Communicative Language Teaching focuses on developing students' communicative competence or ability to use language appropriately in different social contexts. It emphasizes using authentic materials from real-world situations to promote using language for meaningful purposes rather than just studying its structure. Some key principles are integrating grammar and vocabulary learning with functional uses, situational contexts and social roles; viewing errors as natural parts of communication skill development; and encouraging cooperation, choice, and feedback through activities like information gaps, language games, role-plays and storytelling with pictures.
2. Introduction
● Vocabulary and structure are important, but
not enough for communication
● Communicative competence (Hymes, 1971):
knowing when and how to say what to
whom.
● In reaction to Chomsky’s linguistic
competence. Linguistic competence doesn’t
justify social and functional rules of the
language.
● To enable students to communicate in the
target language
3. Principles
● Authentic language in real context:sports
columns from a recent newspaper.
● Language: a vehicle for communication, not
the object of study (language for
communication).
● Language use at higher levels (supra
sentential, text or discourse level).
● Opportunities for self expression
4. Principles
Errors as natural outcome of development of
communication skills.
Establishment of situations to promote
communication.
Cooperation and team work as a chance to
negotiate meaning.
5. Principles
● Role play as an example of social context
(language for communication)
● Language forms with respect to social
communicative norms (talking to your boss
vs. talking to your colleague)
● A choice about what to say (linguistic
competence) and how to say
(communicative one).
6. Principles
● Grammar and vocabulary from functions,
situational context and roles.
8. Techniques
● Authentic materials
● Scrambled sentences
● Language games
● Picture strip Story
● Role-play
9. Questions for Discussion
● Do the principles of CLT make sense to
you?
● Should authentic language materials be
used in the classroom?
● What are your concerns when applying CLT
in your teaching?
