Communicative Language Teaching

David Nunan’s (1991) five features of CLT: 1. Students learn to communicate via interaction in the target
language 2. Authentic texts are a central part of the learning situation 3. Instruction provides
opportunities for learners to focus on the target language and on learning management processes
themselves 4. Learners’ personal experiences serve as significant contributing components of classroom
learning. 5. Instruction attempts to link language learning in the classroom with language learning
activities outside.

Collaborative writing

Layout and strucutre

- Set up the writing (genre, topic)

- Students generate possible ideas on the board in mindmap form
- Students work in group to discuss what to include, exclude and order
- Use cards to make it more physical
1. Question round robin
- Give student a piece of paper with a topic
- Get students to walk around and write one question about the topic on each piece of paper
- Questions may not be repeated
- Students use questions as the plan for writing
2. Consequences
- Students write the name of a character then fold the paper
- Students pass the paper on
- Students 2 write next piece of information, then studenbt 3
- When finished, return the paper unfold
3. Send
- Set up the writing (genre and topic)
- Students begin writing in groups
- When teacher says “send”, students stop writing IMMEDIATELY
- Students pass their paper on
- Next group reads, reviews, corrects and continues
4. Speech off, pens on
- Students must not talk
- Put students in pairs and give them a communicative task
- Students send “messages” to each other to communicate
- After the activitiy, look at language use (e.g. informality and short forms)
5. Step by step
- Great for conjunctions (and, but) and ordering words (First, Next, Then)
- Put students in groups
- Students write a simple “how to” guide (e.g. how to make a cup of tea)
- To increase challenge, change the topic