Syllabus, Curriculum & Lesson Plan: Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)-Lesson Plan

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an approach to the teaching of second and foreign languages, emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language. It is also referred to as “Communicative Approach”. Historically, CLT has been seen as a response to the Audio-Lingual Method (ALM), and as an extension or development of the Notional-Functional Syllabus. Task-based language learning, a more recent refinement of CLT, has gained considerably in popularity.

For Chomsky the focus of linguistics was to describe the linguistic competence that enables speakers to produce grammatically correct sentences. Dell Hymes held, however, that such a view of linguistic theory was sterile and that it failed to picture all the aspects of language. He advocated the need of a theory that incorporates communication competence. It must be a definition of what a speaker needs to know in order to be communicatively competent in a speech community. Later Canale and Swaine (1980) described four dimensions of communicative competence.

Grammatical competence: refers to what Chomsky calls linguistic competence.
Sociolinguistic competence: refers to an understanding of the social context in which communication takes place (role relationships, shared beliefs and information between participants …)
Discourse competence: refers to the interpretation of individual message elements in terms of their interconnectedness and how meaning is represented in relationship to the entire discourse or text.
Strategic competence: refers to the coping strategies that participants use to initiate terminate, maintain, repair and redirect communication

Learning theory

According to the communicative approach, in order for learning to take place, emphasis must be put on the importance of these variables:

Communication: activities that involve real communication promote learning.
Tasks: An activity in which language is used to carry out meaningful tasks supports the learning process.
Meaning: language that is meaningful and authentic to the learner boosts learning.

Acquiring or learning?

Stephen Krashen later advocated in his language learning theory that there should be a distinction between learning and acquiring. He sees acquisition as the basic process involved in developing language proficiency and distinguishes this process from learning. Acquisition is an unconscious process that involves the naturalistic development of language proficiency while learning is the conscious internalization of the rules of language. It results in explicit knowledge about the forms of language and the ability to verbalize this knowledge. Learning according to Krashen cannot lead to acquisition.

Syllabus

Communicative language teaching syllabus 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.

Characteristics of the teaching/learning process

The most obvious characteristic of CLT is that almost everything that is done is done with communicative intent.
Another characteristic of CLT is the use of authentic materials. Whenever possible, ‘authentic language’-- language as it is used in a real context -- should be introduced.
Activities in CLT are often carried out by students in small groups.

Merits of CLT

There are many advantages in teaching according to the communicative approach:

CLT is a holistic approach. It doesn’t focus only on the traditional structural syllabus. It takes into consideration communicative dimension of language.
CLT provides vitality and motivation within the classroom.
CLT is a learner centered approach. It capitalizes on the interests and needs of the learner.
In a world where communication of information and information technology has broken new considerable ground, CLT can play an important role in education.

Criticism

Notional syllabus was criticized as merely replacing one kind of list, namely a list of grammatical structures, with another list of notions and functions.
The various categories of language functions are overlapping and not systematically graded like the structures of the language.
The communicative approach focuses on the use of language in everyday situations, or the functional aspects of language, and less on the formal structures. There must be a certain balance between the two. It gives priority to meanings and rules of use rather than to grammar and rules of structure. Such concentration on language behavior may result in negative consequences in the sense that important structures and rules would be left out.
The approach relies extensively on the functional-notational syllabus which places heavy demands on the learners.
A major principle underlying this approach is its emphasis on learners’ needs and interests. This implies that every teacher should modify the syllabus to fit the needs of the learners.
The requirements are difficult. Not all classrooms can allow for group work activities and for teaching aids and materials.

In spite of its critics, CLT has gained widespread acceptance in the world of language study. CLT can succeed, as long as teachers don’t completely reject the need for the structure provided by grammar. Teachers must strive for moderation and shouldn’t neglect the merits of other methods. CLT, in the hands of a balanced teacher, can bring new life and joy to the classroom. Its vitality makes it an important contributor to language learning approaches.

Teaching Material	Authentic materials
Objectives	Speaking
Class	8	No. of Students	30/40
Goal	Communicate in the Target Language	Time	45 minutes
Teaching Methods	Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)	Teaching Aids	Handout Worksheets Picture Visual aids
Analysis of Students’ Background	1. Students are in the 8^th 2. Ss are able to listen to and speak classroom English and conversation in daily life. 3. Ss are willing to answer questions.

