Abstract

The concept of method in language teaching is perhaps as old as the history of language itself. It has for long guided the form and function of every conceivable component of language teaching, including curriculum design, syllabus specifications, materials preparation, instructional strategies, and testing techniques. All of us hear and use the term method very often. Yet, we hardly pause to think about its meaning. We generally use the term method to refer to the theoretical principles and classroom practices that we read about in methods textbooks. We also use the term to refer to what practising teachers actually do in their classrooms. What the books say is different from what the teachers do, even though we use the same term, and method, to refer to both. The following pages carry works that have been already published in journals and as such provide a scientific guarantee of the outcomes. These works carry the logic of deconstructing the existing concept of method and delineating to the emerging post method condition that was proposed by Kumaravadivelu. A deconstruction that frees us, teachers, from all constraints and invigorates our practices by providing new options to carry out in our classrooms. This booklet is a humble contribution to help in the ongoing discussion of finding new ways to the teaching of English as a foreign language in our Chilean context.