Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

Main ideas and concepts (Communicative Language Teaching / CLT)

• Definition of CLT: An approach to language teaching and learning that focuses on:

  • Knowledge of the language itself
  • Social rules for how language is used appropriately
  • Context-dependent language use (how language changes depending on the situation)

• What happens in a CLT classroom:

  • Students interact to produce meaningful communication

• Communicative activities can vary in structure:

  • More controlled versions to build accuracy
  • Less teacher-controlled versions to build fluency

Methodology / instruction-style content: Communicative role-play activity

Two versions of a communicative role play (accuracy vs. fluency)

Accuracy role play (controlled)

• Put students into pairs
• Give each pair a pre-written dialogue
• Students take turns practicing the dialogue with a specific accuracy goal, such as:
  • Proper intonation when asking questions
• While students practice:
  • The teacher moves around the room to correct mistakes

Fluency role play (less controlled)

• Do not provide a pre-written dialogue
• Assign each group a scenario to discuss and improvise, such as:
  • Students pretend they are talking together after a car accident
• Assign roles within the scenario, for example:
  • Police officer
  • Driver 1
  • Driver 2
  • Witness
• Students freely ask questions and carry out the role-play based on the scenario

Speakers / sources featured

• No specific named speaker is identified in the subtitles.
• Source: The video itself (referred to as “this video…”, ending with “thank you for watching”).