Grammar Teaching
Some misconceptions about communicative language teaching
Geoff Thompson
ELT Journal Volume 50/1 January 1996, pp. 9 - 15
Although communicative language teaching is accepted by many applied linguists and teachers as the most effective approach among those in general use, there are still a number of misconceptions about what it involves. This article sets out four of the main misconceptions, discusses why they have arisen, and why they can be so described. In doing this, the article attempts to define some important characteristics of communicative language teaching as it is practised at present.
Introduction
Whatever the situation may be as regards actual teaching practices, communicative language teaching (CLT) is well established as the dominant theoretical model in ELT. There have been recurrent attempts to take stock of CLT and to identify its characteristic features (e.g. Richards and Rodgers 1986) and in areas such as teacher training the principles of CLT are largely treated as clearly understood and accepted (see, for example, Harmer 19911).
Despite this apparent unanimity, many teachers remain somewhat confused about what exactly CLT is. At the more abstract end, there is general agreement that CLT involves an emphasis on communicating by means of the foreign language (the way in which this idea is expressed tends, as here, to be so vague as to make it difficult to disagree with): at the practical classroom end, CLT is strongly associated with a number of particular activity types, such as problem-solving and pair work. But in the middle ground, the area where theory meets practice, things become less certain, For example, what exactly does CLT set out to teach? Is there such a thing as a communicative language syllabus? If so, what does it consist of? Is it simply a notional-functional syllabus under a new name? Or does CLT only exist as a methodological approach, a way of helping learners to practise the skills needed to put their knowledge of the
Geoff Thompson
ELT Journal Volume 50/1 January 1996, pp. 9 - 15
Although communicative language teaching is accepted by many applied linguists and teachers as the most effective approach among those in general use, there are still a number of misconceptions about what it involves. This article sets out four of the main misconceptions, discusses why they have arisen, and why they can be so described. In doing this, the article attempts to define some important characteristics of communicative language teaching as it is practised at present.
Introduction
Whatever the situation may be as regards actual teaching practices, communicative language teaching (CLT) is well established as the dominant theoretical model in ELT. There have been recurrent attempts to take stock of CLT and to identify its characteristic features (e.g. Richards and Rodgers 1986) and in areas such as teacher training the principles of CLT are largely treated as clearly understood and accepted (see, for example, Harmer 19911).
Despite this apparent unanimity, many teachers remain somewhat confused about what exactly CLT is. At the more abstract end, there is general agreement that CLT involves an emphasis on communicating by means of the foreign language (the way in which this idea is expressed tends, as here, to be so vague as to make it difficult to disagree with): at the practical classroom end, CLT is strongly associated with a number of particular activity types, such as problem-solving and pair work. But in the middle ground, the area where theory meets practice, things become less certain, For example, what exactly does CLT set out to teach? Is there such a thing as a communicative language syllabus? If so, what does it consist of? Is it simply a notional-functional syllabus under a new name? Or does CLT only exist as a methodological approach, a way of helping learners to practise the skills needed to put their knowledge of the
References: • Andrewes, Simon (2005) The CLT Police: Questioning the communicative approach. Modern English Teacher Vol 14. No 2. • Lowe, Mark (2005) The Shibboleths of TEFL: Straightening out our thinking Modern English Teacher Vol 14, No 1.