Approaches, Methods and Techniques for Young Learners

Summary

This video discusses approaches, methods, and techniques for teaching, particularly for young learners. It covers different teaching theories, such as behaviorism, multiple intelligence theory, input hypothesis, and constructivism, and their application in education. The video also explains how these approaches shape methods and techniques, giving historical context to language teaching methodologies like audio-lingualism, total physical response, and communicative language teaching. Finally, it touches on the post-method era, emphasizing the role of teachers in crafting their own methodologies based on their unique teaching contexts and students' needs.

Takeaways

• 📚 Approaches, methods, and techniques are hierarchical, starting from broad theories of learning, which influence approaches, leading to specific methods and classroom techniques.
• 🧠 Behaviorism, a teaching approach based on structured repetition, rewards, and step-by-step instruction, focuses on conditioning learners to respond correctly.
• 🔍 Multiple Intelligence Theory suggests that learners have varied strengths and should be engaged with multimodal activities, though it lacks empirical evidence.
• 🎧 The Input Hypothesis by Krashen emphasizes that learners need sufficient input before producing language, supporting a silent period for language absorption.
• 🫶 The Humanist approach respects young learners' opinions, emotions, and individuality, contrasting with behaviorism's more mechanical methods.
• 🔨 Constructivism proposes that learners construct their own understanding through challenges and support from others, drawing from figures like Piaget and Vygotsky.
• 🗣️ Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) sees language as a tool for conveying meaning, with activities such as roleplay, discussion, and problem-solving.
• 🌍 EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and ESL (English as a Second Language) contexts require different methods, with EFL often focusing on more structured instruction and ESL on natural language acquisition.
• 🌀 The post-method era emphasizes personal methodology, where teachers mix various approaches and techniques based on their students’ needs and context.
• 🔧 Principled eclecticism encourages teachers to create their own mix of methods, acting as researchers and change agents in their classrooms, adapting based on practice and context.

Q & A

What is the difference between an approach, a method, and a technique in teaching?

An approach is a general assumption about how to engage learners, based on theories of learning. A method refers to the actions taken to engage learning, based on an approach. A technique is a specific classroom strategy or action used within a method to achieve learning outcomes.

How do learning theories influence teaching approaches?

Learning theories provide ideas about how learning happens. These ideas shape teaching approaches, as different views on learning (e.g., behaviorism, constructivism) influence the development of teaching methods and techniques.

What is behaviorism in the context of language teaching for young learners?

Behaviorism, developed by Skinner, views language learning as a process of structured repetition and rewards. It involves teaching language in manageable parts and reinforcing correct responses through positive reinforcement, treating learners similarly to how animals are conditioned.

What is multiple intelligence theory, and how is it applied in language teaching?

Multiple intelligence theory suggests that learners possess different kinds of intelligence, such as visual, auditory, or logical. While it lacks empirical evidence, it is used in teaching to create varied, multimodal lessons that address different types of learners, making lessons more engaging and adaptable.

What is Krashen’s input hypothesis and how does it relate to teaching?

Krashen’s input hypothesis states that learners need comprehensible input before producing language (output). It emphasizes the 'silent period,' where learners absorb language through exposure before being expected to produce it.

How does the humanist approach differ from behaviorism in teaching?

The humanist approach focuses on respecting learners as individuals with emotions, opinions, and reasons. It emphasizes personal growth and interaction, in contrast to behaviorism, which views learners more mechanically, focusing on conditioning through repetition and rewards.

What is the constructivist approach in teaching young learners?

The constructivist approach, influenced by Piaget and Vygotsky, posits that learners actively construct their understanding of the world through experiences and interactions. It emphasizes challenging learners to build their own knowledge, supported by social interaction.

What is Total Physical Response (TPR), and why is it effective for young learners?

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a teaching method that emphasizes learning through physical movement and listening, engaging the right brain hemisphere (creativity). It's effective for young learners because it reduces stress and makes learning more dynamic and engaging.

