The Success of Communicative Language Teaching Approach (CLT) in the English Classroom of Underdeveloped Countries

The Success of Communicative Language Teaching Approach (CLT) in the English

Classroom of Underdeveloped Countries

 

Communicative language teaching (CLT) refers to an approach of teaching a second or

foreign language that concentrates on interaction as the way and the final goal of

learning the language.[1] CLT sets up real-life situations that students would have to deal

with by communication. Differing from the repetition and drills of the audio-lingual

method of teaching, a class exercise using the communicative approach will vary

according to the reactions and responses of the students to the real-life simulations

that change from day to day. Students are motivated by their desire to communicate in

meaningful ways about meaningful topics.[2]

 

CLT is usually seen as broad approach to teaching with the following features:

1. The emphasis on interaction in the target language in learning to communicate.

2. The use of authentic texts in the learning process.

3. The focusing on language and the Learning Management process.

4. The value given to the students’ own personal experience in the learning process.

5. The association of language learning in the classroom with language activities

    outside of it.

CLT uses classroom activities such as example activities, role play, interviews,

information gap and games. The communicative approach is often considered

successful if the teacher understands the student, with the teacher from the same

region as the student understanding errors attributable to their first language orientation,

while the native target language teacher may still find difficulty in understanding the

student. To address the difference, CLT may simulate situations where the teacher

pretends to understand only what a regular target language speaker would and

responds from that perspective.[3] In spite of criticism, CLT remains popular, particularly

in Japan, Taiwan and Europe. Supporters hold that the approach develops and

upgrades speaking, writing, listening and reading skills and avoids the passive listening

of students to the teacher without interaction.[4]

 

The lives of people are increasingly being impacted by globalization and technological

development in such areas as business and industry, governmental functions and the

sciences, which has caused the dominance of the communicative approach in teaching

the English language to achieve functional interaction, rather than native-like perfection.

Multinational integration has resulted in English being shared and used as an additional

language among many groups of non-native speakers. Second English language

speakers now outnumber first language speakers and some level of mutual intelligibility

is necessary in all international communications. In the struggle between global

networks and local identity, more people in various countries turn to English for

international communication, but in the process, emphasizing their own variety of it

rather than following colonial standardized norms in order to preserve their identity and

values. This is true in countries like Singapore, Nigeria and the Philippines. Culture is

integrally a part of language learning and the CLT approach must consider the diverse

cultures of the many English-speaking people around the world and adjust accordingly.[5]

 

Employment trends in the 21st century point toward information-based work that

requires the use of English in sophisticated global communications and collaborations

with various people. Increased tourism, business process outsourcing and international

business travel will also correspond to an increased need for English among workers in

these sectors. The emergence of the Internet with its audio/video capabilities in Asia,

the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Latin America for use in reading/research,

writing/authoring and formal/informal communications will also require more people to

read, write, speak and listen to English on a daily basis to achieve their own purposes.

Second language English speakers from underdeveloped and developing countries will

increasingly use the language both as a means to facilitate discourse in international

commerce, technology and science, and to empower discourse in challenging the

inequalities between countries and social groups.[6] The CLT approach in teaching

English has accelerated these learners’ attainment of English proficiency and its

resulting benefits to them.

 

[1] “Communicative Language Teaching”, Wikipedia, 4 April 2011, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communicative_language_teaching>  [accessed 20 June 2011]

[2] “The Communicative Approach in English as a Foreign Language Teaching”, monografias.com,

<http://www.monografias.com/trabajos18/the-communicative-approach/the-communicative-approach.shtml>  [accessed 20 June 2011]

[3] “Communicative Language Teaching”

[4] “Teaching English as a Foreign Language”, Wikipedia, 10 June 2011, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TEFL>  [accessed 20 June 2011]

[5] Mark Warschauer, “The Changing Global Economy and the Future of English Teaching”, 2000

<http://www.gse.uci.edu/person/warschauer_m/global.html>  [accessed 20 June 2011]

[6] ibid

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