Teaching language

Through

C LT
As a LANGUAGE teacher ,what is
your primary goal in teaching?
 C LT
COMMUNICATIVE
LANGUAGE
TEACHING
Also referred to as
Communicative Approach
COMMUNICATIVE
COMPETENCE
- is the learner’s ability to apply
knowledge of both formal and
sociolinguistic aspects of a language
with adequate proficiency to
communicate.
COMPONENTS OF
COMMUNICATIVE
COMPETENCE
COMPONENTS OF
COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
Discourse Competence –
ability to combine grammatical
forms and meanings to find
different ways to speak and to
write. Also called fluency.
 COMPONENTS OF
COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

Grammatical Competence- the ability

to use the features ( i. e. vocabulary and
pronunciation) and rules of language.
Also referred to as accuracy.
 COMPONENTS OF
COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

.Sociolinguistic Competence – ability to

use language correctly in specific social
situations. Also called appropriacy
 COMPONENTS OF
COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

.Strategic Competence the ability to use

both verbal forms and non-verbal
communication to compensate for lack of
knowledge in the other three
competencies. Also called efficacy.
 Is teaching of language using a
variety of activities that require
learners to make use of the target
language as a means of learning the
language.
 WHAT IS CLT?

* CLT is based on the theory of language as

communication.

.
 It is an approach that makes
communication the center and vehicle
of acquiring other skills.
  Is an approach to teaching
that emphasizes interaction as both the
means and the ultimate goal of learning a
language.
 It is learner- centered
 It emphasizes on real- life
situations
GOALS
 To enable the students to
communicate in the target language
( communicatively competent)
 Communicative competence rather
than grammatical structures as
central to teaching
 to know how to use the
language for a range of
different purpose and function
 To know how to maintain
communication despite having
limitation in ones knowledge of
language.
WHY
CLT
(PRINCIPLES)
1.Second language learning is facilitated when
learners are engaged in interaction and
meaningful communication.
2. Effective classroom learning tasks and
exercises provide opportunities for students
to negotiate meaning, expand their language
resources, notice how language is used, and
take part in meaningful intrapersonal
exchange.
3. Language learning is a gradual process that
involves creative use of language and trial
and error.
4. Learners develop their own routes
to language learning, progress at
different rates, and have different
needs and motivations for language
learning.
5. Successful language
learning involves the use of
effective learning and
communication strategies.
6. The classroom is a community
where learners learn through
collaboration and sharing.
HOW
 STAGES:

Stage 1: Presentation
Stage 2 : Practice
Stage 3: Production
Stage 4: Feedback
EXAMPLE ACTIVITIES:
 Role Plays
 Interviews
 Information Gap
 Games
 Dialogues
 Surveys
 Pair Work
 Debates
 Etc.
 Structural Practice
(Audio-Lingual Drills)
Objective: To produce the correct form of the simple past:

Prompt: Jessie has written the letter.

Response: He wrote it yesterday:
P: Jessie has seen the movie.
R: He saw it yesterday

Structural practice is still a useful tool, especially if the teacher

wants to focus on an important feature of a structural system.
 Relating Structure to Communicative
Function
Prompt: By the way, has John written that letter
yet?
Response: Yes, he wrote it yesterday.
P: Has he seen the film yet?
R: Yes, he saw it yesterday. (and so on)

The prompt is not just a “perfect interrogative” but also a

“question”, while the response is not only “Past declarative”
but a “reply.”
Practice: Your friend makes a lot of suggestions,
but you feel too tired to do anything.
P: Shall we go to the library?
R:
P: How about to the canteen?
R:

Structure:
Function:
Practice: Your friend makes a lot of suggestions, but
you feel too tired to do anything.
P: Shall we go to the library?
R: I’m sorry, I don’t feel like going to the library.
P: How about to the canteen?
R: I’m sorry, I don’t feel like going to the canteen.

Structure: Use of gerund

Function: Ways of Rejecting and suggesting
In CLT, students learn about language in social context,
such as the difference between speaking with an
elder and a peer.

Good morning
sir, how are
you?

Hello! How
are you?
In CLT, students practice everyday situations
that involve communication, such as asking
someone for the time.

Excuse me,
what time is
it?

