English 625: Intro to TESOL

Session # 2

Agenda

Questions about Blogs?Free writing and discussionReview of Firth and WangerPresenters: Seonmi, Ann, MollyDeveloping critical awareness in language educationPennycook’s concept of Method & TESOL Quarterly

DialoguesPostmethod conditionKuma, Chapter 1 AND Hall, Chapter 1(as time allows)

Writing and Discussion

Write about one big idea that you learned that you did not know before about Teaching English to the Speakers of Other Languages.

Discuss what strike you the most in your readings. What questions do you still have for the class to consider?

Review of Firth and Wanger (1997)

A critical examination of SLA. What are the three major changes that the authors call far in SLA?

Traditional SLA: LEARNER AS A DEFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR

the key words such as “difficulties” and “problems” dominated the scholarship for a long time.

NS-NNS divide, ascendancy of NS, NNS as defective communicator

Reflective discussion

Reflect the method of teaching followed by your teacher when you learned an L2 in a formal, classroom context. Was it language centered, teacher-centered, learning-centered? Alternatively, if you have been recently teaching an L2, this about how your classroom practices do or do not fit with these categories?

Alanstair Pennycook

Professor of Language in Education, University of Technology, Sydney

Alastair Pennycook has published widely on cultural and political implications of the global spread of English, colonialism and language policy, plagiarism and intertextuality, and critical applied linguistics.

A critical look at the Concept of Method

Method is a prescriptive concept that articulates positivist, progressivist, and patriarchal understanding of teaching and plays an important role in maintaining inequalities between, on the one hand, predominantly male academics, and on the other hand, female teachers and language classrooms on the international power periphery.

Key ideas:

Second Language education is involved in a complex nexus of social, cultural. Economic and political relationships that involve students, teachers, and theorists in different positions of power.

Schools as reproduction of social and cultural inequalities—How can schools act as agents of social and cultural reproduction? How do schools question the status quo?

Language and language teaching as inscribed in relations of power and therefore political isues.

Fundamental weaknesses of the concept of Method

Imposition of technique over theoryLanguage teaching cannot be defined in

terms of teaching methods alone.Each method being succeeded by a better

one? The promise of even better techniques?

Pennycook’s historical survey of language teaching In history, the procedures of language teaching

has always reflected the political and social changes

See the example of preserving Latin as the language of religion (p. 598-599)

French teaching England : rule based versus practice based/ formal versus informal

Caravolas’ pleasure principle in language teaching.

Richards and Rogerts (1986)—Influencial book on Methods----- reflects a positivist applied linguisitcs.

Overview of Methods in ELT

GTMALMCLLSilent WaySuggestopediaTPR

Pennycook’s attack on the concept of MethodKrashen’s week empirical research study (p.

607)K claims that his study is objective, Claims that

his method is superior than the earlier ones.Methods have little conceptual validity. Offers

reductionist perspectives on the teaching and learning contexts

Methods have played a major role in maintaining: the gendered division in workforce.

Methods presents serious problems when exported from developed to developing countries.

Methods as interested

Knowledge is socially constructed.Knowledge represent particular was of

understanding and explaining the world.Knowledge is inscribed in relationships of

power.Read Pennycook’s critique of his own

article: TQ Dialogues pg. 32-25

Critical Perspectives on Methods in ELT

How does Pennycook define Method?What is his criticism towards the concept of Method?

What is interested knowledge?How can we as teachers steer away from the

concept of method?What can we do to become transformative

intellectuals?How did your understanding of teaching English

changed after reading this article?

B. Kumaravadivelu

ProfessorDepartment of Linguistics & Language Development1, Washington SquareSan Jose State University

Postmethod Pedagogy: Define the concepts (morning class) A pedagogy of Particularity

Local, context-sensitive, should be based on particular social and political , particular time, particular place to particulate students taught by a particular teacher.

A pedagogy of Practicality

Teacher generated theory as opposed to expert generated theory

A pedagogy of Possibility

self- identity as related to social transformations , how we can battle with social and political inequalities. Recognizing the subject positioning, lived experience of the students

Define the characteristics of the followings. The postmethod learner Learner who is autonomous, who develops academic responsibility

and sensitivity towards others. Academic autonomy vs social autonomy, liberator autonomy.

The postmethod teacher

Autonomous teacher, self developing, reflective, someone who can break away from the concept of method. Academic knowledge, personal knowledge.

The postmethod teacher educator

Focuses on the teachers’ voice, and the teachers’ lived experiences----legitimize their experiences and their knowledge.

The goal of teacher research and teacher autonomy is “ not the easy production of any ready-made package of knowledge but, rather, the continued recreation of personal meaning” (Diamond, 1995 p. 59)

Discussion Questions about Pedagogic Exploration

Based on your readings of Pennycook and Kuma’s articles on Methods and Pedagogy in Language Education, design a course that includes tasks and activities that follow the premises of postmethod pedagogy.

Guiding Questions: How would your classroom look like? What would your role be as a language educator? How would you view your students? What type of language tasks and activities would you bring to the class? How would your relationships be with other teachers?

Key words from this week’s readings

Interested knowledgeKnowledge as a social constructionPolitics of language educationPostmethod conditionPaticularizabilitySee your handout for the rest.

Assignments

Post your blog responses before the class on Monday.

Readings about language and culture(Morning)Presenters: Sbu, Soo ok,

Anthony(Afternoon) Presenters: Ashley R., Ashley

B., Carmella