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UNIVERSITATEA “OVIDIUS” CONSTANŢAFACULTATEA DE LITERE

SPECIALIZAREA LIMBI MODERNE APLICATESECŢIA ENGLEZĂ-FRANCEZĂ

LUCRARE DE LICENŢĂ

COORDONATOR

PROF. UNIV. DR. LAVINIA NADRAG

ABSOLVENT

IACOB PĂUNICA-TEODORA

IULIE 2014

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UNIVERSITATEA “OVIDIUS” CONSTANŢAFACULTATEA DE LITERE

SPECIALIZAREA LIMBI MODERNE APLICATESECŢIA ENGLEZĂ-FRANCEZĂ

COMMUNICATION IN THE LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

COORDONATOR

PROF. UNIV. DR. LAVINIA NADRAG

ABSOLVENTIACOB PĂUNICA-TEODORA

IULIE 2014

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Table of contents

Introduction............................................................................................................................4

C!"#$% 1

T$ "%&'(&")$* +, )$!%'&' !' #$!(&' ! ,+%$&' )!'/!$........

1.1 Cognitive principles……………………………………………………………..6

1.2 Affective principles……………………………………………………………10

1.3 Linguistic principles………………………………………………...…………12

C!"#$% 2

C+/'&(!#&3$ L!'/!$ T$!(&'..1

2.1 Te rise of co!!unicative language teacing……………………………….1"

2.2 Language teacing as a !eans of co!!unication…………………………….22

2.3 Teacing language s#ills………………………………………………………2$

2.4 Te roles of learners and teacers in CLT……………………………………..3%

C!"#$% 5

C!*$ *#/6...........................................................................................................................42

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………$0

&ibliograp'……………………………………………………………………………….$2

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Introduction

Tis graduation tesis( Communication in the language classroom( deals )it a

specific t'pe of co!!unication( te one bet)een teacers and students. Te' !ust

co!!unicate )ell in order for te process of teacing and learning to be successful. *ac

individual in te classroo! contributes to te overall co!!unication. Co!!unication as

to deal )it enabling so!eone to understand )at te oter )ants to tell. Co!!unicating

in a foreign language is not an eas' ting to do( and as a teacer of a foreign language( one

as to !a#e students co!!unicate and trans!it teir ideas in tat foreign language. Tis

researc paper is tr'ing to discover te secret of a good co!!unication in class( in order to!a#e students good co!!unicators( even outside te classroo!.

Te first capter presents te basic principles of language learning and teacing a

foreign language( principles tat represent a foundation for !an' of te teacers+ coices

regarding teir teacing. Tese establised principles represent a !otivation for using

specific classroo! tecni,ues in order to develop teir co!!unicative s#ills.

Te second capter is based on te specific !etod in class tat centers onco!!unication( co!!unicative language teacing. It is divided into four sections. Te

first section discusses te rise of co!!unicative language teacing -CLT( o) tis

!etod started developing and )' a ne) !etod )as re,uired. Te second section refers

to language teacing as a !eans of co!!unication( terefore te teacer/student

co!!unication. Te tird section deals )it teacing language s#ills -listening( spea#ing(

reading( and )riting and activities used to develop tese s#ills. Tis section also so)s

tat all tese four s#ills are of great i!portance in te CLT !etod( all aving a significant

role in !a#ing students co!!unicate )ell in a foreign language. And te last section

concentrates on te roles of teacers and students in CLT( on teir specific contribution to

te actual process of co!!unication.

Te last capter is a case stud' based on a ,uestionnaire applied on t)o groups of

students -one !iddle scool class( one ig scool class based on te 'potesis tat

co!!unicative language teacing develops students+ co!!unicative abilities( tat tis

!etod provides students )it enoug #no)ledge and confidence to beco!e good

co!!unicators in a foreign language( even in real life situations. Te students+ ans)ers

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de!onstrate tat tis !etod is efficient in te classroo!( te fact tat te' develop

co!!unicative abilities during teir *nglis classes tat elp te! also in real life

situations is a state!ent on its o)n.

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Capter 1

Te principles of learning and teacing a foreign language

an' of te teacer+s coices are grounded in establised principles of language

learning and teacing. &' perceiving and internaliing connections bet)een practice -te

coices !ade b' te teacer during te class and teor' -principles derived fro!

researc( te teacing process )ill be si!plified. Tis )a'( one can see te !otivation for

using a specific classroo! tecni,ue -or set of teci,ues tat )ill be carried out )it

confidence in order to prove its utilit'.

According to &ro)n -14$4( tere are t)elve principles tat e devides into

tree categories cognitive( affective and linguistic. Te' for! te core of language

pedagog'5. In tis capter )e )ill ta#e a broad loo# at tese t)elve principles tat interact

)it sound practice on )ic teacing is based.

1.1 Cognitive principles

Te first set of priciples are called cognitive5 because te' relate !ainl' to !ental

and intelectual functions. &ut as &ro)n -14$$ states( tese principles spill across

so!e)at cognitive( affective( and linguistic boundaries5.

rinciple 1 Auto!aticit'

ost co!!onl'( cildren+s success in learning a foreign language is put on bealf

of teir )idel' observed tendenc' to ac,uire language subconsciousl'7 tat is( )itout

overtl' anal'ing te for!s of language te!selves. Troug an inductive process of

e8posure to language input and opportunit' to e8peri!ent )itout output( te' appear to

learn languages )itout tin#ing5 about te!5 -&ro)n( 14$6.

Tis cildli#e( subconscious processing is si!ilar to )at &arr' cLauglin

-1%4 called automatic processing )it periperal attention to language for!s. &ro)n

-14$6 gives in is boo# a detailed e8planation for tis auto!atic processing and sa's

tat in order to !anage te incredible co!ple8it' and ,uantit' of language/te vast

nu!bers of bits of infor!ation/ bot adults and cildren !ust sooner or later !ove a)a'

fro! processing language unit b' unit( piece b' piece( focusing closel' piece of

infor!ation( and graduate to a for! of ig/speed( auto!atic processing in )ic languagefor!s -)ords( affi8es( )ord order( rules( etc. are onl' on te periper' of attention5.

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Cildren usuall' !a#e tis transition faster tan adults( )o tend to focus !ore on

anal'tical( controlled !odes and on te bits and pieces of language before placing te

ac,uired #no)ledge into teir !inds.

Auto!aticit' is an i!portant concept to language learning. Te idea ere is tat

!an' language s#ills re,uire a student to do !an' different tings at te sa!e ti!e7 for

e8a!ple( spea#ing involves coosing )ords( appl'ing gra!!ar rules( and attending to

pronunciation and intonation9all )ile tr'ing to decide )at to sa'. A spea#er cannot

consciousl' pa' attention to all of tese operations at te sa!e ti!e( so so!e of te! !ust

be practiced )ell enoug in order for te! to be perfor!ed auto!aticall'. Te point is tat

it generall' ta#es !ore tan one practice opportunit' to learn to perfor! an' s#ill s!ootl'

and auto!aticall'( and language learning is no e8ception.

Tis point is i!portant according to :no) -2006%( because

students and teachers often unconsciously assume that what they are supposed to

do in class is cover the material in the book; in other words, the teacher should

explain the material, and the students should do any related exercises. Part of this

unconscious assumption is that each point should only be covered one time and

that, once the material is covered, students should know it. The problem, of course,

is that covering material in a textbook is often not enough to allow learners to

build necessary skills in using the material, and you may need to repeat activities

several times before students can use the new material automatically.

;f great i!portance for tis principle is te efficient and rapid !ove!ent a)a'

fro! a focus on te for!s of language to a focus on te purposes to )ic language is put

or fro! a capacit'/li!ited control of a fe) bits and pieces to a relativel' unli!ited

auto!atic !ode of processing language for!s and te subconscious absorption of

language troug !eaningful use.

