Classroom Research: ELT Methods, Year 4 Second lesson

1. Communicative Language
Teaching (CLT)
Definitions and Principles of CLT
2 Sept 2016
Based on Chapter 1 of Communicative Language Teaching in Action, Klaus Brandl (2008)
And Chapter 1 of Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom, Tricia Hedge (2000)

2. Teacher Roles (4 examples)
• Facilitator of learning:
• Learning facilitator
• Helper/ Guide
• Catalyst to group discussion
• Prompter
• Mediator

3. Source of Advice
•Counselor
•Advisor
•Personal tutor
•Psychologist
•Listener

4. Source of Expertise
Authoritarian (teacher-centered)
• Instructor
• Presenter
• Actor
• Pedagogist
Supportive
• Informant
• Input provider
• Information provider
• Resource
• Source of knowledge

5. Management Roles
• Manager
• Organizer
• Director
• Administrator
• Public Relations officer
• Arranger

6. HW: Reading questions
• 1.2 What do we know about how languages are learned?
1. Explain the relationship between intake and input. What is
the definition of each? How are these concepts related?
2. What is comprehensible output?
3. Why is interaction between students important for learning
a second language? Give an example.

7. HW: Reading questions
• 1.5: What roles can teacher and learners play in the learning
process?
1. Look at the list of teacher roles on pages 28-29. Explain
which one of the roles is most important in your opinion.
Explain why.
2. What are some of the characteristics of a quality lesson
plan?
3. Which “Learner roles” are identified in the article?
Describe each learner role in your own words.

8. More Traditional Classroom
• Teacher- centered
• Learn to memorize
• Focused on grammar
• Homework/assignments copied
out of textbook
• Usually only uses content from
textbooks
• Students learn individually
• Study for the exam
• Encourages student conformity
(all people expected to learn the
same way)
Communicative Language Teaching
• Student- centered
• Learn to communicate
• Focused on speaking fluency
• “Learning-by-doing” ie. Task-
based learning assignments
• Uses a variety of authentic
materials to supplement book
• Students learn collaboratively
• Study to participate fully in class
• Encourages student creativity
(different people learn in
different ways)

9. Teacher-centered vs. Student-centered
Teacher-centered instruction
• Teacher usually stands in front
of the class the whole lesson
• Teacher usually lectures the
whole lesson and students listen
and take notes (teacher=boss)
• Teacher decides curriculum
without input from students
• Students’ grades usually based
on exams
Student-centered instruction
• Teacher usually moves around the
room to observe students working
• Teacher usually provides a task for
students to solve together during
class (teacher=facilitator/monitor)
• Teacher usually gets input from
students about what to teach
• Students earn grades by
demonstrating knowledge in a
variety of ways, not just exams

10. Definition of CLT
• Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an approach to language
teaching, not a specific method
• The doors are wide open for a variety of methods and techniques, as long as
they are appropriate to the given learning context
• CLT is based on the theory that communication is the primary
function of language
• The goal of CLT is to make use of real-life situations that require a
person to communicate with others using the “target language”
(in our case, English)
• The ability to communicate is called Communicative Competence

11. Types of “Communicative Competence”
• Linguistic Competence
• Knowledge of English vocabulary and grammar
• Pragmatic Competence
• Ability to say and do the appropriate thing in a social situation
• Discourse Competence
• Ability to start and end a conversation, and to contribute to a conversation, in
a consistent and coherent manner
• Strategic Competence
• Ability to repair problems in communication
• “What does that mean?” “Could you repeat that?” “Did you say ‘four-zero’ or ‘one-
four’?”

12. Linguistic Competence
• The knowledge of the language itself
• Spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, word formation, grammatical
structure, sentence structure, and linguistic semantics
• Make the following words negative:
• Perfect
• Legal
• Happy
• Audible
• “It is not incompatible to have correctness in the use of rules as an
ultimate goal and, at the same time, to tolerate risk-taking and error
in the classroom as part of the process of achieving communicative
competence.”– Hedge (2000)

13. Pragmatic Competence
• How to use language to achieve a certain goal
• “It’s so hot today.”
• How to be appropriate in the social context
• “Well, I have to get up early tomorrow…”
• Knowledge of social conventions
• “If you would kindly wait a moment, I’ll see if he is available to talk to you.”
• “Ok, hang on a minute. I’ll go get him.”
• How to use appropriate non-verbal cues
• Snapping your fingers at a waiter
• Smiling at a stranger

14. Discourse competence
• How to enter into a conversation/ How to end a conversation
• How to maintain a conversation
• How to develop the topic of the conversation (move it forward)
• How to interrupt someone
• How to confirm that you understand the other speaker
• How to use discourse markers: by the way… ; what I mean is…
• How to use ‘cohesive devices’:
• What did the hurricane do?
1. The hurricane uprooted the trees.
2. The trees were uprooted by the hurricane.
3. It uprooted the trees.

15. Strategic competence
• “How to cope in an authentic communicative situation and how to
keep the communicative channel open.” –Canale & Swain (1980)
• Communication Strategies
• Breakdown of communication
• Change original intention
• Search for other means of expression

16. Strategic Competence Example:
• Swedish student: Every summer we go for a…. You know, um… fjorton dagar, …
um… fourteen days… a for… I mean…
• British student: Oh, a fortnight.
• Swede: Yes, a fortnight. We go for a fortnight to our summer stuga.
• Brit: What’s that?
• Swede: It’s a small house in the country. It has, you know, a garden around it…
[gestures a circle to show an area of surrounding land]
• Brit: Oh, like a cottage, a country cottage.

17. Qualities of CLT
• Classroom activities require frequent interaction among students (or
between students and teachers) to exchange information and solve problems
• Students read or listen to authentic texts related to real-world
contexts
• Learner-centered approach to teaching:
• The teacher considers all students’ backgrounds, language needs, and goals
when planning what to teach and how to teach
• The teacher allows students to be creative in class
• Students help make decisions about what is taught in class

18. Reference
• Brandl, K. 2008. Communicative language teaching in action: putting
principles to work. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson
Education, Inc.