CLT

History
The Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach originated in Europe in the 1970s. Its
roots can be traced back to changes in traditional British language teaching, specifically the
Situational Language Method. This method aimed to teach basic grammar within meaningful
situations but faced criticism for allowing less space for creativity. As a response, more linguists
recognised the need to shift the focus from structural proficiency to communicative proficiency.

In 1971, language courses were created that broke down learning into smaller units, addressing
the specific needs of learners and aligning with the overall syllabus. A key figure in this
development was Wilkins, who analysed communicative meaning that learners need to
understand. Instead of following the traditional grammar teaching system, he concentrated on
meaning.

Wilkins categorised meaning into two types: notional (including aspects like time, sequence,
quantity, location, and frequency) and based on communicative function (such as requests,
denials, offers, and complaints). His work, along with contributions from other linguists and
teaching specialists in Great Britain, eventually formed the foundation of the Communicative
Approach or Communicative Language Teaching (CLT).

A few years later, this approach expanded to America. CLT has given rise to many versions, and
no single model is accepted as a universal one.

Authors
-many people influenced this approach: Noam Chomsky (competence (formation of all possible
generating structures from which utterance comes out) as the goal of learning), Dell Hymes and
his definition of communicative competence (knowledge of the language structure as well as
social knowledge regarding them and the ability to use the language appropriately in a variety of
contexts) and Stephen Krashen's Comprehensible Input (input that is both meaningful and
inspiring, positioned just a bit above the learner's existing linguistic proficiency, yet clear enough
for them to grasp (Parry, 2020) with the student learning in an environment that is similar to that
of children learning their L1)

Chomsky vs. Hymes- Chomsky's idea did not consider students' actual performance but
concerned itself with perfect language knowledge. Hymes considers communicative competence
as an aspect of competence. He balanced grammar with appropriateness and use.

The Interaction Hypothesis by Michael Long emphasises a focus on meaning over grammatical
forms. The hypothesis is also concerned with the fact that "negotiating meaning"
(=communication between language learners where they work together to ensure mutual
understanding) alone might be enough for acquiring a Target Language. He also found that
interaction between students sped up the acquisition of TL. In other words, when learners
actively engage in conversations and interactions in the target language, acquiring that language
becomes faster and more effective.

Communicative competence

It is defined in terms of expression, interpretation, and negotiation of meaning. We include in it

knowledgeable use of language for many purposes, how to vary it according to the context,
knowing how to understand and produce all types of texts, and knowing how to communicate
despite a lack of proficiency- grammatical competence, discourse competence, socio-cultural
competence, and strategic competence.

The teacher aims to make their student communicatively competent. The role of the teacher is of
a facilitator in the classroom. He creates situations which promote communication. He is an
adviser to students during activities. He is a monitor and manager. On the other side, the
student's role in the classroom is to actively participate in communication and to be a manager of
his learning- he needs to learn to communicate by communicating.

CLT and CEFR

 CEFR was developed to provide an everyday basis for developing language syllabuses,
curriculum guidelines, and language examinations across Europe.
 It describes language proficiency at six levels: A1 (beginner) to C2 (proficient), covering
language skills such as listening, reading, speaking, and writing.
 CEFR emphasises a learner-centred approach, acknowledging that learners progress at
their own pace and may have different strengths in different language skills.
 CEFR and CLT are often connected. CEFR helps assess language proficiency.
 CLT activities and methodologies can be designed to address specific CEFR proficiency
levels.
 For example, a language lesson using CLT might be made specifically to help learners
achieve certain levels of CEFR in speaking or writing.

 These levels are a reference point for all teachers using ComApp to estimate the
appropriate difficulty of tasks and appropriate language.

Method + BI
The teacher aims to make their student communicatively competent. The role of the teacher is of
a facilitator in the classroom. He creates situations which promote communication. He is an
adviser to students during activities. He is a monitor and manager. On the other side, the
student's role in the classroom is to actively participate in communication and to be a manager of
his learning- he needs to learn to communicate by communicating.

Students learn the language through games such as role-play, pair and group work (small
groups), information gap, problem-solving tasks, discussions, jigsaw puzzles, storytelling, and
other games that involve communication. Games are important because they remind us of real-
life situations (the speaker gets immediate feedback whether they communicated well).
Student must be able to apply their knowledge of language forms, meanings and functions
through the interaction between speaker and listener. Whenever possible, “authentic language”
should be used in real situations. Students must be able to figure out the speaker’s intention. You
can say one sentence in several different ways. Students must learn about language devices that
link sentences together.

The key principle behind these methods and activities is to provide students with opportunities to
use the language in meaningful ways, fostering both fluency and accuracy in communication.
Teachers often adapt and combine these activities based on the language proficiency level of
their students and the specific learning objectives. Mother Tongue has almost no role in this
approach and targeted language (TL) should be used at all times

Benefits
-Focus on Real Communication

-Increased Motivation: Engaging in communicative activities makes language learning more

enjoyable and motivating for students, as it connects language use to real-world contexts.

-Development of All Language Skills: addresses all language skills, including speaking,
listening, reading, and writing, ensuring a more comprehensive language learning experience.

-Student-centred approach (encouraging active participation and collaboration among students):

a learner-centered approach, encouraging active participation and collaboration among students,
leading to a more student-driven learning experience

-Adaptability: easily adaptable, teacher can easily tailor their activities to the needs/interests of
their students

-Language Fluency focuses on conversation and communication rather than memorisation-

fluency develops more readily, so students learn to use language naturally

Disadvantages (criticism)
-traditional assessment methods may not be suitable for evaluation of student's progress

-time-consuming: with time constraints it is challenging to cover necessary language content

-teachers need training to use CLT effectively

-potential for some students to dominate the conversation and so others are not engaged
Sources:
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques and principles in language teaching. Oxford University.

Parry, J. (2020, May 20). A Brief History of ELT: Part 2 - Communicative Language Teaching -
The ELT Exchange. The ELT Exchange. https://theeltexchange.com/2016/03/29/brief-history-
elt-part-2-communicative-language-teaching/

Raven, E. (2010, August 15). C is for Communicative. An A-Z of ELT.

https://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/c-is-for-communicative/

Suemith, M. E. (2011). The Communicative Language Teaching Approach: Theory and practice.
Magister Scientiae, 30, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.33508/mgs.v0i30.627

Tan, S. (2023, June 28). 5 Communicative language teaching activities that give students the gift
of GAB. General Educator Blog. https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator/communicative-
language-teaching-activities/