&ro)n -14$6 su!s it all up and gives a definition of tis principle

efficient language learning involves a timely movement of the control of a few

language forms into the automatic processing of a relatively unlimited number of

language forms. Overanaliing language, thinking too much about its forms, and

consciously lingering on rules of language all tend to impede this graduation to

automaticity.

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rinciple 2 eaningful Learning

Ausubel -16% convincingl' argues te strengt of !eaningful learning as opposed

to rote learning. According to i!( !eaningful learning subsu!es ne) infor!ation into

e8isting structures and !e!or' s'ste!s and te resulting associative lin#s create stronger

retention( as opposed to rote learning )ic ta#es bits and pieces of infor!ation tat are

not connected )it one+s e8isting cognitive structures and so it as little cance of creating

long/ter! retention.

Tis principle is stated b' &ro)n as follo)s

better long/ter! retention tan rote learning.5 A teacer sould capitalie on te po)er of

!eaningful learning b' appealing to students+ interests( acade!ic goals( and career goals.

rinciple 3 Te Anticipation of =e)ard

>irtuall' ever'ting one does is inspired and driven b' a sense of purpose and goal(

and according to :#inner -10%( te anticipation of re)ard is te !ost po)erful factor in

directing one+s beaviour. Te principle beind :#inner+s operant conditioning paradig! is

na!ed b' &ro)n the !eward Principle( and it is stated as follo)s


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self/re)arding in te perception of te learner. Te learners perfor! te tas# because it is

fun( interesting( useful or callenging( and not because te' anticipate so!e cognitive or

affective re)ards fro! te teacer.

Te develop!ent of intrinsic !otivation does indeed involve affective processing(

as !ost of tese five principles do( but re)ard/directed beaviour in all organis!s is

co!ple8 to te point tat cognitive( p'sical and affective processing are all involved.

rinciple $ :trategic Investe!ent

@ecades ago( te language teacing )as concerned !ainl' )it te deliver' of

language to te student( but in !ore recent 'ears( in te ligt of !an' studies of successful

and unsuccessful learners( language teacers focus !ore on te role of te leraner in te

process. Tis is called b' &ro)n -1460 te rinciple of :trategic Invest!ent and stated

as follo)s


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1.2 Affective principles

Tese principles are caracteried b' a large proportion of e!otional involve!ent

and te' regard feelings about self( about relationsips in a co!!unit' of learners and

about te e!otional ties bet)een language and culture.

rinciple 6 Language ego

"anguage ego is stated b' &ro)n -1461 as follo)s


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A teacer sould give a!ple verbal and nonverbal assurances to students. It elps a

student to ear te teacer affir! a belief in te students+ abilit'.


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te second language( especiall' in te beginning levels( ste! fro! te learner+s assuption

tat te target language operates li#e te native language. Te facilitating effects of te

native language are surel' as po)erful in te process or !ore so( even toug te' are less

observable.

Te principle of te native language effect stresses te i!portance of tat native

s'ste! in te linguistic atte!pts of te second language learner. According to &ro)n

-1466 te native language of learners e8erts a strong influnce on te ac,uisition of te

target language s'ste!. ile te native s'ste! )ill e8ercise bot facilitating and

interfering effects on te producion and co!preension of te ne) language( te

interfering effects are li#el' to be te !ost salient. Learners+ errors stand out li#e te tips of

icebergs( giving us salient signals of an underl'ing siste! at )or#. *rrors are in fact(

)indo)s to a learner+s internalied understanding of te second language( and terefore

te' give teacers so!eting observable to react to -Larsen Bree!an( 2000124.

Teacers sould regard learners+ errors as i!portant )indo)s to teir underl'ing

s'ste! and provide appropriate feedbac# on te!. *rrors of native language interference

!a' be repaired b' ac,uainting te learner )it te native language cause of te error.

Tin#ing directl' in te target language usuall' elps !ini!ie interference errors. Te

teacer sould tr' to coa8 students into tin#ing in te second language instead of resorting

to translation as te' co!preend and produce language. An occasional translation of a

)ord or prase can actuall' be elpful( especiall' for adults( but direct use of te second

language )ill elp to avoid te first language


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!ind+s e'e of learners( a good deal of )at te' sa' or co!preend !a' be logicall'

is neverteless a useful prase. In its s#eletal for!( co!!unicative co!petence consists in

so!e co!binations of te follo)ing co!ponents -Canale F :)ain( 1%012$

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/organiational co!petence -gra!!atical and discourse7

/prag!atic co!petence -functional and sociolinguistic7

/strategic co!petence7

/ps'co!otor s#ills.

Te arra' of studies on co!!unicative co!petence provides )at is peraps te

!ost i!portant linguistic principle of learning and teacing -&ro)n( 146

$iving that communicative competence is the goal of the language classroom,

instruction needs to point toward all its components% organiational, pragmatic,

strategic and psychomotor. Communicative goals are best achieved by giving due

attention to language use and not &ust usage, to fluency and not &ust accuracy, to

authentic language and contexts, and to students' eventual need to apply classroom

learning to previous unrehearsed contexts in the real world.

It is i!portant to note tat te co!!unicative co!petence principle still as a bit of

a reactionist flavor reacting to paradig!s tat e!pasied attention to gra!!atical for!s(


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:no) -2006" states tat a teacer sould re!e!ber tat gra!!atical e8planations

or drills or e8ercices are onl' part of a lesson or curriculu!. It is i!portant to give

gra!!ar so!e attention( but also to not neglect te oter i!portant co!ponents

-functional( sociolinguistic( ps'co!otor( strategic of co!!unicative co!petence. :o!e

of te prag!atic -sociolinguistic and functional aspects of language are ver' subtle and

terefore ver' difficult. A teacer sould !a#e sure is lessons ai! to teac suc subtlet'.

In teacing functional and sociolinguistic aspects of language( it sould not be

forgotten tat te ps'co!otor s#ills -pronunciation are an i!portant co!ponent of bot.

Intonation alone conve's a great deal of prag!atic infor!ation. :tudents sould ave te

opportunit' to gain so!e fluenc' in spea#ing a foreign language )itout aving to be

constantl' )ar' of little !ista#es.

*ver' tecni,ue used sould be as autentic as possible b' using language tat

students )ill actuall' encounter in te real )orld and provide genuine( not rote( for te

actual conve'ance of infor!ation of interest. :tudents soul be prepaired to be

independent learners and !anipulators of language.

As *llis -2004213 states( te t)elve principles tat ave ust been revie)ed are

so!e of te !aor foundation stones for teacing practice. ile te' are not( b' an'

!eans e8austive( te' can act as !aor teoretical insigts on )ic te teacing

tecni,ues and lessons can be based. Tese sound principles elp te teacer understand

)' e cooses to do so!eting in te classroo! o) to !onitor( o) to asses te

effectiveness of is teacing and o) to !odif' is class for te ne8t ti!e.

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Capter 2

Co!!unicative Language Teacing -CLT

2.1 Te rise of Co!!unicative Language Teacing

Co!!unicative Language Teacing -CLT started developing( according to &asta

-201112$( in Great &ritain in te 160s( )en &ritis applied linguists began to ,uestion

te assu!ptions underscoring :ituational Language Teacing. Hoa! Co!s#' )as a!ong

te first ones to de!onstrate tat standard structural teories of language )ere incapable of

accounting for te creativit' and uni,ueness of individual sentences. Terefore( tere )as a

sift fro! te insistence on te !ere !aster' of gra!!atical structures to te e!pasis on

co!!unicative proficienc'.

As ?'!es -1"16" states( &ritis applied linguists e!pasied anoter

funda!ental di!ension of language tat )as inade,uatel' addressed in current approaces

to language teacing at tat ti!e / te functional and co!!unicative potential of language.

Te' sa) te need to focus in language teacing on co!!unicative proficienc' rater tan

onl' !ere !aster' of structures. :colars )o advocated tis vie) of language( suc as

Cristoper Candlin and ?enr' iddo)son( dre) on te )or# of &ritis functional

linguists -e.g. Eon Birt( . A. . ?allida'( A!erican )or# in sociolinguistics -e.g. @ell

?'!es( Eon Gu!per( illia! Labo( as )ell as )or# in pilosop' -e.g.( Eon Austin

and Eon :earle.

