1)

The Communicative Competence is at the EOI is an essential part of the

teaching/learning process and is made up of Linguistic (lexical, grammatical,
phonetic aspects), Pragmatic (functional, discourse), Sociolinguistic (context,
register) and Strategic Competences (learning strategies/ability to adjust).
With the introduction of Communicative Competence, pedagogic attention
shifted from mere mastery of structures to communicative proficiency in language
teaching. Aspects of degree of formality, formal or informal register, oral and
written language norms were added to textbooks keeping the sociolinguistic
competence in mind. Focus should be placed on all of the components of the
communicative competences, not only grammatical or linguistic competence.
The communicative approach to language teaching sees interaction as
both means and ultimate goal of learning a language. A great emphasis should
also be placed on helping students use the target language in a variety of
contexts and learning language functions. The primary focus is on creating
meaning rather than developing perfect grammatical structures and native like
pronunciation; fluency and accuracy can be seen as complementary principles
underpinning communicative techniques.
Successfully learning a foreign language is assessed in terms of how well
learners have developed their communicative competence, which can be loosely
defined as their ability to apply knowledge in both formal and sociolinguistic
aspects of a language with adequate proficiency to communicate.
2)
Communicative language teaching (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. CLT also places great emphasis on
helping students use the target language in a variety of contexts and on learning
language functions.
When applying CLT, or the communicative approach, the teaching process
should be carried out through communicative activities that promote reflection,
self-evaluation and self-sufficiency. The activities developed in class should
encourage communication among students and the use of the language in
unrehearsed contexts.
What types of activities can teachers do?

Role-plays
Interviews
Info- gaps
Games
Language exchange
Surveys
Pair work
Learning by teaching

Task Based Learning and the communicative approach go hand in hand.

Task Based Language Learning (TBLL) focuses on the use of authentic
language and on asking students to do meaningful tasks using the target
language. Such tasks can include visiting a doctor, conducting an interview, or
calling customer service for help. Assessment is primarily based on task
outcome rather than on accuracy of language forms.

(1) Student-centeredness. Teachers should always be aware to plan a lesson for

the aim of students mastery of how to use a language. Encourage students
involvement in the task activities. If the teacher wants to design a task, firstly she
should make sure that the students can get involved in the activity.
(2) Meaning-focused instead of form-focused It is for the accomplishment of
certain tasks that students use certain language forms to communicate
meaningfully with someone. The students dont note down all the rules any more.
Instead, they are involved in the meaningful and interesting activities.
(3) Authenticity. The task given to students should be clear and authentic to the
life reality and have some information transfer. Make sure the task designed is
real in daily life. And tasks can be available everywhere from having dinner to
making a paper plane.
(4) Teamwork. Cooperation is greatly valued during the process of reaching an
outcome of a task. Students should help others, rely on others and learn from
each other. If they are involved in an activity, they must try their best to finish it
with the help of others.
(5) Feedback and evaluation. The reaching of an outcome is by far not the end of
a task. Teachers should pay much attention to the process of feedback. Give
students a chance to report on their findings and experience their achievements.
Without this step, a task can hardly called a task in a TBL class. Teachers should
give appropriate evaluation to their outcome as well.
(6) Inside and outside class. Often an in-class task can lead to post-class
tasks. It is natural that the excitement of the whole class may lead to a further
discussion after class. Once we talked about the prince of BritainCharles
and two women. That is Diana and Camilla. After the argument of the beauty
of the two women on class, the students were so excited that they couldnt
help stopping their talking.
The communicative approach is a useful approach because it motivates
students, enables them and promotes self-sufficiency. Students are able to
link classroom language learning with language activities outside he
classroom, therefore making the whole experience much more authentic.
3) Most ESL teachers nowadays cringe at the thought of using L1 in the L2
classroom. Why? (Scott Thornbury 2010)
Translation encourages dependence on L1, at the expense of the
learner constructing L2 as an independent system.
Translation enforces the notion of equivalence between languages,
yet no two languages are exactly alike

L1 system interferes with L2 system

The natural way of acquiring language is through direct
experience and exposure, not through translation.

While use of L1 in the classroom should be kept to a minimum, it does play a

necessary and facilitating role in the foreign language classroom. (David Atkinson
2013) Atkinson suggests the following possible occasions for using the mother
tongue.
Eliciting language
Checking comprehension
Giving complex instructions to basic levels
Co-operating in groups
Explain classroom methodology at basic levels
Using translation to highlight recently taught item
Checking for sense
Testing
Developing circumlocution strategies (Strategic competence EOI)
4) How should speaking activities be introduced?

5) Visual images are useful tool in the ESL classroom because they lead the
learner to draw out language from their own knowledge and personal
experiences through exposure to the stimuli presented. Visual images encourage
the learner to predict, infer and deduce information from a variety of sources.
Images also help to bring the outside world to the classroom, and thus make the
situation more real and in turn help the learner to use appropriate associated
images.
An even better resource is a video clip. The combination of both image
and sound significantly aids in the achievement of the four skills. The videos
used in the classroom should have purpose or a function.
Why is film such a good resource?
Learning from films is motivating and enjoyable
Motivation is one of the most important factors in determining successful
second-language acquisition. Films and TV shows are an integral part of
students lives so it makes perfect sense to bring them into the language
classroom. Film, as a motivator, also makes the language learning
process more entertaining and enjoyable.
Film provides authentic and varied language
Film gives a visual context
Variety and flexibility

Film can bring variety and flexibility to the language classroom by

extending the range of teaching techniques and resources, helping
students to develop all four communicative skills. For example, a whole
film or sequence can be used to practice listening and reading, and as a
model for speaking and writing. Film can also act as a springboard for
follow-up tasks such as discussions, debates on social issues, role plays,
reconstructing a dialogue or summarizing. It is also possible to bring
further variety to the language learning classroom by screening different
types of film: feature-length films, short sequences of films, short films,
and adverts.
6) The PPP model is a traditional approach to learning grammar. It
has been widely employed mainly for the acquisition of grammatical or
lexical contents. Each of the three Ps stands for a different stage: the
first one is that of presentation. Students are presented with a new
aspect of language either implicitly or explicitly. At the next stage
students are engaged in practice activities, either spoken or written,
whose aim is to automatize the use of the newly grasped concept. At
this point teachers may opt for going over the rules again if students
have not learned them correctly. The final step is production, in which
students will take part in freer communicative activities, such as roleplays, in which they will be asked to use the language more
spontaneously. While some argue that PPP lessons are too controlled
and even teacher-centered, some adults benefit from and want explicit
instruction, as it is what they are used to. Instead of immediately
providing students with rules, they can be engaged in an interactive
process if they are first given the opportunity to infer them by
themselves.
An example of a PPP lesson is perhaps a short listening extract in
which someone talks about their childhood using used to and would.
After listening, the teacher writes a few sentences from the listening
activity on the board asking students to infer the rules paying attention
to the difference between the past simple and used to/would.
Afterward they can practice as a class with examples or with a
controlled practice gap fill or worksheet. In the end the ought to be
able to produce the structures on their own in a free practice oral
activity or writing activity (productive skills).