Communicative Language Teaching(CLT)

 CLT is an approach to the teaching of second and foreign languages that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language. It is also referred to as “communicative approach to the teaching of foreign languages” or simply the “Communicative Approach”.  As such, it is most often defined as a list of general principles or features. One of the most recognized of these lists is David Nunan’s (1991) five features of CLT:
1-An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language.
2-The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation.
3-The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language but also on the Learning Management process.
4-An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning.
5-An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activities outside the classroom.
These five features are claimed by practitioners of CLT to show that they are very interested in the needs and desires of their learners as well as the connection between the language as it is taught in their class and as it used outside the classroom. Under this broad umbrella definition, any teaching practice that helps students develop their communicative competence in an authentic context is deemed an acceptable and beneficial form of instruction. Thus, in the classroom CLT often takes the form of pair and group work requiring negotiation and cooperation between learners, fluency-based activities that encourage learners to develop their confidence, role-plays in which students practice and develop language functions, as well as judicious use of grammar and pronunciation focused activities.

One of the most famous attacks on Communicative Language teaching was offered by Michael Swan in the English Language Teaching Journal on 1985[2]. Henry Widdowson responded in defense of CLT, also in the ELT Journal (1985 39(3):158-161). More recently other writers (e.g. Bax[3]) have critiqued CLT for paying insufficient attention to the context in which teaching and learning take place, though CLT has also been defended against this charge (e.g. Harmer 2003[4]).
Often, the Communicative Approach is deemed a success if the teacher understands the student. But, if the teacher is from the same region as the student, the teacher will understand errors resulting from an influence from their first language. Native speakers of the target language may still have difficulty understanding them. This observation may call for new thinking on and adaptation of the Communicative Approach. The Adapted Communicative Approach should be a simulation where the teacher pretends to understand only what any regular speaker of the target language would and reacts accordingly.[5]

REFERENCES:

1- Luke, Meddings (2004-03-26). "Throw away your textbooks". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
2- Swan, Michael (1985) in the English Language Teaching Journal 39(1):2-12, and 1985 39(2):76-87
3- Bax, S (2003) The end of CLT: a context approach to language teaching ELT J 2003 57: 278-287
4- Harmer, J. (2003) Popular culture, methods, and context ELT J 2003 57: 288-294
5-van Hattum, Ton (2006), The Communicative Approach Rethought