Scribd
Upload
31 views2 pages

Reflection On CLT

main issues on CLT

Uploaded by

Maha Alsudaid
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
31 views2 pages

Reflection On CLT

main issues on CLT

Uploaded by

Maha Alsudaid
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Reflection on CLT

What is CLT?
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is a way of teaching languages that focuses on communication.
Its main goal is to help students use the language in real-life situations instead of just memorizing
grammar and vocabulary. In this method learners practice how to communicate effectively because first
it sees language as a tool for interaction, not just a set of rules. Another important matter about how
CLT sees language is through two key ideas: notions and functions. For CLT, notions represent general
concepts like time, space, or quantity. For example, when you say, “It is 5 o’clock,” you’re expressing the
notion of time. Functions are the purposes behind communication, such as making a request, giving
advice, making suggestions, or greeting someone. For instance, when we say the sentence “Can I borrow
your book? It refers to the function of requesting. Therefore we can say that this approach focuses on
the meaning and purpose of language not just its structure, helping learners use language as a form of
action. In my opinion, CLT is useful in many matters like:

1. Teaching people how to use language in daily life.

2. Balancing between the processes of listening/reading and the processes of speaking/writing.

3. Allowing learners to practice in realistic tasks, therefore learning becomes fun and meaningful,
not boring.

4. Helping learners gain confidence by focusing on practical interaction between speakers and
listeners.

5. Using principles from psychology, sociology, and linguistics to make learning effective.

With these matters included in the process of learning, one could say that CLT is an appropriate
method to apply in Iraqi schools. This method also may bring many benefits to English language
learners in Iraq because it focuses on meaning and use to make easy for learners to improve
their fluency naturally.

It is important here to mention that CLT is different from other traditional methods. In traditional
methods, language teaching was focused on learning grammar step by step. The syllabus often
organized lessons around grammar rules and vocabulary lists. For rational methods to know the target
language learners have to start with memorizing words lists and grammar rules. In CLT, the focus
changes to communicative purposes and using language in real-world, not just inside classes. This means
that the context is important to choose the suitable words for every situation. For example, learners
may practice ordering food at a restaurant or asking for directions. This makes lessons more practical
and interactive because it is emphasizes real-life situations over isolated grammar drills.

It is also important to consider the roles of teachers and students according to CLT.
In CLT, teachers become guides to their students by making the subjects easier. Teachers can create
some meaningful activities where students practice using the language. Therefore, the role of teachers
are important in making their students understand and use the suitable words and grammar in real
situations.as for the role of students , they can take an active role in that they work in pairs or groups
to practice communication. They are encouraged to take more responsibility for their learning, making
mistakes, and learning from them.
Although CLT is considered a useful method for teaching specially in making lessons more active and
practical, it has some difficulties. One of these difficulties is for teachers especially when they struggle to
plan activities that make balance between communication and grammar. The second difficulty is for
students who may also face gaps in their grammatical information if lessons focus too much on
functions. However, one may say that with careful planning, CLT can effectively combine form and
meaning to reach the levels of fluency and accuracy in the process of learning.

In Iraq, one can consider some difficulties when trying to apply CLT. It can be said that most Iraqi
schools lack modern materials or technology. But teachers can find a way to solve the problem
by applying CLT using simple resources such as videos, songs, and real-world texts like some
newspapers. The teachers can also design some activities like role-playing to overcome this
problem. . The other difficulty is related to teachers who are not familiar with CLT methods. The
best solution for this problem is making training workshops and professional programs to
improve the teachers ‘level in practicing CLT. All that can help them adapt CLT to their teaching
procedures. However, the biggest problem is the size of classes in Iraq which make it so difficult
to use interactive activities or games. In my opinion, teachers can find solution for this problem
by dividing students into very small groups or pairs to be sure that everyone takes part in the
activities.

It can be said at the end that adopting CLT in the whole world including my country; Iraq can
significantly improve English language education. The positive factors in CLT influenced me to see that it
can be applied in Iraqi classes because it makes students learn the language (real-life communication)
not forcing them to learn about language (forms, structures and vocabulary. Learning can be fun and
easy since it helps learners build confidence and competence by enjoyable activities inside classes.

You might also like