Communicative Approaches/CLT

Communicative Approaches/CLT

1. ORIGIN

   • First appeared in the 1970s. Influenced by the new methods called Humanistic such as Silent Way, CLL and Suggestopedia.

2. CHARACTERISTICS

   • It pays systematic attention to functional as well as structural apects of language.  (Littlewood 1981)  They prioritize the communicative nature of language
   • According to Richards & Rodgers:  - Language is a system for the expression of meaning; - The primary function of language is for interaction and communication; - The structure of language reflects its functional and communicative uses; - The primary units of language are categories of functional and communicative meaning as exemplified in discourse.  Richards & Rodgers (1986:71) 
   • Teacher - Learner Roles
     • The teacher is a facilitator, encourages learners to take responsibility of their own learning, correction is not as relevant.
     • The learner is a negotiator, bringing a good deal of motivation to the classroom; he should contribute as much as he gains; and thereby learn in an independent way. (Bree and Candlin 1980:110)
   • Use of authentic material in both, spoken and written language

3. DEFINITION

   • It is a set of approaches more than a method. It concentrates on getting learners to do things with the language, to express concepts and to carry out communicative acts of various kinds...  Widdowson 1990

4. RECENT CLT APPROACHES

   • TASK-BASED LEARNING
     • CATEGORIES OF TASKS
       • Information-gap Activities
       • Opinion-gap Activities
       • Reasoning-gap Activities
       • TYPES OF TASKS
         • - Diagrams and Formations - Maps  - Calculating - Stories and Dialogues - Personal
     • According to N.S. Prabhu, language is acquired through engagement with meaning, not through focusing learners on structure.
     • Learners focus on the task, not on the language.
     • Correctioning is incidential.
   • LEXICAL APPROACH
     • Lexis rather than Grammar for acquisition of a language according to Lewis
     • Move away from Sructural view of language and learning of chunks in a hollistic mode
     • Language consists of gramaticalized lexis not lexicalized grammar. Lewis (1993:vi)

5. EARLIER CLT METHODS

   • SILENT WAY
   • CLL
   • SUGGESTOPEDIA