Postmethod Approach to Language Teaching

Over the past weeks we have been studying the different types of methods in language teaching. While studying these methods I had been thinking about which method(s) would best suit my class. Of course one method alone is not enough to fulfill the requirements to successful language teaching. So then which method do we choose? And on what basis do we choose one from another?

The postmethod approach to language teaching gives the freedom to choose what's best for your classroom. Rather than keeping your teaching to one particular method, you are allowed to choose those that suit your own learners. The postmethod approach is all about empowering teachers and learners and about the context. Kumaravadivelu's (1994) strategic framework for second language teaching is an ideal one because it gives you the flexibility to choose the macrostrategies that suits your classroom. It is open to modifications, unlike the methods developed in the past. The 10 macrostrategies themselves are all about empowering teachers, learners and teaching within the context.

The postmethod approach is appealing to me because it gives choice - something that language teachers need because of the complexity of language teaching and learning. It gives teachers the "knowledge, skill, attitude, and autonomy necessary to devise for themselves a systematic, coherent, and relevant alternative to method" (Kumaravadivelu, 1994).

reference:

Kumaravadivelu, B. (1994). The postmethod condition: (E)merging strategies for second/foreign language teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 28 (1), 27-48.