A Sense of Plausibility

As English teaching gained increasing prominence in the late 20th century, the focus shifted from the search for the best teaching method to a deeper evaluation. The quasi-scientific obsession with method gradually began to give way to the voice of common sense, if not reason. It was finally acknowledged that the appropriateness- and hence the success- of any teaching method depends upon the context in which it is applied.

A thoughtful analysis- and a conclusion I personally find extremely relevant- is offered by N.S. Prabhu in his article There is no Best Method- Why? (1990). This was a true lightbulb article for me, and while I wished I had had earlier access to it, I also value it more because I had to draw similar conclusions for myself, and only then was I given the luxury of having my vague, fluffy ideas formulated in Prabhu’s sleek, streamlined words. (A little adventure of my own in discovery learning, which I so often foist upon my unsuspecting students.)

Prabhu’s conclusion is that while there is no ideal method, teachers need a sense of plausibility regarding the methodologies they use. In plain language, they need to believe in what they are doing. This faith can be seated in one specific method, but is more likely to be a secret recipe of received wisdom, personal experience and experiment.

In terms of professional development, the idea of plausibility also encourages teachers to continue their quest, never resting on laurels and never considering the race to be already run. The continuing enquiry, in my humble opinion, is an essential part of that very sense of plausibility. This is related to Hubermann’s finding (1993, In Tsui 2007) that teachers who continue to “tinker” within their own classrooms are more satisfied than those who take on hierarchical battles. (Hence it is especially important to me, since the inevitable defeats on the hierarchical battlefield have been bruising my faith recently.)

When it comes to the training of young teachers, which is an important part of what I am (by sheer accident) doing at the moment, this idea strikes me as invaluable. Every method is another colour in a teacher trainee’s paintbox (see Larsen-Freeman 2001), but they already have enough of those. I want to discover, with them, what can actually be done with those colours.