What is the difference between weak and strong versions of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)?

The weak version of CLT provides scaffolding through language-focused exercises to support learners in communication tasks. The strong version throws learners directly into communicative activities without explicit instruction, promoting more natural language use.

What is the 'post-method era' in language teaching, and what is its main idea?

The post-method era challenges the traditional top-down approach, where methods are dictated by experts. Instead, it emphasizes that teachers should develop their own personal methodologies based on their context and learners' needs. Teachers are seen as theorists who create their own mix of methods, termed 'principled eclecticism.'

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Introduction to Approaches, Methods, and Techniques

The video introduces the concept of approaches, methods, and techniques in teaching, specifically for young learners. It gives an overview of what an approach, method, and technique are, and how they interrelate, using examples from English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL). The approach is seen as a broad idea of learning, methods are actions based on this idea, and techniques are specific strategies used in the classroom.

05:01

📚 Approaches for Young Learners: Behaviorism and Multiple Intelligence

This section discusses various approaches for young learners. It begins with behaviorism, which emphasizes repetition, rewards, and structured language teaching. Next is the Multiple Intelligence Theory, which, despite lacking empirical evidence, is valued in teaching as it offers diverse learning activities that cater to different learners' strengths. The presenter highlights the usefulness of both approaches in creating varied and engaging lessons.

10:04

🔍 More Approaches: Input Hypothesis, Humanism, and Constructivism

Further teaching approaches are introduced, starting with Krashen's Input Hypothesis, which focuses on providing learners with enough input before expecting output. The Humanist approach values learners’ emotions and opinions, while Constructivism emphasizes students building their own understanding of language and meaning. These approaches provide alternative ways of engaging young learners in meaningful ways.

15:05

🧠 Behaviorism in Depth: Audio-lingualism and Total Physical Response

This paragraph explores the origins of behaviorism in more detail, specifically its influence on language teaching methods like audio-lingualism, which focuses on repetition. It also introduces Total Physical Response (TPR), a method where learners respond physically to language, engaging both sides of the brain for more effective language learning, though the presenter clarifies that the brain hemisphere theory isn't literal.

20:06

🗣 Communicative Language Teaching and its Evolution

The focus shifts to communicative language teaching (CLT), which treats language as a tool for communication. Different versions of CLT are discussed, such as the 'strong' and 'weak' forms, which differ in how much explicit language support is provided to learners. Other methods like Task-Based Instruction (TBI) and Content-Based Instruction (CBI) are also explored in terms of their effectiveness in different teaching contexts.

25:09

🌍 EFL vs. ESL: Contextual Teaching Approaches

This section differentiates between English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) contexts. The chart presented in the video shows various methods that suit either context, such as Grammar-Translation, audio-lingualism for EFL, and immersion or content-based learning for ESL. The presenter emphasizes the importance of choosing methods based on the learners’ context and proficiency level.

🔄 The Post-Method Era and Teacher-Centered Methodology

Here, the concept of the 'post-method era' is introduced, which challenges the traditional top-down approach to teaching methods. Instead, teachers are encouraged to develop their own personal methodologies based on their classroom experience, the learners’ needs, and context-specific factors. This shift places teachers at the center of pedagogical decision-making.

💡 Personal Methodology and Principled Eclecticism

The final paragraph introduces 'personal methodology' and 'principled eclecticism,' where teachers mix and match various methods based on solid teaching principles. This approach is context-sensitive and encourages teachers to reflect on their practice, adapting methods to best fit the specific needs of their learners and educational environment. The section concludes by empowering teachers as agents of change in their classrooms.

Keywords

💡Approach

An approach in teaching is the overall concept or assumption about how to engage learners. It is rooted in theories of learning and influences methods and techniques. In the video, the approach is described as the broadest category, influencing how teaching methods are developed and applied.

