Communicative Language Teaching

   The communicative language teaching (CLT or communicative approach) is a teaching method based on the idea that learning language successfully comes through having to communicate a real meaning. When learners are involved in real communication, their natural strategies for language acquisition will be used, and this will allow them to learn to use the language.


About its history:

    CLT became famous in the 1980s and early 2000s as a result of many disparate developments in both Europe and the United States. There was an increased demand for language learning, particularly in Europe because of the migration. People needed to learn an L2 for work or for personal reasons (survival). At the same time, children were increasingly able to learn a foreign language in school. In Britain, the introduction of "comprehensive schools" meant that almost all children had the opportunity to study an L2.

Characteristics:

    Communicative Language Teaching is usually characterized as a broad approach to teaching, rather than as a teaching method with clearly defined set of classroom practices. 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 (linguist) 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 process itself.
4. To imporve learner’s personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning.
5. An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activities outside the classroom.

Role Play:

"Emphasizes the ability to communicate the meaning of the message, instead of concentrating on grammatical perfection."

     The Communicative approach emphasizes the ability to communicate the message (speaking) in terms of its meaning, instead of concentrating exclusively on grammatical perfection or phonetics. 

    Therefore, the understanding of the second language is evaluated in terms of how much the learners have developed their communicative abilities and competencies. It considers using the language to be just as important as actually learning the language.

CTL Goals:

❋ To enable students to communicate in the target language.
❋ Be able to differentiate formal and informal form of language.

❋ Be able to recognize how and when to use each other (formal and informal language).

Important Skills:

❁ Students develop all four skills: Speaking - Listening - Reading - Writing.

❁ Speaking is the most emphasized skill.

Language Elements:

✴ Grammar

✴ Vocabulary

✴ Fluency

Student's Native Language: Students are allowed to use their native language, but they are recommended to use the target language as much as they can.

Student's error: Errors are seen as a natural outcome and the teacher may note them and give them a feedback.

References:

❇https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communicative_language_teaching
❇http://blog.tjtaylor.net/method-communicative/
❇http://www.myenglishpages.com/blog/communicative-language-teaching-communicative-approach/