Teachers’ Perceptions of the Post-method Feasibility

Abstract

The Second Language Teaching profession, seemingly, is an ongoing development. New theories, terminologies, and concepts turn into common themes of discussion and research. Yet, a plethora of terms and labels rarely facilitate teachers in the journey of professionalism. One of these conceptual shifts, which has left teachers uncertain to follow, is " the death of the method " (Allwright, 1991) and the birth of the post-method debate (Kumaravadivelu, 2006). With this thought in the researcher's mind the current qualitative exploratory study is concerned with English teachers' perceptions of these conceptual shifts. The aim of this study was two-fold: first, to reviews the theories of methods and post-method in second language literature; second, to explore teachers' perceptions of opportunities and barriers of the post-method. Research data collected through in-depth interviewing revealed the conflict between teachers' expectations and realities of classrooms for implementing the post-method. The study heightens teacher educators' awareness of the possible barriers of the post-method. It also provides them with some practical solutions to overcome those barriers. 1. Introduction At the turn of the third millennium, post-method was born in the heels of the myriad shortcomings attributed to the then-in-the-fashion L2 methods and in order for the second language acquisition to keep abreast of the pedagogical advances in terms of incorporating socio-cultural and critical considerations into the context of teaching/learning. Rooted largely in an eclectic, context-based approach, post-method goes beyond method. It facilitates teachers to find out what works and what does not work in their classroom in accordance with their own experiential knowledge. Kumaravadivelu (2001) defines post-method pedagogy as consisting of three parameters, namely particularity (context), possibility (empowerment), and practicality (making a bridge between professional theories and those of the individual teachers).