💡Method

A method refers to the actions taken to engage learning, derived from a particular approach. It encompasses the steps and procedures used in teaching to achieve specific educational goals. For example, in the video, behaviorism leads to methods like repetition and reinforcement in the classroom.

💡Technique

A technique is a specific classroom strategy used to implement a method. These are the most detailed level of instructional practice, such as repetition exercises or drills. In the video, techniques are described as classroom strategies that operate within methods to engage learners at a granular level.

💡Behaviorism

Behaviorism is a learning theory that emphasizes learning through stimulus-response associations, often using repetition and reinforcement. In the context of language teaching, this is connected to methods like audio-lingualism. The video explains how behaviorism views learners as responding to stimuli, such as rewards or punishments, to condition their learning behavior.

💡Multiple Intelligence Theory

This theory suggests that learners have different types of intelligences (e.g., visual, auditory, logical) and that teaching should cater to these varied strengths. Although the theory lacks empirical evidence, the video argues that it helps teachers create more engaging and diversified lessons by addressing different learning styles.

💡Input Hypothesis

The Input Hypothesis, developed by Stephen Krashen, suggests that learners acquire language most effectively when they receive input slightly beyond their current level of competence. The video discusses this in the context of young learners needing time to absorb new language material before being expected to produce output.

💡Humanist Approach

The humanist approach focuses on treating learners as individuals with their own emotions, opinions, and experiences, which should be respected in the learning process. Unlike behaviorism, it values the learner's personal growth and emotional engagement. The video emphasizes the importance of recognizing learners' individuality and creating a respectful, supportive learning environment.

💡Constructivist Approach

This approach asserts that learners construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world through experiences and reflecting on those experiences. In language learning, it means that students actively construct their understanding of language through social interaction and personal meaning-making. The video ties this concept to educational theorists like Piaget and Vygotsky.

💡Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

CLT is an approach that emphasizes the ability to communicate meaning rather than focusing solely on grammar and vocabulary. In the video, CLT is portrayed as a method that encourages activities like role-playing, discussion, and problem-solving, which prioritize real-world communication over form-focused instruction.

💡Post-Method Era

The Post-Method Era challenges the idea that teaching methods should be handed down by experts and instead argues that teachers should create their own teaching strategies based on the needs of their students and contexts. The video describes this shift as empowering teachers to develop a 'personal methodology,' blending various methods and approaches to best fit their classroom situations.

Highlights

Overview of approaches, methods, and techniques in language teaching, explaining the hierarchy from learning theories to practical classroom strategies.

Introduction to behaviorism, emphasizing language learning through structured syllabuses, repetition, rewards, and motivation.

Multiple Intelligence Theory proposes that lessons should be multimodal to cater to different learner preferences, though it lacks empirical evidence.

Krashen's Input Hypothesis highlights the need for input before output and the importance of a 'silent period' for learners to absorb new information.

The Humanist Approach respects learners as individuals with emotions and opinions, contrasting with behaviorism's more mechanical view of learning.

Constructivist Approach, influenced by Piaget and Vygotsky, argues that learners construct their own understanding through social interaction.

Total Physical Response (TPR), developed by James Asher, focuses on language learning through listening and reducing stress in the learning process.

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) emerged from a focus on language as a tool for communication, featuring activities like role-plays and problem-solving.

EFL (English as a Foreign Language) vs. ESL (English as a Second Language): The distinction between structured instruction (EFL) and immersion-based learning (ESL).

Weak and strong versions of CLT: The weak version includes language support, while the strong version immerses learners directly in communication tasks.

Task-Based Instruction (TBI) involves basing lessons on tasks that require learners to use language practically.

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) focuses on teaching content while integrating language learning.

Post-Method Era challenges the traditional top-down methodology and emphasizes the teacher's role in adapting and mixing methods based on the teaching context.

Principled Eclecticism encourages teachers to choose methods based on solid principles, adapting to the context, learners' needs, and sociocultural factors.

