Kết hợp sử dụng hồ sơ học tập (Portfolio) và thuyết trình nhóm trong dạy và học các khóa học tiếng Anh chuyên ngành tiếp cận hậu phương pháp luận

Nguyễn Mai Linh và Đtg Tạp chí KHOA HỌC & CÔNG NGHỆ 172(12/2): 111-116 X

111

PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT AND GROUP PRESENTATION

FOR ESP COURSES TOWARD POSTMETHOD

Nguyen Mai Linh*

, Tran Minh Thanh, Duong Thi Hong An

University of Information and Communication Technology – TNU

SUMMARY

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is an essential subject for university students to prepare well

for them in the future professional life as well as further advanced learning. However, the current

ESP teaching is still largely based on traditional teaching approaches such as Grammar Translation

or Communicative Language Teaching. Students often feel that learning ESP is a burden and is

frustrated with classes. In this paper, we propose a method for renovating teaching and learning

towards Postmethod. Specifically, the paper guides the use meticulously of portfolio and group

presentation to increase the effectiveness of ESP courses at University of Information and

Communication Technology - Thai Nguyen University.

Key words: Portfolio development, ESP, ESP teaching, postmethod, group presentation

INTRODUCTION *

Kumaravadivelu (1994) [3] stated, “The term

“pedagogy” in a broad sense is to include not

only issues pertaining to classroom strategies,

instructional materials, curricular objectives,

and evaluation measures, but also a wide range

of historical, political, and socio-cultural

experiences that directly or indirectly influence

L2 education.” Within such a broad-based

definition, he visualized a postmethod

pedagogy as a three-dimensional system

consisting of three pedagogic parameters:

particularity, practicality, and possibility.

Howatt's (1984) [2] documents the changes of

language teaching chronologically by

professional practitioners throughout the

history up to the 20th century when the Direct

Method appeared. The notion of “method”

itself has been one of the most lasting legacies

of the Direct Method. The fact that the term

methods is used in a variety of ways in

TESOL offers a challenge for anyone wishing

to enter into the analysis or deconstruction of

methods. At least three somewhat distinct

meanings can be identified as Smorgasbord

of Ideas [4] which includes “programs,

curricula, procedures, demonstrations, modes

of presentation, research findings, tests,

* Tel: 0975909196; Email: [email protected]

manners of interaction, materials, texts,

films, videos, computers and more” (p. 3);

Prescription for Practice [1] which means a

fixed set of classroom practices that serve as

a prescription and therefore do not allow

variation; and Organizing Principles [5]

which means as an umbrella term comprising

approach, design, and procedure.

“The Age of Methods” is the term to refer to

the rapid emergence of specific descriptions

of language teaching between the 1950s and

the 1980s. Situational Language Teaching

evolved in the United Kingdom while a

parallel method, Audio-Lingualism, emerged

in the United States. In the middle-methods

period, a variety of methods were proclaimed

as successors to the then prevailing

Situational Language Teaching and Audio￾Lingual methods. These alternatives were

promoted under such titles as Silent Way,

Suggestopedia, Community Language

Learning, and Total Physical Response. In the

1980s, these methods in turn came to be

overshadowed by more interactive views of

language teaching, which collectively came to

be known as Communicative Language

Teaching (CLT). However, it can be seen that

those are top-down methods which are not

universally applied to the all context of

language teaching and learning because they