CLT - COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING
CLT is an approach to the teaching of second and foreign languages that emphasizes interaction as the ultimate goal of learning a language. It is also referred to as "communicative approach to the teaching of foreign languages" or simply the "Communicative Approach".
CLT has been seen as a response to the Audio - Lingual Method (ALM), and as an
extension or development of the Notional-Functional Syllabus.
Overview of CLT :
• CLT places great emphasis on helping students use the target language in a variety of contexts
• CLT places great emphasis on learning language functions
• Its primary focus is on helping learners create meaning rather than helping them develop perfectly grammatical structures or acquire native-like pronunciation.
• Communicative competence is the main goal of CLT
CLT is most often defined as a broad approach to teaching, rather than as a teaching method. There are clearly defined set of classroom activities. They are defined as a list of general features and principles.
1. Classroom goals are focused on all of the components of communicative competence and not restricted to grammatical or linguistic competence.
2. An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language
3. The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation.
4. An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activities outside the classroom
5. Students are given opportunities 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. Classroom objectives reflect the needs of the learner
Activities
• Activities in CLT typically involve students in real or realistic communication, where the accuracy of the language they use is less important than successful achievement of the communicative task they are performing.
• What matters in these activities is that students should have a desire to communicate something. They should have fra^e-a purpose of communicating ( e.g. to buy an airline ticket)
• Students should be focused on the content of what they are saying or writing rather than on a particular language form.
• They should use a variety of language rather than just one language structure.
• Activities should replicate real communication
• Teacher should not intervene to stop the activity
• Materials should not dictate what specific language forms the students use
COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES
A desire to communicate A communicative purpose Content not form Variety of language No teacher intervention No materials control
Example Activities
Role Play
Interviews
Information Gap
Games
Surveys
Pair Work
Learning by teaching
RobertSosik