Teachers are seen as the catalysts for change in the post-method era, theorizing from their own practice and creating their personal methodologies.

Transcripts

hi so in this video we're going to talk

about approaches methods and techniques

especially for young learners okay so

this video is gonna cover my arranger

different things from general approaches

to methods to specific techniques we can

talk about the history of these things a

little bit and at the end we're gonna

talk about the post method era okay so

let's have a look at what we're going to

talk about today

first what is an approach a method and a

technique so I'm gonna give it like an

overview of this and then approaches for

young learners and then a brief history

of tehsil approaches and methods and how

these fit into EFL and ESL context okay

so English is a foreign language and

English as a second language these

different contexts kind of how does it

relate to methodology we're also going

to talk about the post method era and

finish off talking about personal

methodology okay so let's get started

okay so first let's look at this

overview okay and at the top here you

can see learning theories now approaches

methods and techniques come from our

concepts and ideas about what is

learning okay so over time we've

developed different understandings of

learning and different ideas about how

learning happens have come about so

these different theories about what is

learning and what encourages learning

and how do we learn these things become

approaches to teaching okay so these are

theories about how to teach that match

the idea we have about learning okay so

this is an approach which is an

assumption about how to engage learners

okay so a different approach is

influenced by different viewpoints of

learning so approaches the overall you

can see in the kind of red large circle

approaches the overall aspect of this

and then a smaller within that you have

the orange circle this is the method so

the method is the actions that engage

learning okay so the approach is the

kind of the concept of the idea the

method is the action so the method comes

from the approach ok so different

approaches would have different methods

and then you can see in the smaller

yellow circles techniques so there can

be different methods for the same

approach that can also be different

techniques for the same method ok so one

method might have a range of techniques

techniques of classroom strategies

strategies very specific things that we

we do in the classroom so you can see

from this kind of very general overview

how these things fit together

okay theories about learning influence

approaches approaches to teaching that

becomes a method which is a series of

actions and then within a method you

might have various techniques ok let's

move on

okay so approaches for young learners

I'm gonna give a summary of some of the

important kind of ideas and concepts

that I think are relevant for teaching

young learners okay the first one is

behaviorism the behaviorist approach

this approach this idea about teaching

is that language can be structured into

a syllabus of manageable parts

repetition is good it involves rewards

and motivation and it's all about

modeled pronunciation and modeled

language ok so be a behaviorist is a

very kind of step by step way of

teaching we teach languages as parts ok

as grammar parts or as expressions

repeating practicing again and again and

then kind of building on that the next

week or the you know as a students

develop ok so we're gonna look in the

history of approaches we're gonna look a

little bit more about behaviorism ok the

next one is a multiple intelligence

theory this is actually one of my

favorites

this idea is that all learners have

different store

activity should be varied to match those

different types of learners and that

lessons should be multimodal using

different modes of communication or

media or materials okay now multiple

intelligence theory one thing that I

should say at first there is no

empirical evidence for this

okay this idea was kind of developed on

intuition so that is a weakness and I

think that in certain fields or certain

disciplines we wouldn't really discuss

multiple intelligence because there like

I said there's no actual hard data for

this okay but I think in our field which

is teaching I think that it is a very

useful idea and concept and it kind of

helps teachers to develop interesting

lessons varied activities good materials

so you know when you're developing

materials you can think about multiple

intelligences and it might give you some

ideas about how to extend or add to your

materials or activities so I do think

it's really useful I have another video

about multiple intelligences and are

probably going to make a new video about

it soon with more detail okay so it's

kind of like a learning style but not

exactly it's more it's more about the

range of skills and abilities that we

have as humans and we all have like a

range of different things some of us

improve some of us prefer visual things

some of us prefer listening to things

some of us prefer kind of logical

puzzles and things like this okay so

that's multiple intelligence theory and

we'll discuss that more in other videos

okay so the input hypothesis this is

