Communicative Approach

Communicative language teaching (CLT) is an approach to the teaching of second and foreign languages that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language. It is also referred to as “communicative approach to the teaching of foreign languages” or simply the “communicative approach”.

Reference: Wikipedia.org (2010) “Communicative Language Teaching” Retrieved 16th of March, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communicative_language_teaching

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This movement flourished in 1970's and 80's - raised pupils' motivation through short-term objectives and through teaching language appropriate to a range of relevant topics and situations (e.g. shopping/ hobbies/ exchanges).

1 Focuses on language as a medium of communication. Recognizes that all communication has a social purpose - learner has something to say or find out.

5 Classroom activities maximize opportunities for learners to use target language in a communicative way for meaningful activities. Emphasis on meaning (messages they are creating or task they are completing) rather than form (correctness of language and language structure) - as in first language acquisition.

7 Communicative approach is much more pupil-orientated, because dictated by pupils' needs and interests.

8 Accent is on functional/ usable language. Learners should be able to go to foreign country, prepared for reality they encounter there. Need to be able to cope / survive in a variety of everyday situations.

11 Primacy of oral work. Emphasis on oral and listening skills in the classroom. Contact time with language is all-important - paves way for more fluid command of the language / facility and ease of expression. Not just hearing teacher, but having personal contact them with language, practicing sounds themselves, per mutating sentence patterns and getting chance to make mistakes and learn from doing so.

12 Errors are a natural part of learning language. Learners trying their best to use the language creatively and spontaneously are bound to make errors. Constant correction is unnecessary and even counter-productive. Correction should be discreet / noted by teacher - let them talk and express themselves - form of language becomes secondary.

13 Communicative approach is not just limited to oral skills. Reading and writing skills need to be developed to promote pupils' confidence in all four skill areas. By using elements encountered in variety of ways (reading/ summarizing/ translating/ discussion/ debates) - makes language more fluid and pupils' manipulation of language more fluent.

14 Grammar can still be taught, but less systematically, in traditional ways alongside more innovative approaches. Recognize that communication depends on grammar. Disregard of grammatical form will virtually guarantee breakdown in communication.

15 Language analysis and grammar explanation may help some learners, but extensive experience of target language helps everyone. Pupils need to hear plenty said about the topic in the foreign language at regular and recurrent intervals, so they are exposed to the topic and can assimilate it. (Not mere passive acquisition of certain lexical items).

16 Communicative approach seeks to personalize and localize language and adapt it to interests of pupils. Meaningful language is always more easily retained by learners.

18 Makes use of topical items with which pupils are already familiar in their own language - motivates pupils arouses their interest and leads to more active participation.

19 Avoid age-old texts - materials must relate to pupils' own lives / must be fresh and real (cf. Whit marsh texts developing language but not communicative language!) Changing texts and materials regularly keeps teacher on toes and pupils interested.

21 Spontaneous and improvised practice help to make minds more flexible and inspire confidence in coping with unforeseen, unanticipated situations. Need to 'go off at tangents' / use different registers / develop alternative ways of saying things.

22 Communicative approach seeks to use authentic resources. More interesting and motivating. In Foreign language classroom authentic texts serve as partial substitute for community of native speaker. Newspaper and magazine articles, poems, manuals, recipes, telephone directories, videos, news bulletins, discussion program - all can be exploited in variety of ways.

23 Important not to be restricted to textbook never feels that text-book must be used from cover to cover. With a little inspiration and imagination, text-book can be manipulated and rendered more communicative. Teacher must free himself from it, rely more on his own command of language and his professional expertise as to what linguistic items, idioms, phrases, words, need to be drilled / exploited/ extended.

24 Use of visual stimuli - OHP/ flashcards, etc - important to provoke practical communicative language. (3 stages presentation / assimilation/ reproducing language in creative and spontaneous way).

Visual resources can be exploited at whatever level one wishes - help to motivate and focus pupils' attention.

Reference: Aber “Communicative Approach” Retrieved 16th of March, from: http://www.aber.ac.uk/~mflwww/seclangacq/langteach9.html