According to =icards -2006"4( anoter i!petus for different approaces to

foreign language teacing ca!e fro! canging educational realities in *urope. it te

increasing interdependence of *uropean countries ca!e te need for Jgreater efforts to

teac adults te !aor languages of te *uropean Co!!on ar#et and te Council of

*urope( a regional organiation for cultural and educational cooperation. *ducation )as

one of te Council of *uropeKs !aor areas of activit'. It sponsored international

conferences on language teacing( publised !onograps and boo#s about language

teacing( and )as active in pro!oting te for!ation of te International Association of

Applied Linguistics. Te need to articulate and develop alternative !etods of language

teacing )as considered a ig priorit'.

In 1"1 a group of e8perts began to investigate te possibilit' of developing

language courses on a unit/credit s'ste!( a s'ste! in )ic as =icards and =ogers state

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-1%"( learning tas#s are bro#en do)n into portions or units( eac of )ic corresponds to

a co!ponent of a learnerKs needs and is s'ste!aticall' related to al1 te oter portions. Te

group used studies of te needs of *uropean language learners( and in particular a

preli!inar' docu!ent prepared b' a &ritis linguist( @. A. il#ins( )ic proposed a

functional or co!!unicative definition of language tat could serve as a basis for

developing corn!unicative s'llabuses for language teacing. il#insKs contribution )as an

anal'sis of te co!!unicative !eanings tat a language learner needs to understand and

e8press. =ater tan describe te core of language troug traditional concepts of gra!!ar

and vocabular'( il#ins atte!pted to de!onstrate te s'ste!s of !eanings tat la' beind

te co!!unicative uses of language. ?e described t)o t'pes of rneanings notional

categories -concepts suc as ti!e( se,uence( ,uantit'( location( fre,uenc' and categories

of co!!unicative function -re,uests( denials( offers( co!plaints. il#ins later revised and

e8panded is 1"2 docu!ent into a boo# called Hotional :'llabuses -1"6( )ic ad a

significant irnpact on te developrnent of Co!!unicative Language Teacing. Te

Council of *urope incorporated is se!antic co!rnunicative anal'sis into a set of

specifications for a first/level cornrnunicative language s'llabus. Tese tresold level

specifications ave ad a strong influence on te design of corn!unicative language

progra!s and te8tboo#s in *urope.

Te )or# of te Council of *urope( te )ritings of il#ins( iddo)son( Candlin(

&ru!fit( Eonson( and oter &ritis applied linguists on te teoretical basis for a

co!!unicative or functional approac to language teacing( te rapid application of tese

ideas b' te8tboo# )riters( and te e,uall' rapid acceptance of tese ne) principies b'

&ritis language teacing specialists( curriculu! develop!ent centers( and even

govern!ents gave pro!inence nationall' and internationall' to )at ca!e to be referred to

as te Co!!unicative Approac( or si!pl' Co!!unicative Language Teacing. Altoug

te !ove!ent began as a largel' &ritis inovation( focusing on alternative conceptions of a

s'llabus( since te !id/ 1"0s( te scope of Co!!unicative Language Teacing as

e8panded.

According to Canale and :)ain -1%01( bot A!erican and &ritis proponents

no) see it as an approac -and not a !etod tat ai!s to

-a !a#e co!!unicative co!petence te goal of language teacing and

-b develop procedures for te teacing of te four language s#ills tat

ac#no)ledge te interdependence of language and co!!unication.

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Its co!preensiveness tus !a#es it different in scope and status fro! an' of te

oter approaces or !etods discussed in tis boo#. Tere is no single te8t or autorit' on

it( nor an' single !odel tat is universall' accepted as autoritative. Bor so!e(

Co!!unicative Language Teacing !eans little !ore tan an integration of gra!!atical

and functional teacing. Little)ood -1%11 states( J;ne of te !ost caracteristic

features of co!!unicative language teacing is tat it pa's s'ste!atic attention to

functional as )ell as structural aspects of languageJ. Bor oters( it !eans using procedures

)ere learners )or# in pairs or groups e!plo'ing available language resources in

proble!/solving tas#s. A national pri!ar' *nglis s'llabus based on a co!!unicative

approac -cited in ?edge( 200023( for e8a!ple( defines te focus of te s'llabus as te

Jco!!unicative functions )ic te for!s of te language serveJ. Te introduction to te

sa!e docu!ent co!!ents tat Jco!!unicative purposes !a' be of !an' different #inds.

at is essential in all of te! is tat at least t)o parties are involved in an interaction or

transaction of so!e #ind )ere one part' as an intention and te oter part' e8pands or

reacts to te intentionJ. In er discussion of co!!unicative s'llabus design( alden -cited

in &asta( 2011143 discusses si8 co!!unicative e8ercises tat are grafted onto an e8isting

structural s'llabus( to a learner/generated vie) of s'llabus design.

?o)att -1%4 2"( distinguises bet)een a JstrongJ and a J)ea#J version of

Co!!unicative Language Teacing

There is, in a sense, a (strong( version of the communicative approach and a (weak(

version. The weak version which has become more or less standard practice in the

last ten years, stresses the importance of providing learners with opportunities to

use their )nglish for communicative purposes and, characteristically, attempts to

integrate such activities into a wider program of language teaching. The (strong(

version of communicative teaching, on the other hand, advances the claim that

language is ac*uired through communication, so that it is not merely a *uestion of

activating an existing but inert knowledge of the language, but of stimulating the

development of the language system itself. +f the former could be described as

(learning to use( )nglish, the latter entails (using )nglish to learn it(.

il#ins -cited in ?edge( 2000121 clai!ed tat a functional and co!!unicative

definition of language could actuall' elp develop co!!unicative s'llabus for language

teacing( )ile ?'!es -1"2 suggested tat a broader sociocultural conte8t( )ic

included participants( teir beaviour and beliefs( obects of linguistic discussion and a

)ord coice( sould also be ta#en into consideration )ile teacing an' language. ;ter

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teorists -Canale and :)ain( iddo)son( ?allida' also stressed te i!portance of

co!!unicative approac to language teacing( particularl' te co!!unicative acts

underl'ing te abilit' to use language for different purposes and te relationsip bet)een

linguistic s'ste!s and teir co!!unicative values in te8ts and discourses.

A teor' of language as co!!unication lies at te ver' core of te CLT. ?'!es

-1"2%" advanced te notions of Jco!petenceJ and Jperfor!anceJ introduced b'

Co!s#' in te 160s and stated tat te goal of language teacing )as to develop

Jco!!unicative co!petenceJ( )ic i!plied ac,uiring bot an abilit' and #no)ledge to

use language.

In oter )ords( co!!unicative co!petence considers language as a tool used for

co!!unication. Hot onl' does tis co!petence ai! to focus on te develop!ent of four

language s#ills( but it also depends on te correlation bet)een te s#ills. Canale and :)ain

-1%0$ clai!ed tat it )as co!!on to use te ter! Jco!!unicative co!petenceJ to

refer e8clusivel' to gra!!atical co!petence. et( it is )ort observing tat te prase

Jco!!unicative co!petenceJ )as also used to relate to te ps'cological( cultural and

social rules )ic discipline te use of speec. Terefore( te co!!unicative approac(

)ic callenged te prevalent audio/lingual !etod( pro!oted te idea tat social and

cultural #no)ledge )ere necessar' prere,uisites for understanding and using linguistic

for!s.