from krashen's with five hypotheses so

learners need input before output this

is related to krashen's silent period

that learners need time for input okay

and they need silent time to absorb and

to process the new things that they're

learning okay so this is the input

hypothesis input approach okay the next

one is humanist young learners are

people and have their

own opinions reasons and emotions that

should be respected so this is kind of

the humanist approach to education not

just language teaching this is a general

approach to education okay notice is

very different from behaviorism

behaviorism kind of treats learners like

robots or animals to be to be to be you

know to be trained

okay the humanist approach is all about

kind of the full human the emotions the

experiences that we have okay the final

one is the constructivist approach

loners need to challenge and construct

their own and

and construct their own understandings

of language and meaning ok so this idea

is that learners construct their own

understanding of the world they

construct their own understanding of

language for example this is kind of

quite closely related to Piaget and

Vygotsky again I'll probably make

another video about that so they are

some of the you know the the big names

in the field in terms of young learner

education they're all about kind of

social interaction and constructing

ourselves with the support of others and

kind of making sense of the world around

us ok so these are these five approaches

have been suggested as the kind of some

of the the good approaches to keep in

mind when we're teaching young learners

ok so let's talk a little bit more

detail now this is about behaviorism

okay so Skinner was one of the the

people who developed this it's called

the father of modern behaviorism and he

introduced this idea of operant

conditioning which is basically

conditioning conditioning people or

animals to do things okay

kind of doesn't sound very nice when you

talk about it like that but the idea is

is that okay so you can see the table

below the mouse pushes the lever and

then they get a reward okay so this is

conditioning the mouse to do something

now if we take that too you may have

heard of Pavlov

dock right you ring the bell and the dog

calm so Pavlov was one of the previous

people who kind of developed these ideas

okay and you can see the the table at

the bottom here so this is in relation

to teaching children the the child has a

stimulus some kind of input some kind of

task or activity or a question they

respond and they get positive

reinforcement or negative reinforcement

okay

of course the negative reinforcement

would would stop them responding in that

way and they would try to find a

different kind of response but if they

get positive reinforcement then they

will think that that response is correct

okay so as I mentioned this kind of idea

about the way that humans learn does

kind of treat us like robots

so a lot of people do criticize this it

does leave out a lot of what makes as

individuals and what makes us humans and

you know we can't just treat everybody

like a like a nun on an on and off

switch okay okay so behaviorism led to

audio lingual ISM in terms of language

teaching now audio lingual ISM was one

of the one of the early approaches one

of the early methods I should I should

say this was known as the army method

because it it kind of really came to the

fore in the I think around the 40s and

50s and 60s was the period of audio

lingual ISM and at this time a lot of

people a lot of soldiers or agents

needed to learn language and they needed

to learn it quickly so what they did you

can see the picture here they would

listen and repeat and listen and repeat

and they would learn language that way

so in World War two large numbers of

military personnel needed to learn to

speak foreign languages quickly and they

use this technique to kind of train the

soldiers okay it's it's interesting that

what I said about behaviorism being kind

of treating people like robots well in

military field you know the the soldiers

are kind of treated like robots so this

kind of method the behaviorism became

the audio lingual ISM method in language

teaching okay but let's move on another

interesting one is total physical

response and then do another video about

this this was created by James D Asha on

the premise that language is learned

primarily through listening so it's a

method for listening that really focuses

on listening next language learning must

engage the right brain hemisphere okay

so you can see this other image here

with the the person with the brain and

the left brain and the right brain now

again something I should mention here is

this is not literally true okay it seems

to kind of really grabbed a lot of

people's attention and a lot of people

think that now this is 100% true so it's

not actually true that our brains are

split and one side is one and one side

is the other okay so don't think of this

as literally true that our brain has a

left on the right side but as an idea

and a concept I think it is valid and

useful to have this kind of idea as long

as we know that it's not literal truth

so you can see here according to this

the left brain is for logic analysis

sequencing and so on the kind of logical

side of our brain the right brain is all

