LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY 1

COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING

It is difficult to offer a definition of CLT. It is a unified but broadly based, theoretically

well-informed set of tenets about the nature of language and of language learning
and teaching. Here are six interconnected characteristics as a description of CLT:

1. Classrooms goals are focused on all the components (grammatical,

discourse, functional, sociolinguistic and strategic) of communicative
competence.
2. Language techniques are designed to engage learners in the pragmatic,
authentic, functional use of language for meaningful purposes.
3. Fluency and accuracy are seen as complementary principles underlying
communicative techniques.
4. Students in a communicative class ultimately have to use the language
productively and receptively, in unrehearsed contexts outside the classroom.
5. Students are given the opportunity to focus on their own learning process
through an understanding of their own styles of learning and through the
development of appropriate strategies for autonomous learning.
6. The role of the teacher is that of facilitator and guide, not an all-knowing
bestower of knowledge.
LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY 1

In CLT there is considerably less attention to the overt presentation and discussion
of grammatical rules as it was traditionally done. A great deal of use of authentic
language is implied in CLT, as we attempt to build fluency (Chambers, 1997), under
the guidance, but not control, of the teacher.

There are a numerous interpretations of CLT and thus many possible versions. Here
are the most well-known terms:

1. LEARNER-CENTERED INSTRUCTION

It is contrasted with teacher-centered and includes:

*Techniques that focus on learners’ needs, styles and goals.
*Techniques that give some control to the student (group work or strategy training).
*Curricula that include the consultation and input of students.
*Techniques that allow for students’ creativity and innovation.
*Techniques that enhance a student´s sense of competence and self-worth.
All of this help to give students a sense of “ownership” of their learning and thereby
add to their intrinsic motivation.
LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY 1

2. COOPERATIVE AND COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

Cooperative learning is an organized and structured way to use small groups to

enhance student learning and interdependence. Students are given a task, better
known as an assignment, and they work together to accomplish this task.
Cooperative learning is the process of breaking a classroom of students into small
groups so they can discover a new concept together and help each other learn. The
idea of cooperative learning has been around for decades, but it never got to the
same prominence as blended learning or differentiated instruction.

Collaborative learning is an educational approach to teaching and learning that

involves groups of students working together to solve a problem, complete a task,
or create a product sharing responsibility, authority, and learning outcomes.
Collaborative learning strategies provide the frameworks and step-by-step
processes to facilitate interdependence among group members, active participation,
interactive dialogue, and cocreation of academic products, all of which are hallmarks
of collaborative learning.
Cooperative learning has received a lot of attention and praise—especially since the
1990s when Johnson and Johnson outlined the five basic elements that allowed
successful small-group learning:
 Positive interdependence: Students feel responsible for their own and the
group's effort.
 Face-to-face interaction: Students encourage and support one another; the
environment encourages discussion and eye contact.
 Individual and group accountability: Each student is responsible for doing
their part; the group is accountable for meeting its goal.
 Social Skills: Group members gain direct instruction in the interpersonal,
social, and collaborative skills needed to work with others.
 Group processing: Group members analyze their own and the group's ability
to work together.
Researchers distinguish between these two types of learning, outlining the key
difference being that collaborative learning focuses mainly on deeper learning.
LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY 1

3. THE LEXICAL APPROACH

The lexical approach appeared in the 90s as an alternative to grammar-based

approaches. It concentrates on developing learners' proficiency with lexis, or words
and word combinations. It is based on the idea that an important part of language
acquisition is the ability to comprehend and produce lexical phrases as unanalyzed
wholes, or "chunks", fixed expressions that occur frequently in spoken language.

Four fundamental types of lexical ítems may be identified:

Type 1: a. Words (stop, sure, please).
b. Polywords (of course, by the way, on the other hand).
Type 2: Collocations or word partnerships (make the bed, do a favor, have a good
time, a short-term strategy).
Type 3: Institutionalized utterances (I’ll get it, Nice to meet you, Would you like
some…?, If I were you, I’d…).
Type 4: Sentence frames and heads. (I think that…, I would like to invite you…,
not only…but also…, Firstly, Secondly, In closing…)
LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY 1

4. CONTENT -BASED INSTRUCTION (CBI)

CBI is “the integration of content learning with language teaching aims. It refers to
the concurrent study of language and subject matter, with the form and sequence of
language presentation dictated by content material” (Brinton, Snow and Wesche,
1989).
In many practices, language skills are taught in isolation from substantive content.
When language becomes the medium to transmit informational content of interest
and relevance to the learner, it becomes a vehicle for reaching a set of content goals.
Content -based classrooms may develop an increase in intrinsic motivation and
empowerment, since students are focused on subject matter that is important to their
lives. Challenges vary from a demand for a whole new type of textbooks and other
materials to the training of language teachers to teach the concepts and skills of
various disciplines, professions and occupations, and / or to teach in teams across
disciplines.
LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY 1

5. TASK -BASED INSTRUCTION

A task is as a special form of technique. In many cases, both terms have been
considered as synonyms, but in other cases, a task may be comprised of several
techniques. Tasks are usually “bigger” than techniques.
Peter Skehan defines task as an activity in which:
 Meaning is primary.
 There is some communication problem to solve.
 There is sort of relationship to comparable real-world activities.
 Its completion is a priority.
 It is assessed in terms of outcome.
Task -based instruction is a perspective within CLT framework that forces teachers
to carefully consider all the techniques used in the classroom to contribute to
communicative purposes with well specified objectives as to determine the success
of one technique over another. Learners should be engaged in some form of genuine
problem-solving activities.
LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODOLOGY 1

6. EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Experiential learning (EXL) is the process of learning through experience, and is

more specifically defined as "learning through reflection on doing". It is concerned
with the learner's internal cognitive processes and a result of studies made by
educational psychologists like John Dewey, Carl Rodgers and finally David A. Kolb.
“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation
of experience” (Kolb, 1984).

In the field of second-language acquisition (SLA), the experiential approach

encourages learners to develop the target language skills through the experience of
working together on a specific task, rather than only examining discrete elements of
the target language.

References

BROWN, Douglas H. 2001. Teaching by Principles. An interactive Approach to Language

Pedagogy.Pearson Education. Longman, Inc. New York.
LEWIS, Michael. 1997. Pedagogical implications of the lexical approach. Seconda Language
Vocabulary Acquisition. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge
Websites:
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ669738.pdf
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED455698
https://www.google.com/search?q=poly+words+examples&rlz=1C1SQJL_enPE899PE899&
oq=polywords&aqs=chrome.5.69i57j0l7.169005j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8