According to =icards -2006146( CLT e!erged in part as a reaction to te

e!pasis on te for!al aspects of language tat )as prevalent in earlier approaces to

language teacing. In CLT !eaning do!inates structure and for!7 co!!unicative

co!petence is te goal( and not gra!!atical co!petence7 conte8tualiation is essential7

and errors are considered part of te learning process( and not so!eting to be avoided at

all costs.5

*arl' researc de!onstrated te value of adding co!!unicative activities to

oter)ise gra!!ar/based instruction as :andra :avignon -1%"13 suggests. In tese

studies( students )o ad co!!unicative practice added to teir regular gra!!ar drills

s'ste!aticall' outperfor!ed tose )o did not. Later researc as gone a step furter in

suggesting te value of te focus on !eaning co!bined )it te focus on for!. Te

obective of a focus on for! is to elp learners notice for!s in te input b' focusing teir

attention on a linguistic for! tat occurs in te conte8t of a lesson )ose focus is on

!eaning. :avignon -2006" states tat )ile involve!ent in co!!unicative events is

seen as central in language develop!ent( tis develop!ent necessaril' re,uires attention

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oters ave tried to e8press. Te first )ave of researc in te ne) subfield of second

language ac,uisition -:LA also provided co!pelling evidence tat learners do not si!pl'

learn )at te' are taugt or are e8posed to( especiall' if te gra!!atical and le8ical

-vocabular' structures are too co!plicated or too nu!erous or if students are not

cognitivel' -!entall'


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one )ants to tell te!( )at is often referred to as our !essage. ;ne probabl' tend to tin#

of a !essage as being factual( and it is true tat )e can co!!unicate facts( but in !an'

ever'da' situations )e also ope to co!!unicate our opinions and e!otions. As )ell as

infor!ing our listener or reader( )e !a' ope to a!use( entertain( or !islead( for e8a!ple.

Tere is so!eone -a spea#er )o !a#es use of language to trans!it a !essage and

so!eone -a listener to receive it. &ecause co!!unication is a t)o/sided process( it is

terefore essential to ave in !ind te follo)ing )ords of Little)ood -1%14

The most efficient communicator in a foreign language is not always the person

who is best at manipulating its structures. +t is often the person who is most skilled

at processing the complete situation involving himself and his hearer, taking

account of what knowledge is already shared between them e.g. from the situation

or from the preceding conversation-, and selecting items which will communicate

his message effectively.

According to Little)ood( it is necessar' to give opportunities to learners to develop

tese s#ills( b' being e8posed to situations )ere te e!pasis is placed on te learners+

resources available for co!!unicating !eanings as effectivel' and econo!icall' as

possible. :ince te classroo! environ!ent provides li!ited opportunities( Little)ood

points out tat as a result it

i!!ediate co!!unicative effectiveness5 .

Tese co!!ents do not onl' appl' to people in a conversation( but also to people

)riting and receiving letters( to lecturers giving tal#s( to novelists and teir readers and so

on. e use language to co!!unicate )en people as# a ,uestion( it is because te'

usuall' do not #no) te ans)er7 )en people spea# or )rite( it is because te' ave

so!eting to sa'7 and )en te' listen or read( te' do it to get infor!ation or ideas. In

oter )ords tere is a need for co!!unication and so!eting to be co!!unicated. In real

life outside te classroo!( )en people are as#ed a ,uestion( te' ave te freedo! to

coose an ans)er.

Te teacer/student co!!unication is ver' i!portant( o) a teacer can be

efficient in !a#ing i!self co!!unicate in a useful )a' for students is reall' a !aor

point in language teacing( so as to !a#e te! learn a foreign language -L'nc 163.

In !an' language te8tboo#s( o)ever( students are often instructed to give certain

ans)ers( suc as affir!ative or negative ans)ers( even in a conversation. :tudents are

often re,uired to give onl' one for! of response according to so!e prescribed pattern

)ic( do not ade,uatel' appl' to conversation or interactive co!!unication in real life. It

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is a !atter of so!e debate as to )at e8tent te8tboo#s can consist of real co!!unicative

activities. Hunan !entions tat


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Listening as often been called a passive s#ill. As &ro)n sa's -1424% tis is

!isleading because listening de!ands active involve!ent of te earer. In order to

reconstruct te !essage tat te spea#er intends( te earer !ust activel' contribute

#no)ledge fro! bot linguistic and nonlinguistic sources. Bor e8a!ple( as e states

+t is only by applying his knowledge of the language that he can divide the

continuous stream of sound into meaningful units at all, and it is only by comparing

these units with the shared knowledge between himself and the speaker that he can

interpret their meaning. +n fact the ma&ority of utterances that we hear in daily life

could be conceived as carrying different meanings in different circumstances, and it

is only because we are actively implied in the communication that we are generally

able to relate them to a single appropriate meaning.

Te nature of listening co!preension !eans according to Little)ood -1%16"

tat

the learner should be encouraged to engage in an active process of listening for

meanings, using not only the linguistic cues but also his nonlinguistic knowledge.

e should also be aware that not every clue is e*ually important to the message.

Therefore, even when he misses a piece of language, he need not panic% there is a

good chance that other clues will enable him to understand the message, or at least

enough of the message for his own purpose. +t may be, of course, that the missed

item is one which radically alters the whole message. This does not affect the

general point being made here, since the learner has more hope of realiing his

own misunderstanding if he stays involved in the communication, rather than

letting himself be distracted by a sense of failure.

Also( te active nature of listening !eans tat( no less tan in spea#ing(


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could not produce language. In classroo! students do often !ore listening tan spea#ing.

Listening co!petence is universall' larger5 tan spea#ing co!petence.5

Listening co!preension as not al)a's dra)n te attention of educators to te

e8tent tat it no) as. Te role of co!preension )as given pro!inence as learners )ere

given great ,uantities of language to listen before te' )ere encouraged to respond orall'.

Also according to &ro)n -1424 students can be allo)ed to ave te securit' of

listening )itout being forced to go troug te an8iet' of spea#ing before te' are read'

to do so.

According to :no) -20061 listening co!preension involves t)o basic

processes( one #no)n as botto!/up processing and one #no)n as top/do)n. Bor e8a!ple(

i!agine being a student )o sees te *nglis teacer on a cro)ded side)al# and ears

i! sa' a !uffled sentence including te )ords O?o)…toda'.+ ;ne )a' of !a#ing sense

of te sentence is troug botto!/up processing / using te s!aller pieces of te picture to

figure out te larger picture. In tis case( one uses te )ords eard / o) and toda' as data

to elp understand te sentence. Te oter )a' to !a#e sense of )at te teacer said is

troug top/do)n processing / using bac#ground #no)ledge to guess )at goes in blan#

spots in te picture. As Mr -cited in :no) 20062 points out(


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or )atcing television / people !u!ble( cars pass b'( and so fort. In !ost cases( o)ever(

tese gaps do not cause serious co!!unication proble!s because native spea#ers are

s#illed at filling te! in7 using situational or linguistic clues( te' can guess !uc of )at

te' did not ear or understand. Li#e)ise( as students practice listening s#ills( te' need to

practice using top/do)n as )ell as botto!/up strategies/using all te clues available to

elp te! guess.5

As &ro)n notes -1426$ listening is not !erel' te process of a unidirectional

receiving of audible s'!bols. ;ne facet of listening co!preension is te ps'co!otor

process of receiving sound )aves troug te ear and trans!itting nerve i!pulses to te

brain. &ut tat is ust te beginning of )at is clearl' an interactive process as te brain

acts on te i!pulses( on a nu!ber of different cognitive and affective !ecanis!s.

Listening co!preension is an interactive process. After te initial reception of

sound u!an beings perfor! at least seven oter !aor operations on tat set of sound

)aves. In conversational settings( of course( furter interaction ta#es place i!!ediatel'

after te listening stage as te listener beco!es spea#er in a response of te sa!e #ind. All

of tese processes are i!portant to #eep in !ind as a teacer. Te' are relevant for a

learner+s purpose for listening( to perfor!ance factors tat !a' cause difficult' in

processing speec( to overall principles of effective listening tecni,ues( and to te coices

one !a#es of )at tecni,ues to use and )en to use te! in te classroo!.

