ANDREA HERNÁNDEZ LÓPEZ

12-5-2022
COMMUNICATIVE CLASSROOM

On many occasions teachers, especially those whose subject is aimed at speaking another
language, think about the best way to create a class where learning can take place while
creating a communicative environment. There are many cases of English classes where
grammar plays a fundamental role. And it is true, grammar plays an essential role when
learning a new language, however, a further step is needed for students to be able to
acquire all the skills of a language. This step is communication and the importance of
teachers as communicators.

As Mrs. Luis Wright has explained, there are many elements that make or can help a
teacher to become a good communicator, so the following are the ones that have
personally caught my attention and which I consider important for a class to be
communicative.

When it comes to preparing English classes, there are many different ways: some focus
more on grammar, others on reading comprehension, others on writing comprehension or
vocabulary. However, if we want a class where communication is the main focus, we
need to increase the attention on speaking and listening. These are probably the two
fundamental skills for developing students' communication skills. In order to work on
these two skills in a dynamic and active way, we can do different activities such as:
activities in pairs and groups, exercises where students can talk and extend themselves by
telling, for example, anecdotes, stories, etc.

However, it is not only necessary to talk about the characteristics of the classroom to
make it a communicative classroom, but also essential that the teacher has the right skills,
such as: positive attitude, facilitator role, creating a good atmosphere in class, among
many others. From my point of view, the teacher is the driving force of a class and as
such, must have and develop characteristics to make the class communicative, because if
the teacher is not communicative, the class will become a traditional classroom.
Moreover, for a class to go from 'traditional' to 'communicative' it is essential and
fundamental to work on it beforehand. There are many ways to organise a class: preparing
lesson plans, making outlines, but as Mrs Wright says, asking yourself is a way to find
out what your students' needs are. Once you have identified the needs, you have to do
authentic exercises and activities, individually or in groups. These authentic activities,
 ANDREA HERNÁNDEZ LÓPEZ
12-5-2022
COMMUNICATIVE CLASSROOM

which aim to develop and improve communicative activities such as speaking, can
incorporate games to make the activities more dynamic. Games are often activities which
learners enjoy and, more importantly, learn from. Because they can incorporate what has
been studied previously. Another way to motivate students to do the activities are rewards,
which can be given in different ways such as a compliment, a positive point or a jellybean.
As can be seen, there are many ways in which the teacher can make a class communicative
and his/her role is always fundamental when it comes to organising them.

On the other hand, once we know the characteristics of the class and the teacher, we will
now, in line with Mrs Wright's presentation, present ways of introducing communicative
exercises and how to make these exercises useful in practice. One simple way of
incorporating communicative activities is to start the class with a short speaking session.
This could be talking about a specific topic or asking how the day was. Personally, I think
these activities help students to relax, switch off and know that the next few minutes are
in English. There are many other activities that are aimed at communication, such as role-
plays, debates, short question exercises, etc. But we must always make sure that the
students have understood what the activity consists of or what it is about. For this, it is
important that they feel comfortable both with the class and with the teacher, so that they
can ask questions if they have doubts. In order to create a good atmosphere in class, a
series of rules can be established, which can be organised at the beginning of the course
so that the students know how to behave. In my opinion, these rules should include a
section on mistakes. In communicative classes, where speaking exercises are the norm, it
is essential that students know the importance of making mistakes. Mistakes are learning
and no one should be laughed at. For this reason, rules and regulations should be made
from the beginning of the course.

Finally, by way of conclusion, English has become a fundamental language used in all
areas, whether at work or in leisure. Communication in English and activities that help to
improve communication between students and also the teacher is those that enhance
language development. The guidelines that Mrs. Wright has taught us are useful in any
classroom, as long as you want to make a communicative classroom.