Question

A core tenet of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is the emphasis on using which type of materials and activities to prepare learners for real-world language use?

• A. Highly structured grammatical paradigms and translation exercises
• B. Authentic texts, role-plays, and information gap tasks
• C. Repetitive drills and memorized dialogues
• D. Literary classics and academic essays

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Authentic texts, role-plays, and information gap tasks

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

• CLT is a language teaching approach that prioritizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language.
• It emerged in the 1970s, moving away from purely grammar-focused or audiolingual methods, emphasizing that language learning is learning to communicate effectively.
• The core belief of CLT is that successful language learning comes from having to use the target language for meaningful communication.
• It focuses on language functions (e.g., inviting, apologizing, advising) rather than solely on grammatical forms.

Emphasis on Authentic Materials and Activities

• A cornerstone of CLT is the use of materials and activities that mirror real-life communication, preparing learners for practical language use outside the classroom.
• Authentic texts:
  • These are materials created for native speakers, not for language learners. Examples include newspaper articles, menus, advertisements, movie clips, song lyrics, weather reports, and train schedules.
  • Benefit: Exposes learners to natural language, cultural context, and various discourse types, enhancing comprehension and vocabulary acquisition in real-world scenarios.
  • Competitive Exam Fact: Using authentic texts helps bridge the gap between classroom language and real-life language, improving learners' communicative competence.
• Role-plays:
  • These activities simulate real-life interactions where learners adopt specific roles and improvise conversations based on a given scenario.
  • Benefit: Encourages spontaneous language production, develops pragmatic competence (how to use language appropriately in different social contexts), and builds confidence in speaking.
  • Competitive Exam Fact: Role-plays are excellent for practicing different registers (formal vs. informal) and turn-taking skills.
• Information Gap Tasks:
  • These tasks involve two or more participants having incomplete information necessary to complete a task. They must communicate with each other to exchange information and achieve a common goal.
  • Examples: Describing a picture for another person to draw, solving a problem based on fragmented information, or giving directions on a map.
  • Benefit: Promotes genuine communication because there's a real need to understand and be understood, fostering negotiation of meaning and active listening.
  • Competitive Exam Fact: Information gap tasks highlight the importance of communication breakdown and repair strategies, crucial for real-world interaction.
• Other CLT principles and activities include: task-based learning, problem-solving activities, pair work, group work, focus on fluency over accuracy (especially in initial stages), and error correction being less intrusive and more focused on meaning.
• Key Figures/Concepts: While no single founder, prominent theorists like Dell Hymes (with his concept of 'communicative competence') and Michael Canale & Merrill Swain (who further delineated communicative competence into grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competencies) significantly influenced CLT's development.