ENGLISH LANGUAGE

TEACHING IN THE POST-

METHODS ERA
H. Douglas Brown
 Hello everyone!
Agenda
Objectives
Warm Up
Introduction
Presentation
Practice
Reflection
Homework
 Objectives:
At the end of the lesson SWAT:

Describe main ideas of the topic in

their own words.
Compose their own concepts.

WARM-UP
Guess it!
 MODTHE METHOD

TIMOVAONTI
H
MOTIVATION
CIPRINSPLE PRINCIPLES

MEAFULNING
H
MEANINGFUL
INTRODUCTION
According to myself...
 Assign a concept to the next words:

Method
Technician teacher
Interested knowledge
ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN
THE POST-METHODS
ERA
 1.1 What is method?
Edward Anothony (1663)

Set of assumptions dealing with the nature

Approach
of language, learning and teaching

Overall plan for systemic presentation of

Method
language based on a selected approach

Technique Specific classroom activities consisting with a

method, and therefore in harmony with an
approach as well
 1.2 Research for the best method
to teach a foreign language

1880 > Francois Gouin´s publication of "The Art of Teaching and

Learning", where his Series Method was defended/advocated.

> Direct Method of Charles Berlitz

1940 > The Audio-Lingual Method

1960 > Cognitive - Code Method

 1.2 Research for the best method
to teach a foreign language

1989 > Community Language Learning, The Silent Way,

Suggestopedia, Total Physical Response, etc. These were
called "designer" methods, and were proposed by David
Nunnan
1.3 Why methods
are not taken as
milestone or
boundary in
teaching?
 Why methods are not taken as
milestone or boundary in teaching?

1. Methods assume too much about context before

the context has been even identified.

2. Methods were indistinguishable at the ending

stages/steps.

 Why methods are not taken as

milestone or boundary in teaching?
3. It was one thought that method could be empirically
tested to determine which one was "the best". Language
pedagogy cannot ever be clearly verified by empirical
validation.

4. Methods are leanding with "interested knowledge".

They become vehicles of a "linguistic imperialism"

"It has been realised that there never was and

probably never will be a method for all"

-David Nunan
1.4 Principled Approach
"The interaction between one´s approach and
classroom practice is the key to dynamic teaching"

Teachers become "technicians" in the classroom, to diagnose

the needs of students, to treat students with succesful
pedagogical teachniques, and assess the outcome of those
treatments.
1.4 Principled Approach

According to H. Douglas Brown...

Nowadays, approaches to language teaching are

"principled"

There are 12 principles, that are relatively widely accepted

theorical assumptions/suppositions about second language
acquisition:
1.4 Principled Approach

1. Automaticity:
Apply few language forms, no overanalyze them

2. Meaningful Learning:
It leads towards better long-term retention.
1.4 Principled Approach

3. The anticipation of reward:

One of the teacher´s task is to create opportunities for
those rewards, they can keep classroom interesting, if
not exciting.
4. Intrinsic motivation:
(from the student) When beahvoir stems from needs,
wants, or desires withing oneself, the behavoir itself has
the potential to be self-rewarding. In such context
administer rewards are unnecesary.
1.4 Principled Approach

5. Strategic investment:
Successful mastering language, will be the result of a
learner´s own personal "investment" of time, effort and
attention to the second language.
6. Language EGO:
A new language develop a new mode of thinking,
feeling, and acting - a second identity, or a new
language EGO
1.4 Principled Approach

7. Self - confidence:
The eventual succes that learners attain in a task. A
factor of their belief that they are fully capable of
accomplishing the task.
8. Risk Taking:
Succesful language learners see themselves
vulnerable but capable/able of accomplishing tasks.
They produce and interprete language that is a bit
beyong their absolute certainty.
1.4 Principled Approach

9 Language culture:
Whenever you teach a language, you also teach a
complex system of cultural customs, values, and ways of
thinking, feeling, and acting

10. The native language effect:

Student´s L1 has its own effects on facilitatign and
interfering on the production and comprehension of
the new language.
1.4 Principled Approach

11.Interlanguage:
Successful interlanguage development is partially a factor of
utilizing feedback from others. Teachers in language classrooms
can provide such feedback, but more important, can help
learners to generate their own feedback outside of the language
classroom.
12. Communicative competence:
It is the goal of a language classroom. Communicative goals are
best achieved by giving due attention to language use and not
just fluency and accuracy, to authentic language and contexts.
PRACTICE
Reviewing the topic
REFLECTION
Overview
 1.1 What is method?
Edward Anothony (1663)

Set of assumptions dealing with the nature

Approach
of language, learning and teaching

Overall plan for systemic presentation of

Method
language based on a selected approach

Technique Specific classroom activities consisting with a

method, and therefore in harmony with an
approach as well
 Why methods are not taken as
milestone or boundary in teaching?

1. Methods assume too much about context

before the context has been even identified.

2. Methods were indistinguishable at the ending

stages/steps.

 Why methods are not taken as

milestone or boundary in teaching?
3. It was one thought that method could be empirically
tested to determine which one was "the best". Language
pedagogy cannot ever be clearly verified by empirical
validation.

4. Methods are leanding with "interested knowledge".

They become vehicles of a "linguistic imperialism"

1.4 Principled Approach

"The interaction between one´s approach and
classroom practice is the key to dynamic teaching"

Teachers become "technitians" in the classroom, to

diagnose the needs of students, to treat students with
succesful pedagogical teachniques, and assess the outcome of
those treatments.
1.4 Principled Approach

According to H. Douglas Brown...

Nowadays, approaches to language teaching are
"principled"
There are 12 principles he listed as accepted by Second
Language Acquisition:

1.Automaticity
2. Meaningful learning
3. The anticipation of reward
1.4 Principled Approach
According to H. Douglas Brown...
4. Intrinsic motivation
5. Strategic investment
6. Language EGO
7. Self-Confidence
8.Risk Taking
9.Language culture connection
10. The language effect
11.Interlanguage
12.Communicative competence
 HOMEWORK:
Answer on facebook as a comment the questions below
based on "The ELT in the Post-Method Era"

Which are stages of diagnosis? Explain each of them

Why should a teacher have principles to make choices?
Choose 5 principles and mention activities that may be
appropriate to perform in the classroom.
Types of evaluations that provide a variety of assessment in
the Language-Testing field.

THANKS FOR
LISTENING!