about creativity imagination arts and so

on

so total physical response was an

attempt to address the imbalance between

the left brain and the right brain in

teaching so it brings more of the kind

of creative side of our our brain

processing into it okay and the final

point here language learning should not

involve stress okay so that's total

physical response and very useful

technique for teaching young learners

okay next communicative language

teaching this came out of the approach

that considers that looked at language

and considered it as a way of

communicating meaning okay

and so this led to a different kind of

approach to teaching the late 60s I

think the 70s and the 80s this really

came to the fore and it came out of our

understanding a functional language and

how we change our language in different

situations as well so a communicative

language teaching here are some typical

activities roleplay icebreakers

information gap jigsaw tasks

problem-solving surveys discussion and

debate

okay so communicative language teaching

treats language as something as a tool

we use to communicate okay we

communicate things about ourselves we

use language for you know dealing with

the outside world okay now this is how

many methods approaches and techniques

fit into the different contexts of EFL

and ESL okay so EF L is English as a

foreign language and the Korean context

where I am now this is an EFL context

because English is a foreign language

it's very different from ESL which is

English as a second language so there

are other contexts such as if a Korean

is goes to study in North America or

Britain or Australia then they would be

an ESL student because they're living in

the target language culture and they're

learning the English is a second

language okay so you can see here on

this chart EF owl is at one side in the

middle you've got EF l in ESL kind of

combined and then on the other side

you've got ESL so on the EF l side this

is more structure based instruction in

this context you're more likely to find

things like grammar trends

raishin method al is audio lingual ISM

you have CLT but the weak version of CLT

okay so communicative language teaching

the weak version means scaffold it so in

the weak version there would be language

focus that exercises to support and help

learners in their communicative tasks

and the final one on the EFL side is PPP

present practice produce which is an old

kind of teaching framework it's a it's

not totally out of fashion I'm sure it

happens in many classrooms but it is a

kind of more traditional way of looking

at language where we present and then

explicitly practice and then have a

production stage of three stages of a

lesson so in an EFL context you're more

likely to find these things GTM CLT weak

version al and PPP okay if we move to

the middle now here you have kind of

communicative instruction so here could

be combined EFL ESL it could be either

either context so there you have CLT

communicative language teaching the

strong form of CLT the strong form means

that students are you may have like a

warm up kind of introduction stage to

set the context and prepare but then you

quickly throw students into

communication okay

there's no scaffolding there's no

language exercises there's no explicit

instruction you throw them quickly quick

more quickly into communication and

expressing themselves and trying to

complete some kind of activity or it

could be a task then it would be task

based language teaching but you aren't

giving them kind of language support

some people believe in the strong

version of CLT some people believe in

the weak version of CLT but I do think

it depends on the context and the

students if the students a higher level

then strong version is fine if the

students are lower level then I would

suggest the weaker version of

el-tee okay you also have under CLT

strong you have TBI task based

instruction okay so basing instruction

around tasks so that's quite closely

related related to CLT and then moving

over you've got CLI L which is content

and language integrated learning ok

content and language integrated learning

so this is teaching content but

integrating it with language learning

and then below that you've got

content-based instruction this is moving

over towards ESL site now content-based

instruction would be teaching content

like history or math or science so

essentially basically teaching subjects

in the second language it's not really

language teaching okay I guess CL il

would be in that type of instruction

there would be some awareness that

language is part of the teaching

but in content-based instruction it's

just teaching content not teaching

language and students learn the language

through learning the content ok moving

over you've got immersion and then

finally sub motion sink & swim so this

is on the ESL side this would be like

you know Korean student going to live in

Canada going to a school in Canada that

would be total immersion okay they

wouldn't really have any language

scaffolding or you know language lessons

to help them then learn language by

complete immersion so this is closer to

natural acquisition so you can see here

how some of the approaches kind of match

different types of contexts now I would

suggest you know we are in the EFL side

