A comparison of postmethod pedagogy parameters and sociocultural theory premises

Being considered pedagogical innovations in the field of language learning and teaching, postmethod pedagogy and sociocultural theory have recently attracted the attentions of teachers, researchers, and experts in the field. Facing the limitations of the methods, Kumaravadivelu proposed the postmethod pedagogy in which he took account of particularity, practicality, and possibility as the backbones of postmethod pedagogy. On the other hand, Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory focuses on the contributions that the social- cultural environment make to individual development. Being a psychological theory, it investigates the origins of mind and its development. This paper is written in an attempt to compare the parameters of postmethod pedagogy with related premises of sociocultural theory to see the similarities and differences of the two paradigms. Based on the Findings, it seems that sociocultural theory proposes more rigorous premises for language learning compared to the postmethod pedagogy since it considers a dialectical relationships between micro and macro level structures in society, eliminates the gap between theory and practice by introducing praxis, and focuses on the learners’ agency in learning.

Keywords:

Method , postmethod , parameters , sociocultural theory