11) Communicative language teaching (CLT). Communicative principles.

Question 1

CLT - APPROACH - METHOD

Answer 1

Approach
 axiomatic (describes the nature of the subject matter to be taught)
 a set of correlative assumptions dealing with the nature of language and the nature of language teaching and learning.

Method
 procedural (one approach can be realized by various methods)
 arises from an approach, must be consistent with it, an overall plan for the orderly presentation of language material

Question 2

Communicative Approach – Principles

Answer 2

1. Teaching communicative skills is the primary concern of the teacher.
2. The teaching of language forms (language means) is subservient to the development of communicative skills.
3. Communicative skills are developed and language means are taught in relation to particular situations (situational principle).
4. The teacher should select and use different kinds of discourse (genres, registers) to develop communicative skills and teach language means.
5. The teacher should create conditions for authentic communication and interaction in the language classroom (authenticity principle).
6. The teacher corrects first of all those linguistic errors which cause failure or communication breakdowns in the process of communication.

Question 4

CLT – overall goals

Answer 4

1. Focus on all the components of communicative competence
    goals must combine the organizational (grammatical, discourse) aspects of language with the pragmatic (sociolinguistic, strategic) aspects
2. Relationship of form and function
    Language techniques are designed to engage LLs in the pragmatic, authentic, functional use of language for meaningful purposes
    Organizational language forms are not the central focus, but remain as important components of language that enable the LLs to accomplish those purposes
3. Fluency and accuracy
    a focus on LLs’ ”flow” of comprehension and production and a focus on the formal accuracy of production are seen as complementary principles underlying communicative techniques
    at times fluency may have to take on more importance than accuracy in order to keep LLs meaningfully engaged in language use
    LLs encouraged to attend to correctness; part of the T’s responsibility is to offer appropriate corrective feedback on LLs’ errors
4. Focus on real-world contexts
    LLs in a communicative class ultimately have to use the language, productively and receptively, in unrehearsed contexts outside the classroom.
    Classroom tasks must equip LLs with the skills necessary for communication in those contexts.
5. Autonomy and strategic involvement
    LLs are given opportunities to focus on their own learning process through:
   * raising their awareness of their own styles of learning (strengths, weaknesses, preferences)
   * the development of appropriate strategies for production and comprehension
    to develop autonomous LLs capable of continuing to learn the language beyond the classroom and the course
6. Teacher’s roles
    facilitator and guide, NOT an all-knowing font of knowledge
    values the LLs’ linguistic development, LLs are encouraged (by their T) to construct meaning through genuine linguistic interaction with other Ss and with the T
   7. Students’ roles
    Ss in a CLT class are active participants in their own learning process
    Learner-centred, cooperative, collaborative learning is emphasized, but not at the expense of appropriate teacher-centred activity

Question 5

Steps in planning a CLT lesson

Answer 5

1. Presentation of a situation or context through a brief dialogue or several mini-dialogues, preceded by a motivational activity relating the dialogue to LLs’ experiences and interests (e.g. discussion of the function and situation)
2. Brainstorming or discussion to establish the vocabulary and expressions to be used to accomplish the communicative intent.
3. Questions and answers based on the dialogue topic and situation: inverted, wh-questions, yes/no, either/or, open-ended questions
4. Study of the basic communicative expressions in the dialogue (using pictures, real objects, dramatization to clarify the meaning)
5. Learner discovery of generalizations or rules underlying the functional expressions (model examples on the board, using arrows or referents where feasible)
6. Oral recognition and interpretative activities including oral production proceeding from guided to freer communication activities
7. Reading and/or copying of the dialogues with variations for reading/writing practice
8. Oral evaluation of learning with guided use of language and questions/answers (e.g. How would you ask your friend to ….? How would you ask me to …?)
9. Homework and extension activities (e.g. LLs’ creation of new dialogues around the same situation.
10. To complete the lesson cycle, provide opportunities to apply the language learned the day before in novel situations for the same or a related purpose.