Listening activities

Te activities troug )ic learners can be elped to develop teir listening s#ills

can be grouped( according to Little)ood -1%16%/6(

1. erfor!ing p'sical tas#s -e.g. selecting pictures

2. Transferring infor!ation -e.g. into tabular for!

3. =efor!ulating and evaluating infor!ation.

Te !ain e!pasis )ill be on listening for functional infor!ation. ?o)ever(

si!ilar tecni,ues can be used to !otivate learners to listen for social !eanings.

Te nature of te learner+s response is i!portant for tree !ain reasons. Birst it is

te need to produce an overt response tat provides learners )it teir i!!ediate

!otivation for listening. :econd( it orients te! to)ards certain #inds of !eaning and tus

elps te! to structure teir listening activit'. Tird( so!e #inds of response -notabl' te

second categor' above provide learners )it a fra!e)or# to conceptualiing te central

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!eanings of te te8t and for relating te! to eac oter. ?o)ever( tis i!!ediate response

)ill not necessaril' be te ulti!ate purpose of listening. It !a' also serve as a preli!inar'

to so!e oter activit'. Bor e8a!ple( te infor!ation )ic learners obtain !a' serve as a

basis for discussion( oral reports and )riting.

:o!e of te specific activities used b' teacers in order to develop listening s#ills

are

-a identification and selection( in )ic learners listen to a description or dialogue and

after)ards te' ave to associate te dialogue eard )it different pictures7

-b se*uencing ( )ic i!plies placing a set of pictures in order te' ave been described in

a dialogue ta' listened to7

-c drawing and constructing in )ic learners listen to a description or discussion and

dra) te scene )ic is described or refered to.

Teacing spea#ing s#ills

Bro! a co!!unicative( prag!atic vie) of te language classroo!( listening and

spea#ing s#ills are closel' intert)ined. Te interaction bet)een tese t)o s#ills applies

especiall' to conversation(


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Oriverban#s+ of instruction on so!e details of ponolog'( gra!!ar or discourse can

cannel te speec on a !ore purposeful course.

Te fluenc'Daccurac' issue often boils do)n to te e8tent to )ic te tecni,ues

sould be !essage oriented -or( as so!e call it( teacing language use as opposed to

language oriented -also #no)n as teacing language usage. Current approaces to

language teacing lean strongl' to)ard !essage orientation )it language usage offering a

supporting role.5

an' learners of foreign languages feel tat teir ulti!ate goal in pronunciation

sould be accent/free speec tat is indistinguisable fro! tat of a native spea#er. :uc a

goal is not unattainable for virtuall' ever' adult learner( but in a !ultilingual( !ulticultural

)orld( accents are ,uite acceptable. it te rapid spread of *nglis as an international

language( native accents ave beco!e al!ost irrelevant to cross/cultural co!!unication.

oreover( as te )orld co!!unit' co!es to appreciate and value people+s eritage( one+s

accent is ust anoter s'!bol of tat eritage.

Te goal for teacers in teacing pronunciation sould terefore be !ore

realisticall' focused on clear( co!preensible pronunciation. At te beginning levels(

learners sould surpass te tresold beneat )ic pronunciation detracts fro! teir

abilit' to co!!unicate. At te advanced levels( pronunciation goals can focus on ele!ents

tat enance co!!unication intonation features tat go be'ond basic patterns( voice

,ualit'( ponetic distinctions bet)een registers and oter refine!ents tat are far !ore

i!portant in te overall strea! of clear co!!unication tan getting a vo)el to perfectl'

i!itate a native spea#er.

:pea#ing activities

en tal#ing about using spea#ing activities( one i!portant area is according to

:crivener -14146 to organie discussion classes( )ere te teacer and learners tal# all

togeter. Te learners )ill get a cance to beco!e !ore fluent and confident. Classes li#e

tis are based on a belief tat giving an opportunit' and encourage!ent to spea# )ill be a

useful ting to do in class. Te pri!ar' concern in co!!unicative activities is to enable

and encourage co!!unication( rater tan aving a controlled use of particular ite!s of

language or )it accurac'.

Te teacer+s !ain role )ill be to structure te tal#( !a#ing sure tat all learners

get a cance to participate( tr'ing to prevent it getting boring( occasionall' adding to te

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discussion i!self to #eep it interesting. Te teacer sould al)a's tr' to reduce its o)n

participation in order to give enoug space for te learners to spea#. Tere is also te

danger of getting up in a Otal#/tal# loop+( in )ic te teacer sa's so!eting but because

tere is no response fro! te learners( te teacer adds on and on is o)n ideas( and so

leaving te learners )it noting !ore to sa'. It is best to as# one ,uestion and ten

sutting up/and patientl' allo)ing even ,uite a long silence( )ile learners for!ulate )at

te' )ant to sa'. =epeatedl' adding ne) co!!ents and ,uestions can ave te opposite

effect to tat intended( confusing te class and closing do)n people )o )ere planning to

spea#. A #e' tecni,ue )ill be to use Oopen ,uestions+ rater tan Oclosed ,uestions+. Also

one useful intervention can so!eti!es be pla'ing Odevil+s advocate+( as :crivener puts it

-1414"( )ic !eans deliberatel' ta#ing an opposing or contrasting vie)point in order

to spur on conversation.

>er' often( )en people stud' a language( te' accu!ulate a lot of Oup/in/te/ead+

#no)ledge -te' !a' #no) rules of gra!!ar and lists of vocabular' ite!s but ten find

tat te' cannot actuall' use tis language to co!!unicate )en te' )ant to. Tere

see!s to be so!e difficult' in !oving language fro! Oup/tere+ #no)ledge to activel'

usable language. itout e8perience in using te language( learners !igt tend to be

nervous about tr'ing to sa' tings. artl' te' !a' fear see!ing foolis in front of oters7

te' !a' )orr' about getting tings )rong7 te' !a' )ant to avoid te teacer+s

co!!ents and corrections7 and so on. In addition to tese( it !a' si!pl' ta#e a long ti!e

to Oput te pieces+ of a co!!unication all togeter( leading to long e!barrassed pauses

)ile te learner tries to find out o) to sa' )at te' )ant to sa'.

Bluenc' activities

According to :crivener -1414%( one of te best )a's to elp learners activate

tis #no)ledge is to put te! in Osafe+ situations in class )ere te' are inspired and

encouraged to tr' using language fro! teir Ostore+. Tese )ill not !ainl' be activities tat

teac One)+ language7 rater te' )ould allo) learners to tr' out language tat te'

alread' understand and ave Olearned+( but not 'et !ade part of teir active personal

repertoire. Generall' spea#ing( teacers )ant to create activities in )ic learners feel less

)orried about spea#ing( less under pressure( less nervous about tr'ing tings out. It is a

fine balance toug( as te teacer )ants learners to feel under so!e pressure to ta#e a ris#

and use language tat te' !a' ave been avoiding using until no).

Tere are !an' activities tat fulfill tese Ofluenc' and confidence+ ai!s( but as

e8a!ples so!e !a' be repeating te teacer+s sentences( catting about teir plans(

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)or#ing in pairs and deciding on a list of five best !ovies of all ti!es( listening and

stud'ing a recording of a social conversation( preparing a !onologue about a certain topic

of interest and giving a speec in front of te class.

:o!e of te specific activities used b' teacers in order to develop spea#ing s#ills

are

-a group planning tasks( in )ic learners are given a tas#( li#e Oplanning a olida'+ and

te' ave to decide( in groups( )ere te' )ant to go( and ten do an oral presentation to

!otivate teir coice7

-b a pyramid discussion is an organiational tecni,ue tat as to do )it introducing a

proble! and letting learners decide )at ta' tin# !igt be a solution. Ten te' )or# in

pairs until te' agree on one solution.

-c role play is an activit' in )ic learners are given a role and te' are e8pected to act

out s!all scenes( providing a good opportunit' to practice so!e pieces of language and

initiating discussions.

