CLT Flashcards
What is the theory of language underlying CLT?
The Communicative Approach starts from a functional theory of language- one that focuses on language as a means of communication. The goal of language teaching is communicative competence. A person who acquires communicative competence acquires both knowledge and ability for language use. Four dimensions of communicative competence are identified: grammatical, sociocultural, discourse, and strategic competence.
What is the theory of learning underlying CLT?
There are many elements underlying a theory of learning. One such element might be described as the communication principle: activities that involve real communication. A second element is the task principle: activities in which language is used for carrying out meaningful tasks. A third element is the meaningfulness principle: language that is meaningfull to the learner supports the learning process.
What are the objectives in CLT courses?
Objectives in CLT courses and materials may relate either to the very general language learning goals, or to those linked to learners with specific needs. In the case of the former, objectives will reflect the type of syllabus framework used. In either case objectives will normally seek to operationalize the notion of communicative competence into more specific descriptions of learning outcomes.
What is the syllabus in CLT?
There are various versions of syllabi: 1) the notional-functional syllabus- which specified the semantic-grammatical categories and the categories of communicative function that learners need to express, 2) other syllabus proposals- such as functional, notional, structural, interactional, task-based, and learner generated. 3) English for Specific Purposes- for some learners it could be efficient to teach the the specific kind of language and communication skills needed for specific roles, rather than to concentrate on more and more general English.
What are the learning and teaching activities in CLT?
Pair and group activities gave learners greater opportunities to use the language and develop fluency. Common activity types are: jig-saw activities, task-completion, information-gathering, opinion-sharing, information-transfer, reasoning gap, and role plays.
What are the learner roles of CLT?
The learners had to participate in classroom activities that were based on a cooperative rather than individualistic approach to learning. They had to become comfortable with listening to their peers in group or pair work tasks, rather than relying on the teacher for a model. They were expected to take on a greater degree of responsibility for their own learning.
What are the teacher roles of CLT?
The teacher has two main roles: the first is to facilitatye the communication process between all participants of the classroom, and between these participants and the various activities and texts. The second role is to act as an independent participant within the learning-teaching group. Other teacher roles are the 1) needs analyst- which assumes a responsibility for determining and respondiing to learners needs, 2) the councelor- where the teacher is expected to exemplify an effective communicator seeking to maximize the meshing of speaker intention and hearer interpretation through the use of paraphrase, confirmation, and feedback, 3) the group process manager- where it’s the teacher’s responsibility to organize the classroom as a setting for communication and communicative activities.
What is the role of instructional materials in CLT?
1) text-base materials- there are numbers of textbooks designed to support CLT
2) task-based materials- a variety of games, roleplays, simulations, and task-based communication activities have been prepared to support CLT.
3) Realia-based materials- many proponents of CLT have used authentic or from-life materials in the classroom. These might be magazines, signs, newspapers, ads, and graphic or visual aids.
4) Technology-supported materials- Technology provides opportunities for accessing authentic language input, combining texts, images, audio, and video. Chat rooms, discussion boards, and teleconferencing are tools that encourage authentic interaction.
What are the criticisms fo CLT?
1) It promotes fossilization- the persistance of errors in learners’ language has been attributed to the over-emphasis on communication in language teaching ate the expense of accuracy.
2) It reflects “native-speakerism”- the communicative orthodoxy taught to teachers who are native speakers of English reflects a view of teaching and learning that closely reflects culturally bound assumptions derived from the cultures of origin. 3) It is not applicable in different cultures of learning- attempts to implement CLT in non-European settings were often less than successful due to the different assumptions about the nature of teaching and learning. 4) It reflects a Western-based top-down approach to innovation- the communicative syllabus and common procedure for its implementation do not capture the diversity to students’ goals and needs.
