General Site Index

CAPES 2 : Communicative Approaches

Most recent theorists of FL teaching and learning have insisted upon the need to give learners the tools that they need in order to communicate successfully with native speakers. (English, as an international language, is something of a case apart, for it is often used as a lingua franca in situations where it is the only shared means of communication). This has lead to an increasing emphasis on preparing learners to be able to use the language flexibly and fluently in order to say the kinds of things that they might conceivably want to say. This has meant on the one hand rejecting approaches such as Grammar/Translation, which focused mainly on the rules of the language, and on the other avoiding the rote learning of stereotypical 'conversations' set in whatever textbook writers considered to be typical situations. You will find a useful quick summary of how approaches to language teaching have evolved recently in an article on 'Networking approaches to FL teaching' which also gives some idea of how the computer might be used to foster communication.

The concept of communication itself is a difficult one to come to terms with. You may want to see the article by Robert T. Craig on Communication, prepared for 'The Encyclopaedia of Rhetoric'. For a closer look at the concept of 'authenticity' within the context of FL teaching, read David Taylor's article 'Inauthentic Authenticity or Authentic Inauthenticity?'

Communicative approaches insist upon the social nature of language ; in this they differ from grammarians of the Chomskyan school, who see language as first and foremost a discrete system of structural rules. This means that, although the Communicative language teacher is interested in how sentences are correctly formed, she is also careful to ensure that the learner understands the prevailing rules governing the construction of conversations, narratives and discourse. Classroom work will therefore need to take this into account ; the learner will need plenty of opportunity to listen to or to read realistic and authentic examples of constructed language-use.

As it seems clear that learning can only occur when learners are given a chance to practice their skills - both Piaget and Vygotsky agree on this - the communicative language teacher will need to provide occasions when learners will themselves engage in conversation, in narration and in the elaboration of discourse. Group work, pair work, role-play and extended expression - both oral and written - will need to be regular features of the language classroom. Examine a classroom textbook and see what exercises the authors have designed to fulfill this need.

(If you have a question of a comment, write to me at tmason@timothyjpmason.com)