Revisiting postmethod pedagogy: Adopting and adapting Socratic circle to secondary EFL teaching

Abstract

Since the end of the last century, the English as a foreign language (EFL) community seems to have entered a new era: the postmethod era. Despite fierce debate about its rationality and feasibility, the three pedagogical parameters—particularity, practicality, and possibility—have been influential and applied to various teaching contexts. Under the guidance of postmethod pedagogy theory and the acknowledgement of local knowledge, context‐sensitive pedagogy has been garnering attention in recent years. This qualitative study used the lens of postmethod pedagogy to explore a veteran teacher’s implementation of Socratic circle in secondary EFL teaching. Related issues, such as the rationale for adopting and adapting the method, the implementation procedures, and its benefits and limitations, are discussed and analysed. The researcher collected data through semistructured interviews with the teacher participant and three student participants, in addition to pertinent documents including reading materials, teaching designs, and students’ assignments. This study provides evidence of benefits of Socratic circle to EFL learning. The adjustments made to the method indicate the dialectical relationship between method and postmethod, rather than interpreting postmethod pedagogy as repackaged. Implications for EFL teacher education, including provision of professional development on a wider scale, are discussed.