Is it only the voltage across the inductor immediately after commutation of the switch that is required? Not the voltage as a function of time?
I don't know exactly what is meant by "classical method" versus "operator method", unless the first wants a 'down and dirty' differential equation approach and the latter a Laplace transform approach or something along those lines.
Personally, I'd just recognize that the circuit is going to transition between two states, the first being the steady state before the switch is thrown, and the second the steady state that will eventually hold a long time after the switch is thrown. Throwing the switch will be like hitting the circuit with a step function in terms of change of current. The circuit has only L and R components, so it'll have a time constant.
It might be instructive to derive the Norton equivalents for the before and after states and see what the difference really is.
Things to keep in mind: Inductors "don't like" sudden changes in current, they'll happily react with any voltage they have to in order to try to maintain the status quo (at least very briefly!); So, constant current through the inductor over the instant of commutation. Also, when drawing up the post-switching event equivalent circuit, it's fair game to put a current source in series with the inductor that drives the same current as the inductor carried prior to the switch being thrown. This has the effect of carrying the previous state of the circuit along as the initial condition for the new one. That current has to go somewhere... and it won't be through the main current supply!