ABSTRACT
Given two methods of language teaching, method A and method B, suppose we want to know which is the more effective method. I will approach this question of “best method” in several ways. To give the punch line in advance, what I will conclude is that revolutions in language teaching will not be new ways of analyzing grammar, expensive laboratories, exotic methods, or the like, but the proper utilization of what we already have: speakers of the language. I will also suggest that the better methods are also the ones that are the most pleasant. (The converse is of course not necessarily true: just because a method is pleasant does not mean it is effective.)
I will begin by describing three areas that can influence us in our quest for the best method, suggesting how these areas can influence and help each other, and then what each of them has to say about method. The areas are: theory, applied linguistic research, and intuition. My contention is that each of the three ways we will consider arrives at basically the same conclusions.
