Communicative
language teaching
(CLT)
Mr. / Girgis
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“The sufferings of this present
time are not worth comparing
with the glory that is to be
revealed to us.”
—Romans 8:18
Humor:
Teacher: I hope I didn't
see you looking at
Maria's answers.
you didn't, either!
Dear visitor,
Use the language selector above to go
through my whole site using any native
language you speak,
then you can enjoy my YouTube channel.
اختاراي لغة من لغات العالم / اللغة التى تريد تصفح موقعى
باستخدامها . استخدم المؤشر
الذى فى الاعلى
I register a video presentation in my
YouTube channel for each page of
my site.
Next,use the other world site selector
above to go to the search engine site or
the social media site you like.
What is CLT?
Principles
characteristics
Using the Method
Features and Techniques
Role of the teacher
Model Example
What is CLT?
Communicative
language teaching (CLT), or the
communicative approach, is an approach
to language
teaching that emphasizes interaction
as both the
means and the ultimate goal of study.
Language learners in
environments utilizing CLT
techniques learn and practice the target
language
through interaction with one another and the instructor,
study
of "authentic texts" (those written in the target
language for purposes
other than language learning),
and use of the language in class combined
with use of
the language outside of class
Communicative Language Teaching
The term "Communicative Language Teaching" (CLT)
means different
things to different teachers. To some
teachers, it simply means a
greater emphasis on the
use of the target language in the classroom, and
in
particular, a greater emphasis on orality.
To other teachers,
communication entails the exchange
of unknown information between
interlocutors. An
effective knowledge of a language is more than merely
knowing vocabulary and rules
of grammar and
pronunciation.
Learners need to be able to use the
language
appropriately in any social context. Theorists agree
that meaningful communication supports language
learning and that classroom activities must focus on
the learner’s authentic needs to
communicate
information and ideas.
Principles
Language learning is learning to communicate using
the target language.
The
language used to communicate must be
appropriate to the situation, the
roles of the speakers,
the setting and the register. The learner needs
to
differentiate between a formal and an informal style.
Communicative activities are essential. Activities
should be presented in a situation or context and
have a communicative purpose.
Typical activities of this approach are: games,
problem-solving tasks,
and role-play.
There should be information gap, choice and feedback
involved in the activities.
Learners must have constant interaction with and
exposure to the target language.
Development
of the four macro-skills — speaking,
listening, reading and writing — is
integrated from the
beginning, since communication integrates the
different skills.
The topics are selected and graded regarding age,
needs, level, and students’ interest.
Motivation is central. Teachers should raise students’
interest from the beginning of the lesson.
The role of the teacher is that of a guide, a facilitator or
an instructor.
Trial and error is considered part of the learning
process. Evaluation concerns not only the learners’
accuracy but also their fluency.
Its basic characteristics:
1. learning to communicate through interaction .
2. The introduction of authentic texts into the learning
situation.
3. learners focus on language and the learning
process itself.
4. An enhancement of the learner’s own personal
experiences.
5. linking classroom language learning with language
activities.
Main Features and Techniques:
Meaning is paramount.
Dialogues, if used, enter around communicative
functions and are not normally memorized.
Contextualization
is a basic premise. (Meaning cannot
be understood out of context.
Teachers using this
approach will present a grammar topic in a
meaningful
context.
Role of the teacher
The role of the teacher is to be facilitator of his
students‟ learning. He suggests that language
teachers need to assist learners by providing them
with frameworks, patterns and rules to develop their
communicative language skills.
The Demerits:
Teacher must be a very knowledgeable person.
Students and teacher must
understand each other.
.Inadequate use of authentic materials can damage
the course.CLT approach focuses on fluency, but not
accuracy.
The weaker learners who struggle and cannot use the
target language continue to make mistakes and
eventually give up.
Model Example 1
Structures:
(Consist of):
Guided practice model:
(Football team - 11 players)
Student1:
/ How many players does a................consist of?/
Student2:
/ It consists of....................................................../
Free practice:
Starting with pattern practice, then moving into
communication practice. Learners communicate
using the same prompts with new patterns in
pairs:
/ Water Polo team - 5 players /
/ Baseball team - 9 players /
/ Squash team - 1 player /
/ Soccer team - 11 players /
Elicitation:
I ask the following questions and
elicit the answers:
1- My learners, Can I elicit the structure
from you?
2-What repeated words have you
discovered through your practice?
3-What comes before?
What comes after?
Then, what is the the rule form?
Classroom Activities
1-Role-play
Role-play is an oral activity usually done in pairs, whose
main goal is to develop students' communicative abilities
in a certain setting.
Example:
The instructor sets the scene: where is the conversation
taking place? (E.g., in a café, in a park, etc.)
The instructor defines the goal of the students'
conversation.
(E.g., the speaker is asking for directions,
the speaker is ordering
coffee, the speaker is talking
about a movie they recently saw)
The students converse in pairs for a designate...
2-Interviews
An interview is an oral activity done in pairs, whose main
goal is to develop students' interpersonal skills in the TL.
Example:
The instructor gives each student the same set of
questions to ask a partner.
Students take turns asking and answering the questions
in pairs.
This activity, since it is highly-structured, allows for the
instructor to more closely monitor students' responses.
It can zone in
on one specific aspect of grammar or
vocabulary, while still being a
primarily communicative
activity and giving the students communicative
benefits................
3-Group work
Group work is a collaborative activity whose purpose
is to foster communication in the TL, in a larger group setting.
Example:
Students are assigned a group of no more than six
people.
Students are assigned a specific role within the group.
(E.g., member A, member B, etc.)
The instructor gives each group the same task to
complete.
Each member of the group takes a designated amount
of time to work on the part of the task to which they are
assigned. The members of the group discuss the
information they have found, with each other and
put it all together to complete the task.
4-Information gap
Information gap is a collaborative activity, whose purpose
is for students to
effectively obtain information that was
previously
unknown to them, in the TL.
Example:
The class is paired up. One partner in each pair is Partner
A, and the other is Partner B.
All the students that are Partner A are given a sheet of
paper with a
time-table on it. The time-table is filled in
half-way, but some of the
boxes are empty.
All the students that are Partner B are given a sheet of
paper with a time-table on it. The boxes that are empty
on Partner A's time-table are filled in on Partner B's.
There are also empty boxes on Partner B's time-table,
but they are filled in on Partner A's.
The partners must work together to ask about and supply
each other with the information they are both missing,
to complete each other's time-tables..
5-Opinion sharing
Opinion sharing is a content-based activity, whose
purpose is to engage students' conversational skills,
while talking about something they care about.
Example:
The instructor introduces a topic and asks students
to contemplate
their opinions about it.
](E.g., dating, school dress codes, global
warming)
The students talk in pairs or small groups, debating their
opinions on the topic.
6-Scavenge hunt
A scavenger hunt is a mingling activity that promotes open
interaction between students.
Example:
The instructor gives students a sheet with instructions on it.
(e.g.
Find someone who has a birthday in the same month
as yours.)
Students go around the classroom asking and answering
questions about each other.
The students wish to find all of the answers they need to
complete the scavenger hunt.
