COMMUNICATIVE METHODS

COMMUNICATIVE METHODS

1. CONTENT BASED INSTRUCTION

   • Concept Is an effective method of combining language and content learning Method of language instruction in which content and language are integrated instead of focusing on language forms, the curriculum in this method is based on content.
     • Background Content-based instruction (CBI) is teaching organized around the content or information that students will acquire, and not around the linguistic or other type of syllabus. Content refers to the substance or subject matter that we learn or communicate through language content rather that the language used to convey it.
       • Background CBI is built on the principles of Communicative Language Teaching. Classroom needs to be filled with real and meaningful communication where information is exchanged.
   • Theory of Learning CBI makes an assumption that learners learn best when they are given language in a meaningful , contextualized form with the primary focus on acquiring information
   • Teacher's role
     • CBI anticipates a change in the typical roles of language teachers. “In- structors must be more than just good language teachers. They must be knowledgeable in the subject matter and able to elicit that knowledge from their students” (Stryker and Leaver 1993: 292). At a more detailed level, teachers have to keep context and comprehensibility foremost in their planning and presentations, they are responsible for selecting and adapting authentic materials for use in class, they become student needs analysts, and they have to create truly learner-centered classrooms. As Brinton et al.
     • Stryker and Leaver suggest the following essential skills for any CBI instructor: 1. Varying the format of classroom instruction 2. Using group work and team-building techniques 3. Organizing jigsaw reading arrangements 4. Defining the background knowledge and language skills required for student success 5. Helping students develop coping strategies 6. Using process approaches to writing 7. Using appropriate error correction techniques 8. Developing and maintaining high levels of student esteem (Stryker and Leaver 1993: 293)
   • Student ́s role
     • One goal of CBI is for learners to become autonomous so that they come to “understand their own learning process and . . . take charge of their own learning from the very start” (Stryker and Leaver 1993: 286). In addition, most CBI courses anticipate that students will support each other in collaborative modes of learning.
   • Characteristics
     • 1. The subject matter content is used for language teaching purposes. 2. Teaching should build on students' previous experiences. 3. Learners feel motivated when they perceive the relevance of the language used. 4. The Teacher helps students to complete or build expressions when they can´t. 5. Language is learned most effectively when it is used with a real purpose. 6. Vocabulary is easier to acquire when it is used to convey meaning. 7. Language support is needed when they work with authentic subject matter. 8. Learners work with meaningful and cognitively demanding language and content. 9. Communicative competence involves more than using language conversationally.
   • Activities
     • There are a number of descriptions of activity types in CBI. Stoller (1997) provides a list of activities classified according to their instructional focus. The classification categories she proposes are:
       • language skills improvement
       • vocabulary building
       • discourse organization
       • communicative interaction
       • study skills
       • synthesis of content materials and grammar.
   • Materials
     • the materials that facilitate language learning are the materials that are used typically with the subject matter of the content course. It is recommended that a rich variety of materials types be identified and used with the central concern being the notion that the materials are “authentic.” In one sense, authenticity implies that the materials are like the kinds of materials used in native-language in- struction.
     • . Whatever facilitates subject matter of the content course. 2. Comprehensibility and authenticity are both important in CBI. 3. In addition, instructional media enriches the context.
   • APPROACH
     • Approach Content-based instruction is based in two assumptions: 1.- People learn a second language more successfully when they use the language as a means of acquiring information. This assumption reflects one of the motivations for CBI noted earlier that it leads to more effective language learning.
     • Approach 2.- It better reflect learners needs for learning a second language. Many ESL, EFL programs focus on preparing students for academic studies or for mainstreaming.

2. COOPERATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING

   • Cooperative Language Learning (CLL) is part of a more general instruc- tional approach also known as Collaborative Learning (CL). Cooperative Learning is an approach to teaching that makes maximum use of cooper- ative activities involving pairs and small groups of learners in the class- room
   • Teacher's role
     • Th eTeacher is • responsible to set up the lesson for example, specifying the academic objectives and collaborative skills, arranging the classroom, determining the group size, assigning students to group, • responsible to promote cooperation (going around the class to check on student’s work, monitor student’s behaviour while working in groups) • provide feedback
   • Student ́s role
     • play an active role in learning. They have the autonomy to discuss among their group members, research on informations and solve problems
     • The success of CL is crucially dependent on the nature and organization of group work. This requires a structured program of learning carefully designed so that learners interact with each other and are motivated to increase each other’s learning. Olsen and Kagan (1992) propose the fol- lowing key elements of successful group-based learning in CL: – Positive interdependence – Group formation – Individual accountability – Social skills – Structuring and structures
   • Characteristics
     • In language teaching its goals are: – to provide opportunities for naturalistic second language acquisition through the use of interactive pair and group activities – to provide teachers with a methodology to enable them to achieve this goal and one that can be applied in a variety of curriculum settings (e.g., content-based, foreign language classrooms; mainstreaming) – to enable focused attention to particular lexical items, language struc- tures, and communicative functions through the use of interactive tasks – to provide opportunities for learners to develop successful learning and communication strategies – to enhance learner motivation and reduce learner stress and to create a positive affective classroom climate CLL is thus an approach that crosses both mainstream education and second and foreign language teaching.
     • Raise the achievement of all students, including those who are gifted or academically handicapped – help the teacher build positive relationships among students – give students the experiences they need for healthy social, psychologi- cal, and cognitive development – replace the competitive organizational structure of most classrooms and schools with a team-based, high-performance organizational structure (Johnson, Johnson, and Holubec 1994: 2)
   • Activities
     • Johnson et al., (1994: 4–5) describe three types of cooperative learning groups.
       • 1. Formal cooperative learning groups. These last from one class period to several weeks. These are established for a specific task and involve students working together to achieve shared learning goals.
         • 1. Team practice from common input – skills development and mastery of facts
       • 2. Informal cooperative learning groups. These are ad-hoc groups that last from a few minutes to a class period and are used to focus student attention or to facilitate learning during direct teaching.
         • 2. Jigsaw: differentiated but predetermined input – evaluation and syn- thesis of facts and opinions
       • 3. Cooperative base groups. These are long term, lasting for at least a year and consist of heterogeneous learning groups with stable mem- bership whose primary purpose is to allow members to give each other the support, help, encouragement, and assistance they need to succeed academically.
         • 3. Cooperative projects: topics/resources selected by students – discovery learning
   • Materials
     • Materials play an important part in creating opportunities for students to work cooperatively. The same materials can be used as are used in other types of lessons but variations are required in how the materials are used.
   • APPROACH
     • It is viewed as a learner-centered approach to teaching held to offer advantages over teacher-fronted classroom methods. In language teaching its goals are:

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