Teacing reading s#ills

In reading( according to :no) -200613%( te learners+ attention is often focused

pri!aril' on te proble! of decoding )ords( so it is not surprising tat te' often

instinctivel' tend to tin# of reading as loo#ing at )ords( one after anoter( and ten

adding te! up to see )at te' !ean. ?o)ever( studies ave so)n tat reading is in fact

a co!bination of botto!/up and top/do)n processes. In reading( botto!/up strategies

consist pri!aril' of co!bining vocabular' and gra!!ar clues to build to)ard !eaning.

Top/do)n strategies( o)ever( are e,uall' i!portant. en good readers begin reading a

te8t( te' generall' ave so!e #no)ledge of te topic. Tis #no)ledge( co!bined )it

clues provided b' te genre of te te8t( )ill enable readers to guess !uc of )at te' )ill

read before te' read it.

Bro! &ro)n+s perspective -142( in botto!/up processing readers !ust first

recognie a !ultiplicit' of linguistic signals -letters( !orpe!es( s'llables( )ords( prases(

gra!!atical cues( discourse !ar#ers and use teir linguistic data/processing !ecanis!s

to i!pose so!e sort of order on tese signals. Tese data/driven operations obviousl'

re,uire a sopisticated #no)ledge of te language itself. Bro! a!ong all te perceived

data( te reader selects te signals tat !a#e so!e sense( tat coere( tat O!ean+.

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>irtuall' all reading involves a ris# because readers !ust( troug a pule/solving

process( infer !eanings( decide )at to retain and not retain( and !ove on. Tis is )ere a

co!ple!entar' !etod of processing )ritten te8t is i!perative top/do)n or conceptuall'

driven processing in )ic learners dra) on teir intelligence and e8perience to

understand a te8t.

&ro)n agrees tat reading is indeed a co!bination of top/do)n and botto!/up

processing( tat as co!e to be called interactive reading( and tat it is al!ost al)a's a

pri!ar' ingredient in successful teacing !etodolog' because bot processes are

i!portant.


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It !a' be argued tat intensive reading is necessar' at te earl' stages of learning

*nglis )en learning vocabular' and gra!!ar is !ore i!portant tan learning reading

s#ills per se. ?o)ever( if students co!e to believe tat tis slo)( )ord/b'/)ord process is

te onl' )a' to read in a foreign language( te' ave little cance of ever reacing a

brea#troug point )ere reading in *nglis beco!es so re)arding and interesting tat it

is self/sustaining. :tudents )o eventuall' learn to read )ell enoug to understand *nglis

novels( !againes or ne)spapers )itout intolerable invest!ents of ti!e and effort )ill

tend to !aintain or even i!prove teir s#ills after leaving for!al *nglis language

progra!s7 in contrast( tose )o onl' read slo)l' and painfull' are !ore li#el' to regress.

Bor tis reason( students sould be introduced to and encouraged to use e8tensive reading

approaces as earl' as possible.

To a !uc greater e8tent tan intensive reading s#ills( te develop!ent of e8tensive

reading s#ills !a' !ean tat reading in *nglis beco!es re)arding and eno'able enoug

to beco!e an end in itself. If suc a brea#troug occurs and students begin to regularl'

read *nglis boo#s( ne)spapers and !againes( te' )ill naturall' continue to develop

teir reading s#ills( vocabular'( and cultural #no)ledge. Mnfortunatel'( students reac tis

brea#troug point after considerable stud' and practice.

:crivener -141%% agrees and states tat

there is a great deal of evidence that extensive reading has a powerful impact on

language learning. The more someone reads, the more they pick items of

vocabulary and grammar from the texts, often without realiing it and this widening

language knowledge seems to increase their overall linguistic confidence, which

then influences and improves their skills in other language areas too.

=eading activities

redicting is a prereading activit' tat re,uires students+ use of top/do)n strategies.

As :no) -2006141 sa's(


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guesses sould be encouraged( rigt or )rong( and ten( after reading te te8t( te' can see

if te' )ere rigt or not.

:#i!!ing is a co!!on prereading activit' )ic involves ,uic#l' loo#ing over a

te8t and reading a fe) select parts to get an idea of )at it contains( or te get te gist of a

passage. an' students resist te idea of s#i!!ing in a foreign language -largel' because

of )ell/developed intensive reading abits( so in/class s#i!!ing e8ercises pla' an

i!portant role in fa!iliariing students )it tis s#ill as )ell as convincing te! of its

legiti!ac'.

According to :crivener -141%$( a t'pical s#i!!ing tas# )ould be a general

,uestion fro! te teacer( suc as OIs tis stor' set in a scool or in a restaurantN+ Te

learners )ould atte!pt to find te ans)er ,uic#l'( )itout reading ever' )ord of te

passage( b' Ospeed/reading+ troug so!e portions of te te8t. :#i!!ing is !ainl'

concerned )it finding #e' topics( !ain ideas( overall te!e( basic structure( etc.

:canning is also a prereading activit' tat as to do )it reading ,uic#l' and

finding a specific piece of infor!ation. A co!!on scanning activit' is searcing for

infor!ation in a leaflet or director'( and a t'pical scanning tas# )ould be Oat ti!e does

te &ir!inga! train leaveN+ It also as to do )it top/do)n s#ills. According to :crivener

-141%6( altoug scanning is involved )it details of te te8t( te )a' tat te reader

finds tose details involves processing te )ole te8t( !oving te e'es ,uic#l' over te

)ole page( searcing for #e' )ords or clues fro! te te8tual la'out and te content tat

)ill enable te reader to focus in on s!aller sections of te te8t tat e is li#el' to get

ans)ers fro!.

;ter stages in reading activities are

-a focused reading in )ic students are given several ,uestions and te' ave to figure

out te ans)ers b' ,uic#l' reading troug te te8t7

-b in/class intensive reading consists largel' of lecture on te passage.

Tere are also e8tensive reading activities suc as

-a reading speed practice in )ic students learn to i!prov teir reading speed7

-b guessing vocabulary as to do )it #eeping dictionnar' use to te !ini!u! and start

developing te abbit of guessing te !eaning of unfa!iliar )ords.

Teacing )riting s#ills

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an' te8tboo#s approac )riting b' teacing students te proper for!s of )ritten

*nglis -o) to )rite a sentence( a paragrap( and so on and ten co!ing up )it topics

to give students an opportunit' to practice tese for!s. ;ter approaces begin )it te

!essage( encouraging students to find so!eting te' )ant to sa' and !oving to te

,uestion of )at for! )ill best elp te! co!!unicate teir !essage. Tere is no

conclusive evidence tat eiter of tese approaces to teacing )riting is te rigt one.

?o)ever( :no) -20061$6 suggests tat a )riting course tat stresses te !essage is

generall' !ore interesting tan one tat stresses for! and tat( b' stressing te !essage(

one can use te inerent u!an desire to co!!unicate is an engine tat dra)s students

into )riting.

*ven if te teacer intends to focus on )riting as a co!!unicative activit'( it is

ver' eas' to beco!e overl' concerned )it for!al accurac'. ;ne reason is tat )ritten

language is generall' e8pected to be !ore for!all' correct tan spo#en language( so fla)s

see! to cr' out for correction. Te relative per!anence of )ritten language also !eans

tat teacers can scrutinie co!positions slo)l' and carefull'( devoting far !ore ti!e to

ferreting out gra!!ar errors tan te' could )it epe!eral spo#en language. ?is

argu!ent ere is not tat te teacer sould ignore gra!!ar and for!7 training in

gra!!atical accurac' and te for!s of co!position sould be an i!portant part of an'

)riting course. ?o)ever( overe!pasiing on for! can lead to neglect of te !essage

itself. In turn( students !a' fabricate !essages in order to practice gra!!ar or e8positor'

for!. :tudentsK tendenc' to ignore co!!unication is co!pounded )en co!positions

ave no audience oter tan te teacer. Co!positions tat co!e bac# to students covered

)it gra!!atical corrections and co!!ents on for! serve to confir! te students+ belief

tat )riting is a for!al e8ercise.

