COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING

CLT is best considered an approach rather than a method .

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) started developing in Great Britain in the 1960s, when British applied linguists began to question the assumptions underscoring Situational Language Teaching.

• The Oral Approach or Situational Language Teaching is  an approach developed by British applied linguists in the 1930s to the 1960s.

• Speech was regarded as the basis of language, and structure was viewed as being at the heart of speaking ability.

This CLT is based partly in the theories of Brititish functional linguists such as: Firth, Halliday

The American sociolinguistics Hymes, Gumperz and Lavob.

Noam Chomsky was among the first ones to

demonstratethat standard structural theories of language were incapable of accounting for the creativity and uniqueness of individual sentences.

The Objectives of CLTTo have the students become communicatively competent. (Communicative competence – knowing when and how to say what to whom.)

To enable the students communicate fluently in the target language.

( Fluency is the primary goal.)

To focus on communication rather than structure.

The Principles of CLTMeaning is paramountContextualization is a basic premiseLanguage learning is to communicateEffective communication is soughtDrills occur peripherallyComprehensible pronunciation is soughtL1 is accepted where it is feasibleTranslation may be usedStudents learn L2 through communication proccessCommunicative competence is the goalLinguistic variation is a central concept in materials and

methodology

The Principles of CLTThe sequence is determined by consideration of content ,

function , and meaningThe teacher helps learners to motivate them to work with

the languageLanguage is created through trial and errorsFluency is the primary goalStudents interact with other peopleThe teacher can’t know what the language the student will

useThe intrinsic motivation will spring from an interest in what

is being communicated

The Role of the Teacher• Adviser

• FacilitatorThe teacher facilitates communication.During the activities, s/he acts as an adviser, answering the questions and monitoring the performance.

The Role of the Students• Communicators

They are actively engaged in trying to make themselves understood and in understanding others.

The use of the Mother TongueIt can be used. However, whenever possible the target language should be used.

Activities

Authentic materialsScrambled

sentences Language gamesPicture strip storyRole play

Conversation gridsQuestionnaires Information-gap

activitiesProblem-solving

activitiesDiscussion

Evaluation A teacher can informally

evaluate students’ performance in his role as an adviser or co-communicator.

For formal evaluation an integrative test is used which has a real communicative function.

In order to assess students’ writing skill, a teacher might ask them to write a letter to a friend.

Areas of Language Emphasized Language functions might be emphasized over forms. Students work with language at the suprasentential or

discourse level. They learn about cohesion and coherence. Students’ Feelings

Students are given an opportunity to express their individuality by having them share their ideas and opinions on a regular basis.

Students’ Errors

Errors of form are tolerated during fluency-based activities and are seen as a natural outcome of the development of communication skills.

The teacher may note the errors during fluency activities and return to them later with an accuracy-based activity.

Advantages It increases teacher-student relationship

It provides the opportunity for the students to be aware of their abilities and exhibit them.

The students can learn the target language in an enjoyable way.

CLT approach focuses on fluency but not accuracy in grammar and pronunciation.

The CLT approach is great for intermediate student and advanced students, but for beginners some controlled practice is needed.

The monitoring ability of the teacher must be very good.

Grammar Teaching Practices make application of this approach difficult.

Disadvantages

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