Communicative Language Teaching: An Introduction

And Sample Activities

Ann Galloway, Center for Applied Linguistics

This digest will take a look at the communicative approach to the teaching of foreign
languages. It is intended as an introduction to the communicative approach for
teachers and teachers-in-training who want to provide opportunities in the classroom
for their students to engage in real-life communication in the target language.
Questions to be dealt with include what the communicative approach is, where it
came from, and how teachers' and students' roles differ from the roles they play in
other teaching approaches. Examples of exercises that can be used with a
communicative approach are described, and sources of appropriate materials are
provided.

Where does communicative language teaching come from?

Its origins are many, insofar as one teaching methodology tends to influence the next.
The communicative approach could be said to be the product of educators and
linguists who had grown dissatisfied with the audiolingual and grammar-translation
methods of foreign language instruction. They felt that students were not learning
enough realistic, whole language. They did not know how to communicate using
appropriate social language, gestures, or expressions; in brief, they were at a loss to
communicate in the culture of the language studied. Interest in and development of
communicative-style teaching mushroomed in the 1970s; authentic language use and
classroom exchanges where students engaged in real communication with one another
became quite popular.

In the intervening years, the communicative approach has been adapted to the
elementary, middle, secondary, and post-secondary levels, and the underlying
philosophy has spawned different teaching methods known under a variety of names,
including notional-functional, teaching for proficiency, proficiency-based instruction,
and communicative language teaching.

What is communicative language teaching?

Communicative language teaching makes use of real-life situations that necessitate

communication. The teacher sets up a situation that students are likely to encounter in
real life. Unlike the audiolingual method of language teaching, which relies on
repetition and drills, the communicative approach can leave students in suspense as to
the outcome of a class exercise, which will vary according to their reactions and
responses. The real-life simulations change from day to day. Students' motivation to
learn comes from their desire to communicate in meaningful ways about meaningful
topics.
Margie S. Berns, an expert in the field of communicative language teaching, writes in
explaining Firth's view that "language is interaction; it is interpersonal activity and
has a clear relationship with society. In this light, language study has to look at the use
(function) of language in context, both its linguistic context (what is uttered before
and after a given piece of discourse) and its social, or situational, context (who is
speaking, what their social roles are, why they have come together to speak)" (Berns,
1984, p. 5).

What are some examples of communicative exercises?

In a communicative classroom for beginners, the teacher might begin by passing out
cards, each with a different name printed on it. The teacher then proceeds to model an
exchange of introductions in the target language: "Guten Tag. Wie heissen Sie?"
Reply: "Ich heisse Wolfie," for example. Using a combination of the target language
and gestures, the teacher conveys the task at hand, and gets the students to introduce
themselves and ask their classmates for information. They are responding in German
to a question in German. They do not know the answers beforehand, as they are each
holding cards with their new identities written on them; hence, there is an authentic
exchange of information.

Later during the class, as a reinforcement listening exercise, the students might hear a
recorded exchange between two German freshmen meeting each other for the first
time at the Gymnasium doors. Then the teacher might explain, in English, the
differences among German greetings in various social situations. Finally, the teacher
will explain some of the grammar points and structures used.

The following exercise is taken from a 1987 workshop on communicative foreign

language teaching, given for Delaware language teachers by Karen Willetts and Lynn
Thompson of the Center for Applied Linguistics. The exercise, called
"Eavesdropping," is aimed at advanced students.

Instructions to students: Listen to a conversation somewhere in a public place and be

prepared to answer, in the target language, some general questions about what was
said.

1. Who was talking?

2. About how old were they?
3. Where were they when you eavesdropped?
4. What were they talking about?
5. What did they say?
6. Did they become aware that you were listening to them?

The exercise puts students in a real-world listening situation where they must report
information overheard. Most likely they have an opinion of the topic, and a class
discussion could follow, in the target language, about their experiences and
viewpoints.
Communicative exercises such as this motivate the students by treating topics of their
choice, at an appropriately challenging level.

Another exercise taken from the same source is for beginning students of Spanish. In
"Listening for the Gist," students are placed in an everyday situation where they must
listen to an authentic text.

Objective: Students listen to a passage to get general understanding of the topic or

message.

Directions: Have students listen to the following announcement to decide what the
speaker is promoting.

Passage: Situacion ideal . . . Servicio de transporte al Aeropuerto Internacional . . .

Cuarenta y dos habitaciones de lujo, con aire acondicionado . . . Elegante
restaurante . . . de fama internacional.

(The announcement can be read by the teacher or played on tape.) Then ask students
to circle the letter of the most appropriate answer on their copy, which consists of the
following multiple-choice options:

    a. a taxi service     b. a hotel     c. an airport     d. a restaurant

(Source: Adapted from Ontario Assessment Instrument Pool, 1980, Item No. 13019)

Gunter Gerngross, an English teacher in Austria, gives an example of how he makes

his lessons more communicative. He cites a widely used textbook that shows English
children having a pet show. "Even when learners act out this scene creatively and
enthusiastically, they do not reach the depth of involvement that is almost tangible
when they act out a short text that presents a family conflict revolving round the
question of whether the children should be allowed to have a pet or not" (Gerngross &
Puchta, 1984, p. 92). He continues to say that the communicative approach "puts great
emphasis on listening, which implies an active will to try to understand others. [This
is] one of the hardest tasks to achieve because the children are used to listening to the
teacher but not to their peers. There are no quick, set recipes. That the teacher be a
patient listener is the basic requirement" (p.98).

The observation by Gerngross on the role of the teacher as one of listener rather than
speaker brings up several points to be discussed in the next portion of this digest.

How do the roles of the teacher and student change in communicative

language teaching?

Teachers in communicative classrooms will find themselves talking less and listening
more�becoming active facilitators of their students' learning (Larsen-Freeman,
1986). The teacher sets up the exercise, but because the students' performance is the
goal, the teacher must step back and observe, sometimes acting as referee or monitor.
A classroom during a communicative activity is far from quiet, however. The students
do most of the speaking, and frequently the scene of a classroom during a
communicative exercise is active, with students leaving their seats to complete a task.
Because of the increased responsibility to participate, students may find they gain
confidence in using the target language in general. Students are more responsible
managers of their own learning (Larsen-Freeman, 1986).

Where can I learn more about communicative teaching?

All of the following documents on communicative language teaching are in the

ERIC database. They can be read on microfiche at any library housing an ERIC
collection or purchased in microfiche or paper copy from the ERIC Document
Reproduction Service (EDRS), 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, VA
22153-2852 (1-800-443-3742)