Te )riting process is described b' :no) -20061$ as aving tree parts

planning( )riting( and revising. Teacers need not al)a's insist tat students strictl' follo)

tis tree step process in teir )riting because it is not entirel' natural7 nor!all' so!e

planning and editing occurs during te )riting pase( and ne) plans often e!erge during

te editing pase. ?o)ever( especiall' as students !ove to)ard !ore advanced levels of

)riting s#ill( te' sould begin learning tat good )riting starts before te first sentence is

)ritten and does not end )it te last )ord of te first draft. An i!portant part of teacing

)riting is tus introducing all tree steps( stressing teir i!portance( and providing

students )it practice in eac.

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a s#ill tat !a' ta#e students so!e ti!e to !aster( but it is ver' elpful in !ore advance

)riting.

riting activitiesAccording to :no) -20061$%( nor!all' a )riting course includes a !i8 of )riting

activities( including sorter )riting activities done in class and longer assign!ents tat

involve )riting at o!e.

:pecific t'pes of in/class )riting activities are

-a copying )ic allo)s students to focus on basic for!al features of )ritten *nglis and

as to do )it cop'ing sentences or even te8ts7

-b note/taking deals )it developing listening and )riting s#ills7-c speed writing in )ic students put teir ideas do)n on paper in an uninterrupted

!anner( leaving correction for later7

-d in/class essays provide a great opportunit' for te teacer to see o) ,uic#l' or slo)l'

students produce te8ts.

riting assign!ents are based on students+ specific needs. :o!e t'pes of

assign!ents are according to :no) -2006161

-a dialogue writing )ic is a creative activit' but also conceptuall' si!ple7

-b story/writing assignments are a good opportunit' to encourage )riters to tin# about

o) to structure )at te' )rite for !a8i!u! effectiveness )it a given audience7

-c personal letters are an eas' genre in )ic students can )rite about a broad range of

topics ranging fro! te ver' si!ple to te profound.

2.4 Te roles of teacers and learners

Te social cli!ate of te classroo! depends to a great e8tent on te strengt of eac individual+s contribution and te relationsip a!ong students and teacer -)o ave

various roles. In ever' teacing !etod te roles are different. =icards and =odgers

-1%"23( point out tat so!e !etods are co!pletel' teacer dependent( )ile oters see

te teacer as catal'st( consultant or guide. According to te! teacer roles are related to

te follo)ing issues

a te t'pes of functions teacers are e8pected to fulfill( for e8a!ple( )eter tat

of practice director( counselor( or !odel7

b te degree of control te teacer as over o) learning ta#es place7

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c te degree to )ic te teacer is responsible for content7

d te international patterns tat develop bet)een teacers and learners.

Hunan -1%6%4 states tat proble!s are li#el' to appear )en tere is a clas

bet)een te role perceptions of te teacer and te learner. ?e gives an e8a!ple

been !entioned( te' !a#e reference to roles suc as


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&reen and Candlin -1%0110( present te student+s role )itin te CLT as li#e te

follo)ing

the role of learner as negotiator 3 between the self, the learning process, and the

ob&ect of learning 3 emerges from and interacts with the role of &oint negotiator

within the group and within the classroom procedures and activities within the

group undertakes. The implication for the learner is that he should contribute as

much as he gains, and thereby learn in an interdependent way.

?o)ever( according to Larsen Bree!an -2000131 te current !etodolog' is

influenced b' te ideas tat learners are !ore responsible !anagers for teir o)n learning

and te role of a teacer is less do!inant.

Te teacer still re!ains te !ain organiser of activities toug as iddo)son

-1"%%" accentuates

the increase in learner/centred activity and collaborative work in the classroom

does not mean that the teacher becomes less authoritative. e or she has to

contrive the re*uired enabling conditions for learning, has still to monitor and

guide progress. 4nd all this presupposes an expertise, applied perhaps with more

subtlety and consideration and discretion than before, but applied none the less.

It is( terefore( necessar' for teacers to build co!petence and confidence in

fulfilling a )ider range of roles be'ond tat of providing and presenting ne) language.

Tus( according to =icards and =ogers -1%"1$6( )ile teacing a language( a

teacer is supposed to select learning activities in suc a )a' as to engage learners in

!eaningful and autentic language use. Tese #inds of classroo! activities actuall' bring

te student into te focus of learning( )ic )as not te case in earlier language teacing

!etods( supporting te !odel of a teacer/centred classroo!. It is active participation

instead of passive reception )ic distinguises co!!unicative learning fro! traditional

lecturing. Te !ain role tat students pla' in tis approac is tat of negotiators P bet)een

te self( te learning process and te obect of learning. Anoter role is te role of a oint

negotiator )itin te group( )ic points to te fact tat failed negotiation is not te fault

of te spea#er or listener( but a oint responsibilit' -according to &reen and Candlin

1%017 =icards and =ogers 1%"162.

Te fact tat classes in co!!unicative approac are student/oriented does not rule

out te i!portance of te teacer( )o( in tis case( is defined as a facilitator of language

learning and an independent participant )itin te learning/teacing group. Te teacer is

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also perceived as a group process !anager( anal'st( and counsellor according to =icards

and =ogers -1%"167 and Larsen/Bree!an -2000143.

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Capter 3

Case stud' Te CLT !etod in te classroo!

Te sa!e ,uestionnaire as been applied on t)o groups of students( a class for!ed

of 2% students in !iddle scool( -!ore precisel' " A( Ciprian Porumbescu iddle :cool

and a class for!ed of 30 students in igscool -10 A( $eorge Calinescu ?igscool.

Te 'potesis of tis researc )as t)ofold to cec# if( b' appl'ing te CLT

!etod( students beco!e better co!!unicators( and to prove its efficienc' and utilit' in

class.

Te ,uestionnaire )as ad!inistrated in a )ritten for!. &ot classes ad te sa!e

period of ti!e to fill in te ,uestionnaire -20 !inutes co!posed of 10 ,uestions -$ 'esDno

,uestions( 2 fi8ed response ,uestions and 3 open/ended ,uestions. Te students ad te

possibilit' to as# if te' ad an' !isunderstandings( te ,uestionnaire aving been applied

in *nglis( tis being also a )a' to cec# teir #no)ledge and abilit' to trans!it teir

ideas in tis foreign language. Te ,uestions )ere for!ulated in *nglis and te' )ere

ans)ered also in *nglis.

e na!ed te !iddle scool class OGroup A+ and te igscool class OGroup &+.

:et of ,uestions

1. In te *nglis classes( is tere good co!!unication bet)een 'ou and 'our

teacer and bet)een 'ou and 'our class!atesN -esDno ,uestion

Bor ,uestion Q1( in Group A( 23 students ans)ered yes( sa'ing tat te' ave good

co!!unication )it teir teacer and 2 students ans)ered no.

92%

8%

Group A

yes

no

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In Group & 2" ans)ered yes and 3 ans)ered no.

90%

10%

Group B

yes

no

2. @oes 'our teacer insist on co!!unicating )ell in *nglisN -esDno ,uestion

Bor ,uestion Q2( in Group A( 20 students ans)ered yes and $ students ans)ered no.

80%

20%

Group A

yes

no

In Group & 2$ students ans)ered yes and $ students ans)ered no.

83%

17%

Group B

yes

no

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3. @o 'ou feel tere is good interaction in class during *nglis coursesN -esDno

,uestion

Bor ,uestion Q3( in Group A 22 students ans)ered yes and 3 students ans)ered no.

88%

12%

Group A

yes

no

In Group & 23 students ans)ered yes and " students ans)ered no.

77%

23%

Group B

yesno

4. ?ave 'ou developed 'our co!!unicative s#ills trougout 'our *nglis classesN

-esDno ,uestionBor ,uestion Q4( in Group A( 1% students ans)ered yes and " students ans)ered no.

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72%

28%

Group A

yesno

In Group & 2$ students ans)ered yes and $ students ans)ered no.

