Page 42 - Beyond Methods

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Understanding postmethod pedagogy
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teachers who claim to follow different methods often use same classroom procedures, and
over time, teachers develop and follow a carefully delineated task- hierarchy, a weighted sequence of activities not necessarily asso- ciated with any established method.
In short, confronted with “the complexity of language, learning, and language learners every day of their working lives in a more di- rect fashion than any theorist does,” teachers have developed the conviction that “no single perspective on language, no single expla- nation for learning, and no unitary view of the contributions of lan- guage learners will account for what they must grapple with on a daily basis” (Larsen-Freeman, 1990, p. 269).
Justifiable dissatisfaction with established methods inevitably and increasingly led practicing teachers to rely on their intuitive ability and experiential knowledge. As Henry Widdowson (1990, p. 50) observes: “It is quite common to hear teachers say that they do not subscribe to any particular approach or method in their teaching but are ‘eclectic’. They thereby avoid commitment to any current fad that comes up on the whirligig of fashion.” He further asserts that “if by eclecticism is meant the random and expedient use of whatever technique comes most readily to hand, then it has no merit whatever” (p. 50).
While there have been frequent calls for teachers to develop in- formed or enlightened eclecticism based on their own understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of established methods, teacher ed- ucation programs seldom make any sustained and systematic effort to develop in prospective teachers the knowledge and skill necessary to be responsibly eclectic. Nor do any of the widely prescribed text- books for methods courses, to my knowledge, have a chapter titled “Eclectic Method.”
Reflective task 2.3
Continuing your thoughts on the previous reflective task, consider whether your teachers (when you learned your L2) or you (if you have recently taught an L2) have followed what might be called an eclectic method. If yes, what actually made the method “eclectic”? And, what are the difficulties in de- veloping an eclectic method?