communicative language teaching simon coffey. clt emerged in the early 1970s resulting from...
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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