Interactive

Views
of
Language
Teaching
 Communicative
Language Teaching
Learners learn a language
through using it to communicate.
Authentic and meaningful
communication should be the
goal of classroom activities.
Fluency is an important
dimension of communication.
Learning is a process of creative
construction and involves trial
 History of Language
Teaching

Direct
Classical Grammar
Method
Translation

Audio-lingual
Communicative -Designer
- Silent
Approach

Strategy-
based
 Beyond Form and
Function:
An Overview of the
Components of the
Communicative
Approach
 The paradigm shift in
language teaching started in
the mid 60s to the 80s.
The focus of language
teaching and learning
became language as a
means of communication.
 Characteristics of communicative
view of language:

1. Language is a system for the

expression of meaning.
2. The primary function of language is
for interaction and communication.
3. The structure of language reflects its
functional and communicative uses.
4. The primary units of language are not
merely its grammatical and structural
features, but categories of functional
and communicative meaning as
 Communicative Language
Teaching is commonly
regarded as one of the most
popular approaches to
language teaching.
It has become the accepted
norm in the field of
approaches to language
teaching.
The very essence of this
 Noam Chomsky was among the
first ones to demonstrate that
standard structural theories of
language were incapable of
accounting for the creativity and
uniqueness of individual
sentences.
 Communicative competence
essentially suggests that teaching
learners to form grammatically
correct sentences is not enough,
learners also need to be able to
use language appropriately in a
variety of contexts (Hymes, 1972).
Basically, the components of this approach are:

Basic principles
Teachers role
Learners role
Materials role
Syllabus
 Basic
Principles
 Objectives
Piepho (1981) discusses the following levels of
objectives in a communicative approach:

1. an integrative and content level

2. a linguistic and instrumental level
3. an affective level of interpersonal relationships
and conduct
4. a level of individual learning needs
5. a general educational level of extra-linguistic
goals
 H.G. Carrol Keith William
Widdowson Brendan Johnson Littlewood
(1978) (1980) (1981) (1981/1995)
1. Teaching of 1. Language is 1. The 1. CLT pays
language as essentially a tool structurally attention to
communication for competent functional
calls for an communication. student and
approach which produce structural
brings linguistic 2. Focus on testing grammatically aspects of
and communicative correct language.
communicative performance. sentences yet 2. Focus on pre-
skills together. unable to communicati
perform ve and
2. Focus on the simple communicati
use of communicativ ve activities.
sentences for e tasks 3. Everyday use
the creation of of language
discourse. 2. Know the focus on
right thing to meaning
say at the than on form.
right time. 4. Opportunities
to express
3. Teaching of their own
communicativ individuality.
e
 Cristopher Marianne
Brumfit/ Celce-Murcia H. Douglas David Nunan
Finocchario (1991) Brown (1989/2000)
(1983/1985) (1994/1997)
1. Language 1. Language is a 1. Learning to 1. Language is
learning is system of communicate a system for
learning to communication. through the
communicate. (Hymes and interaction; expression of
Halliday, meaning. The
2. Contextualizati 1972;1973). Link primary
on is important. classroom function is
2. The goal is the language interaction
3. Communicative ability to learning with and
competence is communicate in language communicati
the desired the target activation on.
goal. language. outside.
(Nunan, 2. Activities
1991) involve real
communicati
on.

3. Objectives
reflect the
needs of the
learner.
Teachers Role
 The teacher has two main roles: the
first role is to facilitate the
communication process between
all participants in the classroom,
and between these participants
and the various activities and
texts. The second role is to act as
an independent participant within
the learning-teaching group.
 H.G. Carrol Keith William
Widdowson Brendan Johnson Littlewood
(1978) (1980) (1981) (1981/1995)
1. Language 1. The
teachers teachers
need not role in the
assume learning
passive roles process is
but can less
explore dominant.
possibilities
of a 2. The
communicati teachers
ve approach role as co-
to teaching
for himself. communic
ator
places him
on an
equal
basis with
 Cristopher Marianne
Brumfit/ Celce-Murcia H. Douglas David Nunan
Finocchario (1991) Brown (1989/2000)
(1983/1985) (1994/1997)
1. They help 1. Facilitates 1. Facilitator
learners in communicati of the
anyway that on and communica
motivates correcting -tion
them to errors is just process.
work with secondary.
the 2. Needs
language. 2. Should be analyst.
able to use
the target 3. Counsellor
language
4. Process
fluently and
Manager
appropriately.
 NEEDS ANALYST

The CLT teacher assumes a

responsibility for determining and
responding to learner language
needs.
 COUNSELOR

Another role assumed by several

CLT approaches is that of
counselor. In this role, the teacher-
counselor is expected to exemplify
an effective communication skills.
 GROUP
PROCESS MANAGER
CLT procedures often require
teachers to acquire less
teacher-centered classroom
management skills.
Learners Role
 The emphasis in
Communicative Language
Teaching on the processes
of communication, rather
than mastery of language.
 Hymes described (1975: 11-17)
seven basic functions that language performs for children learning their first language:

