Communicative language teaching

SIMON COFFEY

CLT emerged in the early 1970s

Resulting from developments in Linguistics Psychology / educational research The language learning ‘market’

• Hymes (communicative competence)• Canale & Swain (pedagogic model to apply

comm competence to language teaching)• Savignon• Brumfitt (in UK)

and see list of references

Key names associated with CLT

Historical overview of language teaching trends:

Who learnt languages?Who learnt languages?

For what purposes?For what purposes?

Foreign language learning as a mark of Culture

From governess to schoolroom and the grand tour

19th century

mass migrations

language learning needs change

Direct method e.g. Berlitz

Beginning of oral drills.(But what doesit all mean?)

Developments in psychology and linguistics

Early 20th century until 1950s

Pavlovianpsychology prevails

Behaviourism

Developed by BF Skinner

Practice makes perfect

Are errors bad habits!

Then came Chomsky (1959)

We have inbuilt grammatical competence.

This innatist (or nativist) view of language overtook behaviourism: Chomsky proposed that we have a deep, inbuilt language acquisition device. Consider:

I promised Tom to not be lateI asked Tom to not be late

or John is easy to pleaseJohn is eager to please

His ideas related to acquisition of L1 but started to be applied to foreign language learning, especially the idea that there is a universal grammar.

1960s Austin Searle

Speech actsWhat do we do with language?The socio-cultural dimensionThink of an example in a language you know functional view of language

1972 Dell Hymes

communicative competence

a language is not just about using a stock of words and rules.

Canale & Swain (1980, 1983)

Hymes’ concept was further developed by Canale and Swain (1980) and then by Canale (1983) into the following four competences:

•Grammatical competence

•Strategic competence

•Socio-linguistic competence

•Discourse competence How can this taxonomy inform language teaching?

Communication

Became key word in language teaching:

i.e. the ability to use language rather than have knowledge about language e.g. to introduce oneself

Accuracy vs. meaning

La plume de ma tante est sur le bureau de mon oncle

Mon mere est une magasin assistant.

focus on structure – language as words and rules

focus on meaning – pragmatic dimension

Despite these theoretical developments school-based language learning often stayed limited to a

combination of grammar-translation and drills

And, is knowledge ofa foreign language(= French / German)the hallmark of an educated person?

1960s / 70sComprehensivization

What are theimplications for language teaching?

Social constructivist view of learning

Vygotsky

Learning is a social activity

Zone of proximal development (ZPD)

What is teaching?

The traditional view mightbe:

the teacher who knows,transmits knowledge to thepupils who don’t know so

thatthey receive knowledge asinput.

The ‘transmission model’

Why is this transmission model inadequate?

Another consideration: Language teaching vs. language use

Language teaching is not the same as language use in

‘natural’ settings. How are they different?

Current (since 2008) MFL National Curriculum

FOUR KEY CONCEPTS

Linguistic competence Knowledge about language Creativity Intercultural understanding

Skills-based approach

Combines skills (especially listening and speaking) with function

e.g. use the future tense to say what you will do next week

Therefore you can ‘describe a future plan’

P P P (presentation – practice – production

still prevalent, though subject to criticism (e.g. Klapper, 2003; Pachler, 2000).

Think of different ways toPresent new language

Practice the new language

(different drill, habituation techniques)

Produce the language (creative contexts)

Striking a balance. Language ...

as a structure for social bonding

for self expression for practical purposes