83%

17%

Group B

yes

no

$. @o 'our *nglis classes elp 'ou develop te four language s#ills in *nglis

-listening( spea#ing( reading( )riting N -esDno ,uestion

Bor ,uestion Q$( in Group A( 1 students ans)ered yes and 6 students ans)ered no.

76%

24%

Group A

yes

no

In Group & 23 students ans)ered yes and " students ans)ered no.

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77%

23%

Group B

yes

no

6. @o 'ou tin# 'our *nglis classes are focused on teor' or on practiceN

Teor'Dpractice

Bor ,uestion Q6( in Group A( 1" students said teir classes are focused on practice

and % said teir classes are focused on theory.

32%

68%

Group A

theory

practice

In Group & 2% students said teir classes are based on practice and 2 students said

teir classes are based on theory.

7%

93%

Group B

theory

practice

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". @oes 'our teacer focus !ainl' on accurac' or on fluenc'N Accurac'Dfluenc'

Bor ,uestion Q"( in Group A( 1$ students said teir classes are focused on fluency

and 10 students said teir classes are focused on accuracy.

40%

60%

Group A

accuracy

fuency

In Group & 2$ students said tat te classes are based on fluency and $ students said

te classes are based on accuracy.

83%

17%

Group B

accuracy

fency

%. ?ave 'ou ad te cance to put in practice 'our *nglis s#illsN If so( o) did

'ou !a#e use of te!N -opened ,uestion

Bor ,uestion Q% bot groups ans)ered tat te' ad te cance to put into practice

teir *nglis s#ills.

In Group A 1$ students ans)ered tat te' listen to songs in *nglis and te'

understand te overall idea of te song + can list to my favorite band's song -. A.7 +

started listening to song in )nglish because + can now understand what they say -C. ?.

and 10 students ans)ered tat te' can Ocat+ online )it people fro! oter countries in

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*nglis and in tis )a' te' understand eac oter even toug te' belong to different

nationalities 1y best friend is from 5apan and we talk to each other in )nglish -@. L.

In Group & 13 students ans)ered tat te' )atc !ovies in *nglis )itout

translation( in tis )a' !a#ing use of teir *nglis s#ills 6hen + couldn't find the

translation + was upset, but then + started watching it without translation and + could

understand what they said -;.C.7 students ans)ered tat te' read boo#s in *nglis(

being able to discover oter autors and perspectives in )riting% + found a book that +

really wanted to read in )nglish and + started to read it and + could understand the words.

A. B. and oter % students ans)ered tat te' use teir *nglis s#ills to co!!unicate

online )it people fro! oter countries + started chatting online with people from other

countries and they are surprised how well + know )nglish -:. H..

. @o 'ou tin# 'our *nglis classes are useful for real life situationsN If so( can

'ou give e8a!plesN -opened ,uestion

Bor ,uestion Q bot groups ans)ered tat te' find *nglis classes useful for real

life situations.

In Group A 20 students ans)ered tat *nglis classes are elpful )en te' tal#

)it people fro! oter countries( and $ students ans)ered tat *nglis classes also give

te! a loo# inside oter cultures and !entalities + learnt more about other people and

how different they think from us -. A..

In Group & 1% students ans)ered tat te' so!eti!es read prescriptions and

advertis!ents tat are not in =o!anian so #no)ing *nglis( )ic is an international

language( does elp te! + wanted to buy a product that wasn't from !omania so its

ingredients weren't in !omanian so + had to read them in )nglish ->. =.( and " students

ans)ered tat te' tal# to oter people( fro! oter countries( even &ritis and A!erican

people and #no)ing teir language is a real elp and a uge opportunit' to practice + met

an 4merican person who wanted to know some directions and nobody could help him. 7o +

went and explained what he wanted to know. e was so grateful -. G..

10. @o 'ou feel 'our *nglis classes elp 'ou develop better s#ills tat can be used

in oter areas of stud'N If so( can 'ou give e8a!plesN -opened ,uestion

Bor ,uestion Q10 bot groups of students ans)ered tat *nglis classes elp te!

in oter areas of stud'.

In Group A all students ans)ered tat te' encounter *nglis )ords in oter areas

of stud'( li#e infor!atics and #no)ing te )ords reall' elps te! to better understand te

classes 1y )nglish also helps me in my informatics classes -:. *.

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In Group & 23 students ans)ered tat *nglis )ords are used in oter areas of

stud' and tat #no)ing *nglis is an advantage( and " students ans)ered tat

co!!unicating )ell in *nglis also elps te! to co!!unicate better in =o!anian(

giving te! confidence 6hen + see that + can communicate and understand another

person's words in other language + feel more confident to speak and express my ideas even

in !omanian -@. I..

Te ,uestions )ere for!ulated based upon specific areas of interest in

Co!!unicative Language Teacing and !ain obectives -te focus on practice( te

develop!ent of te four language s#ills( te activities and classes based !ostl' on practice(

te usefulness of te students+ *nglis #no)ledge outside te classroo!( etc.. Te ans)ers

of te students )ere in favor of tese caracteristics( proving te success of tis !etod in

class. Te 'potesis of tis ,uestionnar' as proven valid b' te students+ ans)ers.

Tis set of ,uestions )as used on tese t)o groups of students to !a#e sure and to

prove tat tis !etod -Co!!unicative Language Teacing is efficient not ust in te e'es

of te public( but !ost i!portantl' in te e'es of te students. a#ing sure tat tis

!etod )or#s in class is of great elp for a teacer )en organiing is classes.

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Conclusion

Tis paper as been a researc assign!ent on finding te best !etod to be used in

te classroo! in order to develop co!!unication bet)een te teacer and is students.

Te first capter as been a presentation of te basic principles of learning and

teacing a foreign language( tese principles being an actual guide for teacers in

preparing teir classes( !a#ing te! a)are of so!e of te proble!s students !igt face

)en learning a foreign language and o) to best solve te!.

Te second capter as e8a!ined a )ell used !etod in class( co!!unicative

language teacing( )ic as as its !ain obective !a#ing students good co!!unicators.

Te first part as presented tis !etod as seen b' specialists in te field( o) it started to

develop and te !otivation for introducing a ne) !etod in class based on te canging

realities of te ti!e. Te second part as so)n tat language learning and teacing is(

after all( a !eans of co!!unication and tat )itout being a )ell connected

co!!unication bet)een teacers and teir students( te overall process of teacing and

learning cannot be aco!plised. Te tird part as been !ore co!ple8 and as been based

on te four language s#ills tat ave to be developed in learning a foreign language. Tis

part as so)n tat all tese four s#ills develop( in one )a' or anoter( te co!!unicative

s#ills( and tat all four are i!portant for co!!unicative language teacing. Tis part as

included also activities tat elp develop eac s#ill. And te final part of tis capter as

presented te roles of teacers and learners in tis co!!unicative !etod( teir specificcontribution in te classroo! and in realising te overall process of co!!unication.

Te tird capter as proven te usefulness of co!!unicative language teacing in

!a#ing students good co!!unicators b' appl'ing a ,uestionnaire on t)o groups of

students on )ic tis !etod as been applied and letting te! decide )eter it is useful

or not. Tis ,uestionnaire as based its ,uestions on te specific traits of co!!unicative

language teacing( on its !ain obectives and )a's of acco!plising te!. Te students

are te ones )o ave actuall' validated te 'potesis of tis ,uestionnaire b' appl'ing

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te CLT !etod in class( students beco!e better co!!unicators being an efficient and

useful !etod in class. Te fact tat te' use teir #no)ledge of *nglis outside te

classroo!( in real life situations( is a state!ent b' itself. And also te fact tat tis

,uestionnaire as been applied in *nglis and tat te students+ ans)ers )ere also in

*nglis( confir!s it.

Tis graduation paper as focused on probabl' te !ost i!portant t'pe of

co!!unication( te one bet)een teacers and students. ?aving a )ell developed !etod

tat elps in realising tis t'pe of co!!unication is a great support in teacing a foreign

language.

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