Its three
o’clock.
Sample dialogue:
S1: Which do you prefer, milk or coffee?
S2: I prefer milk.
or I prefer coffee.
or I like them both.
or I don’t like either.
At a later stage, two exchanges may be combined to
form a longer conversational sequence:
cinema: detective film, love film, war film
meal: Indian meal, Chinese meal, Filipino meal
Drinks.: coffee, juice, soda
concert: KPOP concert, classical concert, rock concert
S1: Shall we go to the cinema?
S2: No, I’d rather go to ___________.
S1: What kind of concert?
S2: I’d like to hear some _____________.
 Cued Dialogue
Partner A: Partner B:
You meet B at the gym You meet A at the gym.
A: Greet .B. A:
B: B: Greet A.
A: Ask B where she’s going. A:
B: B: Say you’re going for a
A: Suggest somewhere to walk.
go together. A:
B: B: Reject A’s suggestion.
A: Accept B’s suggestion. Make a different
B: suggestion.
A:
B: Express pleasure
 Open Dialogue
You are visiting a friend, Peter.
Peter: Let’s have a drink. What would you like, soda or
coffee?
You:_________________________________
Peter: I’ll put on a film first. Do you like scifi?
You: _________________________________
Peter: What do you feel like doing afterwards?
You: _________________________________
Peter: All right. Well, I’ll go and get the drinks.
Open dialogues and cued
dialogues already require the
learner to develop a moderate
degree of independence in using
the language he has learned.
The exercise puts students in a real-
world listening situation where they
must report information overheard.
Most likely they have an opinion of
the topic, and a class discussion
could follow, in the target language
about their experiences and
viewpoints.
Suggested Topics for Debate
- Books are better than television.
~ Importance of teachers in education
~ Should computers replace teachers?
~ Are school uniforms needed?
~ Reading - an emerging trend or a
dying interest?
~ Should mobile phones be allowed in
schools?
~ Junk food must be banned in schools.
~ Are sports and games as important as
studies?
~ Is year-round schooling necessary?
Basic Principles
for Teachers
• A teacher's main role is a facilitator
and monitor rather than leading the
class. In other words, "the guide by
the side" and not "the sage on the
stage".
• Lessons are usually topic or
theme based, with the target
grammar "hidden" in the
context
• Activities set by the teacher have
relevance and purpose to real life
situations - students can see the
direct benefit of learning
 Emphasis on communication and
meaning rather than accuracy.
Being understood takes precedence
over correct grammar. The fine
tuning of grammar comes later.
Emphasis is also put on the
“appropriacy” of language. What is
the most appropriate language and
tone for a particular situation?
• Communicative competence is
the desired goal. i.e. being able
to survive, converse and be
understood in the language.
 Use of songs and games are
encouraged and provide a natural
environment to promote language
and enhance correct
pronunciation
• Feedback and correction is usually
given by the teacher after tasks
have been completed, rather than at
the point of error, thus interrupting
the flow
Basic Principles
for students
• Learners are often more
motivated with this approach as
they have an interest in what is
being communicated, as the
lesson or topic is theme based
• Learners are encouraged to speak
and communicate from day one,
rather than just barking out
repetitive phrases
• Language is created by the
individual, often through trial and
error
• Learners interact with each other in
pairs or groups, to encourage a
flow of language and maximize the
percentage of talking time, rather
than just teacher to student and vice
versa
• Unless the focus is on the accuracy
stage of the lesson, learners are
corrected at the end of an activity so
as not to interrupt their thought
process
The Bottom line
 We want our learners to learn
enough, realistic and whole
language.
 We want our students to
communicate using appropriate
social language, gestures,
expressions.
 Classroom activities as much as
possible, should mirror the real
world and use real world or
“authentic sources” as the basis for
classroom learning.
 The theory behind CLT
suggests that we learn language
by using it.
 What defines CLT is its focus
on the need to develop
communicative competence.
 Remember:
As individuals most of us do not
learn a language in order to
communicate. First, we try to
communicate, and in so doing,
we learn the language!
 Principles:
• The primary function of language is for interaction
and communication.
• Language is a system for the expression of meaning.
• The activities that truly communicative have features
of information gap, choice, and feedback; they must
be guided by the teacher for unrehearsed situations.
• Authentic materials should be used.
• True communication is purposeful.
• Activities are better carried out in small groups in
which interaction among students are maximized.
Spot the Errors
Look for the error in each sentence below. Then replace
each one with correct or accurate word.
1. You and me will go to Sagada this coming summer.
2. We are going to celebrate the National Reading
Month on November.
3. We teach the pupils how to use simple past tense of
verb yesterday.
4. She dances gracefull.
5. The mayor as well as his bodyguards travel to
Manila every weekend.
 What are the benefits and challenges of using communicative
activities?
Benefits of using Communicative
Activities
•More exposure to Target Language
•More authentic opportunities to
USE the language
•Fun and interesting for learners
•Provides opportunity to use
authentic materials
 
 
Some of the challenges of using
Communicative activities
•Teachers need to know how to offer
support and what support needs to be
offered. This can mean more time
needed for planning and preparation of
activities.
•Communicative activities can pose
challenges in assessment
•Learners can be resistant- especially if
they are accustomed to teacher-centred
styles of teaching
Focus Of Instruction
Instructional
Materials
Text- Based

Examples:

*Practice exercises
*Reading passages
*gap fills
*recordings
TASK- BASED

Examples:

• Game boards
• Role play cards
• Materials for Drilling
• Pair work tasks ( they must support “real life” tasks such as a
role playing)
Realia

Examples:

• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Fruits and vegetables
• Real object/ tools( things from the real world outside the
classroom)
• maps