Friday, March 18, 2016

Blog #10 Communicative language teaching (CLT)

CLT is a widely used approach that contains many detailed and targeted subordinations. And it has been regarded as a harbinger of new era in language teaching, and is in the purpose of providing language competence that is not simply for linguistic competence (Ahmad & Rao, 2012).
In the video of Five Communicated Language Teaching Methods, it demonstrates how CLT can assists EFL learners in diverse contexts of language learning. Each method of CLT has it target that relates to communicative competence. Giving learners a environment that they are so engaged to learn a certain language to communicate, to convey the message, to show themselves and to discuss with peers. Moreover, CLT brings a lot of innovate teaching and learning methods into EFL classroom. Skype, for example, is a very attractive way of learning for learners around the world, providing them a chance to learn a language regardless of the time, space and distance. When I learned English in China, we did not use very creative approaches to adopt this language, because we are more exam-oriented. Communication is not the purpose for learning English in Chinese classrooms. But in the way of CLT, learners autonomy and attitudes come to be more passive when they are able to be self-instructed and self-assessed rather than sitting in the classroom and memorizing vocabularies.
However, there are still some concerns for the practice of CLT. Ahmad and Rao(2012), in their article, argue that “The primary concern from the very beginning of CLT has remained to elaborate and implement methodologies which can promote the use of functional language through participation communicative episodes” (p.28). Admittedly, the efficiency of language learning in communication is obvious for students to improve language skills. But, how can students adopt standard grammar system and proficient vocabulary is a big concern to some degree. While using CLT to adopt language skills, personal skills and preferences are privilege rather than systematical language structure. Some basic of language will missing, thus the foundation of language skills is in concern. Learners may learn useful and common knowledge as well as language skills gradually by following CLT instructions, but once put them into diverse context such as academic, they may not be able to perform their language proficiency as expected.

References:
Ahmad, S., & Rao, C. (2012). Does it work? Implementing Communicative Language Teaching approach in EFL context. Journal of Education and Practice, 3(12), 28-35.

Five Communicative Teaching Methods, Produced by SUPSI as part of the POOLS-M project in 2011.

No comments: