Research
Learning Style Preferences of EFL Learners at Higher Secondary Level in Bangladesh
If the classroom teaching-learning practices are based on the learning style preferences of the learners of EFL/ESL, the language learning can take place effectively. However, in this regard learners’ learning style preferences have to match with teachers’ perceptions about the tasks and activities to be done in the classroom. In Bangladesh the classroom teaching-learning practices, which are now followed to teach English as a foreign language, are not based on proper investigation of learners’ learning style preferences. Consequently, expected results are not found from classroom teaching. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the learning style preferences of the EFL learners of Bangladesh and take appropriate measures accordingly. Taking this point in view, the present researcher has attempted to investigate the learning style preferences of the EFL students at higher secondary level and then provide some suggestions in the light of the findings.
Post-Method Pedagogy and ELT in Bangladesh
A widespread dissatisfaction with the conventional concept of method has led to the development of a new concept named post-method pedagogy. The proponents of this concept argue for formulating a new style of classroom practices for teaching English as a foreign or a second language based on contextual realities and teachers’ experiences and knowledge. As to ELT in Bangladesh, there is a necessity to reconstruct the present ELT practices since CLT, which is now being followed as an approach to second/foreign language teaching, has failed to produce expected result. For the purpose of constructing an effective pedagogy for ELT in Bangladesh, there is a scope to utilize the concept of post-method pedagogy. In the present article, attempts have been made to explore the various features of this concept to determine which of them are practical for the context of Bangladesh and, therefore, significant for ELT practices in the country.
A Critical Appraisal of CLT on Grammar, and Implications for ELT in Bangladesh
Whether formal teaching of grammar is necessary or not for teaching a second/foreign language is a debatable issue now. The Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) which has been a buzz-word in the domain of language teaching pedagogies all over the world for the last few decades discourages overt grammar teaching. Like many other countries, in Bangladesh too, the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been introduced for English language teaching. But with the introduction of CLT, the quality of English language teaching and learning has remarkably deteriorated in the country. As a result, it is now important to investigate the substantiality of the principles of CLT with respect to overt grammar teaching, may it be from the theoretical perspective or from the contextual perspective. Based on this investigation, it is also required to determine what should be the proper position of overt grammar teaching in English Language Teaching (ELT) in Bangladesh. The present article has attempted to address all these points.
