The field of second or world language teaching has undergone many
shifts and trends over the last few decades. Numerous methods have
come and gone. We have seen the Audiolingual Method, cognitivebased
approaches, the Total Physical Response (TPR), the Natural
Approach, and many others (for a detailed description of these methods
and approaches, see Richards and Rodgers 2001). In addition,
the proficiency and standards-based1 movements have shaped the
field with their attempts to define proficiency goals and thus have
provided a general sense of direction. Some believe that foreign language
instruction has finally come of age (see Harper, Lively, and
Williams 1998); others refer to it as the post-method area (Richards
and Rodgers 2001). It is also generally believed that there is no
one single best method that meets the goals and needs of all learners
and programs. What has emerged from this time is a variety of