for low level and younger learner

younger learners you can kind of be more

closer to the red circle in terms of

your teaching with weak CLT especially

if your students a higher level then you

could be over to CLT the strong version

task based instruction or even perhaps

content and language integrated learning

so you know using newspapers or

kind of current events and just

practicing language through discussing

things like that okay so I hope that was

interesting and useful let's move on

okay so this is kind of related to the

next topic but I'm not going to give you

too much about it straight away but have

a look at this now behaviorism and which

led to the audio lingual method here we

have Pavlov Watson and Skinner some of

the architects of this approach and the

way that this kind of spread through

education and society was it came from

these these academics and these

theorists and it came down to language

teachers okay and this is the natural

approach crashing and Tyrell and again

these academics came up with ideas and

this kind of filtered down to language

teachers and the tipi are at a total

physical response again Asha developed

this idea and it kind of filtered down

to language teachers and the

communicative approach communicative

language teaching various things

happened to develop this it actually

took quite a you know a few decades for

this to develop with various different

viewpoints and ideas so you can see a

summary there on the screen

but essentially various people came up

with ideas and these ideas kind of

filtered down to language teachers so

think about the last few slides what do

they look like it what's wrong with this

traditional approach to the spread of

methodology this seems like all of these

things are coming down to us from

academics or experts and they're kind of

these things are filtering down through

our understanding of Education into our

education systems and so on so this has

actually been challenged in the last few

decades people have said that the way

that we're looking at this system is

completely wrong and it shouldn't be

that these figures develop an idea and

that we should have to follow this idea

that has has been developed by somebody

so there's kind of been a paradigm shift

in the way that we've

you methodology which has kind of

switched this idea

it's very top to bottom this idea of the

these theories coming down to language

teachers and people have realized that

actually language teachers should be at

the top or should be at the center of

this idea so this has changed and one of

the one of the texts that helped to kind

of solidify this new idea is called the

post method condition emergent emerging

strategies for second and foreign

language teaching and this this really

quite seminal paper by Kumar vadivelu

the seminal paper kind of suggested that

actually this are the way that we look

at methods is wrong and methods don't

come from experts methods come from

teachers and teachers do whatever they

want to do in the classroom you know

they find the the mix of methods that

works for them based on the context

based on the learners based on their

ideas about teaching and learning so

this has kind of created a shift in the

last few decades and rather than looking

at this as a as a top-down approach

there's been this this change that we

should look at it in a different way

okay so the post method era looks at it

like this that the language teachers are

the center the language teachers let me

read the green text the language

teachers become practitioners and

self-directed theorizes who construct

their own theory of practice so we have

all these methods and approaches now all

of these ideas about education but it

really now it's up to you as a teacher

to find the right balance of these

various methods and approaches you are

the the the person in the classroom

you're the one interacting with your

students you know what's best okay and

this idea of you know these theories

coming down from these ivory towers has

been challenged now so this has led to

something interesting

personal methodology also called

principled eclecticism eclecticism means

a mix and a principled means that we we

choose the mix based on solid ideas and

principles so this has become quite a

common topic in the last few decades a

lot of people now are talking about

personal methodology and principled

eclecticism this is context sensitive so

it's sensitive to your situation the age

of your students the level of your

students their develop their development

what kind of institution you're teaching

in and so on it's location specific okay

what is the linguistic background of

your students what is the socio-cultural

setting of your your teaching what is

the political setting of your your

education and through action research

teachers theorize from their practice

and practice what they theorize okay so

the idea now is that researchers do not

exist separate from us we are the

researchers we we do research by

teaching and finding out what works and

then adapting our teaching in the

classroom and finally teachers become

the catalyst for change so really it's

up to you to find the right balance of

approaches and methods and techniques

that work in your situation okay I hope

that was useful I'll see you in the next

video