learner- centered, learning-centered, or a combination? Alternatively, if you have been recently teaching an L2, think about how your classroom practices do or do not fit in with these categories of methods.
It is worthwhile to remember that language-, learner-, and learn- ing-centered methods, in their prototypical version, consist of a specified set of theoretical principles and a specified set of classroom procedures. Theoretical principles are insights derived from lin- guistics, second language acquisition, cognitive psychology, infor- mation sciences, and other allied disciplines that provide theoreti-