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UNIT 2: VARIABLES TO TAKE INTO ACCOUN IN THE ORGANIZATION OF THE…
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Communicative language teaching organizes the teaching according to the notional
and functional categories of language rather than according to its structures. It
concentrates on the following:
Interactions: using language to communicate,
Tasks: using language to perform meaningful tasks
Learner: putting the learner’s interests needs in the forefront.
There are many advantages in teaching according to the communicative approach.
Some of the reasons for using the Communicative Approach in the English class are the
following:
It is thought that students who learn new languages following a Communicative
Approach are able to double their rate of learning, so
efficiency is increased
.
Communicative Approach
accommodates all learning styles
. It allows for all
students to climb to their maximum levels in the language, so that all students
end up performing better.
It helps students to learn in a
natural way
as it presents language following the
natural route of acquisition “first oral skills, then the written ones, first
receptive skills, then productive ones”.
It stimulates the students into asking
natural questions about language usage
rather than assuming grammar rules.
A key component of Communicative Language Teaching is that it facilitates
internalization of the language
, rather than just studying about a language and
only analyzing it. Thus language is a system for expressing meaning.
It is a
holistic approach
. It doesn’t focus only on the traditional structural
syllabus. It takes into consideration the communicative dimension of language,
since language structures reflect their functional and communicative uses.
It provides vitality and
motivation
within the classroom as students have the
opportunity to express their likes and dislikes, or feelings, as well as, share their
opinions with others.
It is a
learner‐centered approach
and it focuses on the interests and needs of
the learner.
In a world where the use and importance of communicating information and
information technology is increasing, it can play an important role in education.
And finally, learning a language using Communicative Language Teaching allows
students to
continue developing their language skills
and use them more
efficiently, not only in school, but in other situations, such as when travelling
abroad, or using the internet, for example.