Lesson Objectives
Aim: To foster students’ speaking skills in the classroom by creating a ‘real-life’ communicative setting.
Specific Objectives
· Develop student’s speaking skills · Encourage asking and giving directions in English · Develop student’s speaking micro skills	· Raise students communicative skills · Achieve skills integration · Enhance students collaboration
Teacher’s Role	Student’s Role
Ø Facilitator Ø Advisor Ø Less dominant than teacher-centered	Ø Ss are communicators. Ø Engaged in negotiating meaning Ø Try to make themselves understood and in understanding others.
Language and Culture View	Language Skills
Ø Language is for communication. Ø Culture is the everyday lifestyle of people who use the language.	Ø Language functions might be emphasized over forms. Ø Ss work with language at the suprasentential or discourse level. Ø Ss work on all four skills from the beginning.
Students’ Native Language	Student’s Feeling
Ø Whenever possible, the TL should be used.	Ø Ss will be more motivated to study FL. Ø T will give opportunity to express Ss individuality. Ø T will give Ss opportunity for cooperative interaction.
Techniques	Interactions
Ø Authentic materials Ø Scrambled sentences Ø Language game Ø Picture strip story Ø Role play	Ø T-Ss Ø Ss-Ss
Evaluation	Respond to Errors
Ø Accuracy and fluency Ø S who has the most control of the structures and vocabulary is not always the best communicator. Ø	Ø Tolerated

N.B. TL (Target Language), FL (Foreign Language)

Lesson Plan

Time 45m	Stage	Aim	Procedure	Interaction
3m	Warm-up	ü To make Ss more comfortable.	- Greeting & introduction. - Telling a story related with the topic/ summarizes the previous class. - Declaration of the lesson.	T-Ss
12m	Activity 1 Picture strip story	ü To promote communication. ü To work on negotiating meaning.	- T will ask Ss to divide into small groups. - One member of the group will be given a picture strip story. - The S with the strip story will show the first picture to other members of his group, while covering the remaining five pictures. - The other Ss will try to predict what they think will happen in the second picture. - The first S will tell them whether they are correct or not and continues.	T-Ss Ss-Ss
12m	Activity 2 Authentic text Scrambled sentences	ü To figure out the speaker’s or writer’s intentions is part of being communicatively competent. ü To create variety of linguistic forms. ü To make TL as a vehicle for classroom communication.	- T will distribute a handout written on both sides. - *One side* is a copy of a sports column from a recent newspaper. - T will tell Ss to read it and underline reporter’s prediction. - When Ss have finished, they will read what they have underlined. And T will write the prediction on the board. - Then T and Ss discuss and say which predictions they think the reporter feels more certain of and least certain of. - T will give directions for the activity in the TL. - Ss will try to state the reporter’s predictions in different words.	T-Ss

			- T will tell Ss to unscramble the sentences of the newspaper article.
		ü To teach cohesion and coherence properties.	- Next T will ask Ss to turn the *other side* of the handout where the sentences of the article are out of order.
15m	Activity 3 Language games	ü To learn real communicative events-purpose to the exchange. ü To aware them by giving immediate feedback. ü To work on negotiating meaning.	- T will announce to play a game and divide the class into small groups. - T will give each group a deck of 12 cards and each card has a picture. - Ss will identify the items and T will write each name on the board. - The cards are shuffled and four Ss in a group are dealt 3 cards each without showing to anyone else. - The extra card is placed face down in the middle of the group. - 5^th person in each group receives no card and s/he has a choice as to what she would predict and how s/he would predict it. - S/he will receive feedback from the group members and continues.	T-Ss Ss-Ss
3m	Warp-up Writing	ü To engage Ss at home.	- T will instruct Ss to listen to a debate on the radio or watch it on television as home work.	T-Ss

Assessment

Scoring criteria

No.	Name of the Ss	Fluency	Accuracy
No.	Name of the Ss

Descriptor

Fluency:

4: speak fluently with no hesitation and correct intonation. (Know when to pause and to stop)

3: speak fluently enough with little hesitation, there but the intonation still correct

2: not speak fluently enough (too much hesitation) and the intonation is not really correct.

1: not speak fluently and lack of intonation appropriateness.

Accuracy:

4: no grammar error and use appropriate vocabulary

3: some grammar error and use appropriate vocabulary

2: some grammar error and the use of vocabulary is not really appropriate

1: many grammar error and inappropriate vocabulary

References

H. Douglas Brown (1987).Principles of language learning and teaching. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice Hall

Richards, Jack C. and Theodore S. Rodgers (1986). Approaches and methods in language teaching: A description and analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Other sources: Wikipedia – CLT

Hughes, Arthur. (1983). Testing for Language Teachers. UK: Cambridge University Press.

Madsen, H. S. (1983). Techniques in testing. Oxford University Press.

Picture Strip Story