1. the instrumental function

2. the regulatory function
3. the interactional function
4. the personal function
5. the heuristic function
6. the imaginative function
7. the representational function
 H.G. Carrol Keith William
Widdowson Brendan Johnson Littlewood
(1978) (1980) (1981) (1981/1995)

1. They
contribute
their
personality
to the
learning
process.

2. Has to
perform both
pre-
communicati
ve and
communicati
ve activities.
 Cristopher Marianne H. Douglas David Nunan
Brumfit/ Celce-Murcia Brown (1989/2000)
Finocchario (1991) (1994/1997)
(1983/1985)

1. They are 1. Works in 1. Negotiator

expected to groups or and Inter-
interact with pairs. They actor
other people use the
or in their target
writings. language in
situations.
Materials
Role
 A wide variety of materials have
been used to support communicative
approaches to language teaching.
Three kinds of materials currently
used in CLT: Text-based, Task-
based, and Realia.
Cristopher Marianne H. Douglas David Nunan
Brumfit/ Celce-Murcia Brown (1989/2000)
Finocchario (1991) (1994/1997)
(1983/1985)
1. There must be 1. Authentic to 1. Support for 1. Authentic.
linguistic reflect real life language 2. Task-based.
variations. situations. instruction;
must be used
creatively.
2. Promotes
communicativ
e language.
3. Task-based.
4. Authentic.
 TEXT-BASED MATERIALS

There are numerous textbooks

designed to direct and support
Communicative Language Teaching. Their
tables of contents sometimes suggest a
kind of grading and sequencing of
language practice not unlike those found
in structurally organized texts.
 TASK-BASED MATERIALS

A variety of games, role plays,

simulations, and task-based
communication activities have been
prepared to support Communicative
Language Teaching classes. These
typically are in the form of one-of-a-
kind items:
 REALIA

Many proponents of Communicative

Language Teaching have advocated the
use of "authentic," "from-life" materials in
the classroom, these might include
language-based realia
 Syllabus/
Curriculum
 Discussions of the nature of the
syllabus have been central in
Communicative Language Teaching.
One of the first syllabus models to
be proposed was described as a
notional syllabus (Wilkins 1976),
which specified the semantic-
grammatical categories (e.g.,
frequency, motion, location) and the
categories of communicative
 H.G. Carrol Keith William
Widdowson Brendan Johnson Littlewood
(1978) (1980) (1981) (1981/1995)

1. Uses the 1. Semantic

curriculum syllabi and
triangle which Notional-
illustrates the Functional
key role Syllabi.
played by
communicativ
e needs in the
development
of language
curricula.
 Cristopher Marianne
Brumfit/ Celce-Murcia H. Douglas David Nunan
Finocchario (1991) Brown (1989/2000)
(1983/1985) (1994/1997)
1. Include:
1. Language 1. Semantic
courses syllabi -
include and structure
semantic Notional- s
notions. Functional -
Syllabi. functions
- notions
- themes
- tasks
 Wilikins (1972) claimed that a
functional and communicative
definition of language could
actually help develop
communicative syllabi for
language teaching, while Firth
(1950) suggested that a broader
sociocultural context, which
included participants, their
behaviour and beliefs, objects of
linguistic discussion and a word
choice, should also be taken into
Other theorists (Canale and Swain
1980; Widdowson 1989; Halliday
1970) also stressed the importance
of communicative approach to
language teaching particularly the
communicative acts.
A theory of language as
communication lies at the very core
of the CLT. Hymes (1972) advanced
the notions of "competence" and
"performance" introduced by
Chomsky in the 1960s and stated
that the goal of language teaching
was to develop "communicative
competence."
Howatt distinguishes between a "strong" and
a "weak" version of Communicative
Language Teaching:

There is, in a sense, a 'strong' version of the

communicative approach and a 'weak' version.
The weak version which has become more or
less standard practice in the last ten years.
The 'strong' version of communicative teaching,
on the other hand, advances the claim that
language is acquired through communication.
If the former could be described as 'learning
to use' English, the latter entails 'using
English to learn it.' (1984: 279)
 The
Contributions
of the
Communicative
Movement
 1. Goal of Language Teaching: Communicative
Competence that can best serve the needs of the
learner.
 Communicative Competence
(Canale and Swain, 1980)
Grammatical Sociolinguistic Strategic
Competence Competence Competence

