The role of methods in the postmethod era

Throughout the history of language teaching a lot of linguists, psychologists and educators have been trying to create the best method. The main problem in this search for the best method is that they were looking for a universal method that would be appropriate for all teachers and learners and all contexts. Numerous methods and approaches have been developed, some of which lasted for a long time while others were short-lived, some had an enormous influence on language teachers and learners, while others were discarded as impractical or inefficient, some were widely accepted, while others were severely critisized. However, despite their shortcomings, every method and approach can offer some valuable principles and insights and provide useful activities and techniques that can be incorporated into any language teaching methodology. However, during the last three decades a number of linguists have started questioning the notion of method and the wisdom of searching for the best method. It seems that the zest for the search for the best method has been replaced by the zest for completely discarding the concept of method. Postmethod pedagogy has become the hot topic of discussions and debates in the field of language teaching and learning. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the characteristics of postmethod pedagogy and the role of methods in the postmethod era.