Communicative Language Teaching

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), also known as the Communicative Approach, is the approach we will focus on throughout the course.

It's not easy to define CLT in a few words as many teachers and linguists stress different elements within this approach. However, it's safe to say that this definition from Richards and Schmidt (2002) will serve us well:

It is an approach which emphasizes that the goal of language learning is communicative competence. Communicative competence aims to make meaningful communication and language use the focus of all classroom activities. 

CLT is a broad term for learner-centered, authentic and meaningful language acquisition principles that inform the most widely practiced language teaching approach used in second language learning classrooms today. 

That’s quite a bit to take on board. For the moment, all you need to grasp is that in the 1970s and 1980s there was a paradigm shift in the approach to teaching EFL/ESOL.

This shift witnessed a move away from and reaction against what are often now termed as ‘traditional' approaches, e.g., the Grammar-Translation Approach. ‘Traditional' isn't an easy word to describe precisely, but for our purposes here we will use it to describe the teaching approaches which were commonly in use before the Communicative Approach reared its head in the 1970s and 1980s.

The main principles of the Communicative Approach you will be using can be summarized as follows: 

Communication

• Classroom work aims to help students reach an effective standard of communication outside the classroom.
• Accuracy in grammar and pronunciation is important, but it is less important than the ability to communicate meaningfully in real life (even if there are some mistakes in the language).
• There is a strong emphasis on listening and speaking, but lessons can include reading and writing. This depends on school policy and learner needs.
• The principal achievement goal of Communicative Language Teaching is to enable students to communicate knowledge and opinions surrounding a topic in the target language (English). Remember this: The target language is the language learners are studying (i.e. English).
• Attempts to communicate are encouraged from the very first lesson. 
• Practice activities are put in communicative contexts, wherever possible. So, there is frequent use of role-plays, discussions, etc. at all levels.

Meaning and use

Language learning is mainly about learning to communicate effectively. So, the primary emphasis is always on the meaning and use of language items.

Context

New language items are presented and practiced in realistic and meaningful contexts that show their meaning and use. It is the context that gives language meaning. Simply put, the language necessary for buying a train ticket would be set in a train station (the context).

Fluency

It is assumed that the ability to communicate effectively in a language will result from a combination of formal learning of rules and holistic acquisition.

Creativity

Language learning and acquisition are creative processes, and they involve trial and error on the part of the student. The learner should be encouraged to try out language items in a supportive classroom environment and, with your help, he will learn from his mistakes.

Functions

To do this, the underlying premise is that students need to be able to go beyond the learning of the grammatical structure of a language and into the functions (e.g. buying a bus ticket; ordering a meal; applying for a job) or areas and ways such utterances are used in communication in the real world.

Form

• Linguistic competence is only part of the whole picture of language acquisition. Students must be able to choose the most appropriate form for a situation, such as when to use could you or would you as an issue of register or politeness.
• Register is a variety of a language or a level of usage, as determined by the degree of formality and choice of vocabulary, pronunciation, and syntax (grammar), according to the communicative purpose, social context, and standing of the user. For example, we generally use a different variety of language when we speak to our doctor than we do when speaking to our friends (unless the doctor is a close friend).
• Learners must also recognize that a variety of forms can be used to achieve the same end or function such as It may rain and Perhaps it will rain, each of which achieves the same communicative purpose which is the possibility of rain.

Teacher role

This is very important.

• Your emphasis must always be on communication in English. Your role is to facilitate, help, and advise your students and also to be a language resource. The core principle is that you do not ‘teach' (as in the past) but instead help and facilitate your students to learn or acquire.
• The classroom is student-centered, with many activities taking place in pairs or groups, monitored and unobtrusively facilitated by you.

Individual learning styles

Your students will have different learning needs, preferences and styles. You will, therefore, need to use whichever techniques you feel will help your students most. That is, on occasion, you may discuss grammar rules if this helps your students. Remember this: grammar is never taught in isolation unless it is absolutely necessary.

Real English 

In some parts of lessons, students will be exposed to fine-tuned input (language at or within the students' knowledge). In other parts, they will be exposed to rough-tuned input (language which is a little above the students' level). Even in Beginner classes, students will be exposed to examples of authentic English: newspaper articles, etc.

Occasional structured drills

• Remember this! Drilling means repetition. It involves your learners, either individually or as a group, repeating whatever you say. Drilling is a way for your students to practice a new language, e.g., vocabulary, grammatical structures, and pronunciation, in a controlled setting.
• Oral drilling and classroom-type exercises may occupy a small proportion of lesson time. 
• They are ways of helping students with pronunciation, grammar patterns, etc.

In summary, to obtain communicative competence via the communicative approach, lessons need integration of the following:

1. Situation/context: The situations one encounters in life, e.g., meeting a new friend; going to the doctor. A meaningful context is set. 
2. Functions: Functions are speech acts that students are likely to face, e.g., seeking advice, requesting information, expressing gratitude, complimenting someone, expressing requests, asking permission, complaining, etc. 
3. Form: Socio-linguistic-language used in a social setting, social niceties, social situations, formal v informal expressions, etc. You will integrate socio-linguistic competence (such as acceptable and unacceptable ways to complain) as well as strategies and methods to overcome communication breakdown when it happens. 
4. Meaning and use: These will be linked to the form
5. Grammar: Always taught in context. It is linked to materials related to conversation, reading, listening, and writing. It is never taught in isolation unless it is necessary.
6. Notions: Days of the week, dates, months, should be introduced in context.

For example, in lesson planning, you will determine how to adapt these competencies to student needs. To do this, you could:

• Choose a situation such as a visit to a doctor.
• Present the language functions such as giving formal greetings, requesting advice, giving advice, demonstrating gratitude.
• Present the form related to the situation and its meaning and usage.
• Choose the necessary grammar and vocabulary to complete the exercise.
• Construct and choose communicative activities for the students to practice and produce.

So, this integrated communicative approach is the one we will focus on. It’s an exciting approach where skills are integrated. Each of your lessons may include a bit of speaking, listening, writing, and reading, where possible.

The achievement goal at all times is to enable students to communicate knowledge and opinions surrounding a topic in the target language - English. There’ll be very few standalone grammar lessons, but you will still need a sound grasp of basic grammar so that you can handle queries and questions seamlessly. 

We’ll be tackling bits of grammar in various parts of the course. It’s not too stretching!