(knowledge of lexical Socio-cultural (verbal and non-

items and of rules of Competence verbal communication
morphology, syntax, (knowledge of the strategies that may
sentence- grammar relation of language be called into action
semantics, and use to its non- to compensate for
phonology) linguistic context) break-downs in
communication due to
Discourse performance variables
Competence or to insufficient
(knowledge of rules competence)
governing cohesion
and coherence)
 The list of communicative
competences proposed by Hymes
(1972), and complemented by
other theorists includes:
a) linguistic or grammatical
competence;
b) sociolinguistic or pragmatic
competence;
c) discourse competence,
d) strategic competence (Richards
and Rogers 1986; Hedge 2000),
 Linguistic or grammatical
competence is commonly
referred to as a set of
grammatical rules that guide
sentence formation.
sociolinguistic competence
addresses the extent to which
utterances are produced and
understood appropriately in
different sociolinguistic contexts
depending on contextual factors.
 Discourse competence is related
to the ability of speakers to put
language structures together
coherently and cohesively.
Strategic competence mediates
between the internal traits of the
user's back- ground knowledge and
language knowledge and the
external characteristics of the
situational and cultural context
(Douglas 2000).
 2. A New Type
of Syllabus:
Notional/Function
al Syllabus
 A notional/function syllabus is one
"in which the language content is
arranged according to meanings.
A notional syllabus contains:
(a) the meanings and concepts the
learner needs in order to communicate
(e.g. time, quantity, duration, location)
and the language needed to express
them.
(b) the language needed to express
different functions or speech acts (e.g.
requesting, suggesting, promising,
describing)." (Richards, Platt, and
3. A New Category
of Classroom
Activities:
Meaning Focused
Activities
Information transfer

-- is a type of communicative
activity that involves the transfer
of information from one medium
to another.
 Information Gap

-- is a type of communicative activity

in which everyone is involved and
each learner holds varied
information about a certain topic.
3) Problem Solving

4) Role-Playing and
Simulation
 Communicative
Approach
(Wilkins, 1970s)
Using language rather than
learning more about the
structure.
It is such a misunderstanding
that communicative approach
has come to replace the
structural approach.
 Hymes's theory of
communicative
competence was a definition
of what a speaker needs to
know in order to be
communicatively competent
in a speech community.
 In Hymes's view, a person who acquires
communicative competence acquires
both knowledge and ability for language
use with respect to:
1. whether (and to what degree) something is
formally possible;
2. whether (and to what degree) something is
feasible in virtue of the means of
implementation available;
3. whether (and to what degree) something is
appropriate (adequate, happy, successful)
in relation to a context in which it is used
and evaluated;
4. whether (and to what degree) something is
 Claims of
Communicati
ve Approach
 Students learn to use the
appropriate language they need
for communicating in real life.
It gives the students opportunity
for thorough and meaningful
rehearsal of the English which
they will need for effective
communication.
It teaches the students to
communicate effectively by
understanding and controlling the
Implications of
the
Communicative
Approach
for
Teaching
Purposes
 Communicative implies
semantic, a concern with the
potential meaning of language.
There is a complex relationship
between language form and
language function.
Communicative is relevant to all
four language skills.
Communicative can both refer to
the properties of language to
 Your understanding of what
language is and how learner
learns will determine to a large
extent, your philosophy of
education, and how you teach
English: your teaching style,
your approach, methods and
classroom techniques.
 Strategies that can be
used in Communicative
Approach
Use of dialogues (role-
playing)
Greeting, inviting, asking
permission, or making offers.
Reports
Pictures
 Types of
learning and
teaching
activities
 The range of exercise types and
activities compatible with a
communicative approach is
unlimited.

Classroom activities are often

designed to focus on completing
tasks that are mediated through
language or involve negotiation of in
formation and information sharing.
Development that this approach
brings
The activities come to greater
resemblance to communication
situations that learners might
encounter outside the classroom.
There is increasing opportunity
for learners to express their own
individuality in the classroom.
 Choosing what to teach

Teacher should give emphasis

in the limited time available
and he should give priority to
those which seem to offer
greatest value on widening
the learners communicative
repertoire.
 Students should have:

1.Ability to understand the

language form and
vocabulary.
2.Knowledge of the potential
communicative approach or
understanding of the
function.
3.Relate the forms to functions
 Checklist
for predicting
communicativ
e needs
1. What situations might the
learner encounter?
2. What language activities is the
learner most likely to take part
in?
3. What functions of language are
likely to be most useful?
4. What topics are likely to be
important?
5. What general notions are likely
to be important?
Should CLT be
considered
either an
approach or a
method?
 Richards and Rogers (1986)
claim that it is an approach
rather than a model, since
methods are considered to be
fixed teaching systems with
prescribed techniques, while
approaches are held to be
teaching philosophies that can
be applied in various ways in
 Language is a system of
structurally related elements
for the coding of meaning.
What dimension of language is
prioritized?
- grammatical dimension

What needs to be taught?

- phonological units
- grammatical units and operations
- lexical items
 Language is a vehicle for
the expression of
functional meaning.
What dimension of language is
prioritized?
Semantic and communicative
dimension of language.
What needs to be taught?
Functions, notions of language
 Language is a vehicle for the
realization of interpersonal
relations and for the
performance of social
transactions between
individuals.
What dimension of language is
prioritized?
Interactive dimension of
language.
What needs to be taught?
Patterns of moves, acts
negotiation and interaction
Thank you
for
listening!