Tuesday, 6 January 2026

Proficiency of English

CH 3 - COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING

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 CHAPTER 3: COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING

3.1 INTRODUCTION

For a long time, English was taught in our schools like a science subject—students memorized grammar rules, filled in blanks, and translated sentences. But did this help them actually talk to someone? Often, the answer was no. Students knew about English but couldn't use it in real life.

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an approach that changed this. It says: The main goal of learning a language is to communicate effectively. Just as you learn to cycle by cycling, you learn a language by using it to share real ideas, feelings, and information.

Think of your future primary classroom. A child who can recite the alphabet but is too shy to ask, "Ma'am, may I drink water?" has not truly learned the language for communication. CLT aims to make students confident users of English in everyday situations they will face.

As Professor Dell Hymes said, the goal is to develop "Communicative Competence"—the ability to know what to say, to whom, and how to say it appropriately in any given situation.

3.2 BASIC ASSUMPTIONS OF THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

CLT is based on some core beliefs about what matters in language learning:

  1. Meaning Over Rules: The purpose of language is to convey meaning. Understanding and being understood is more important than perfect grammar in the beginning.
  2. Function Over Form: We use language to do things (to greet, apologize, request, describe). CLT focuses on these functions first.
  3. Interaction is Key: Real learning happens when students interact—they listen, respond, negotiate meaning, and clarify misunderstandings.
  4. Authenticity: Language used in the classroom should resemble real-life language as much as possible.
  5. Errors are Natural: Mistakes are a normal part of learning to communicate. The teacher corrects gently without breaking the student's flow or confidence.
  6. The Teacher is a Facilitator: The teacher is not the sole source of knowledge but a guide who creates opportunities for communication.
  7. The Student is the Center: Activities are designed around student needs, interests, and experiences.

3.3 OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING

The main aim is to make students competent communicators. For primary grades, this breaks down into practical objectives:

  1. To enable students to use English for basic daily life functions (e.g., introducing themselves, asking for permission, thanking, describing a picture).
  2. To develop confidence in listening and speaking, especially.
  3. To move from guided practice (repeating model sentences) to free production (creating their own sentences for a purpose).
  4. To equip students with strategies to handle communication even with limited vocabulary (e.g., using gestures, simple words).
  5. To integrate all four skills (LSRW) through engaging tasks, not in isolation.
  6. To foster collaboration and social skills through pair and group work.

3.4 PROCEDURE IN COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING (Classroom Activities)

CLT lessons are built around tasks and activities. Here’s how a typical lesson might unfold, step-by-step:

Step 1: Present a Communication Need (The "Why")

  • The teacher sets up a realistic situation. Example: "Your friend is new to the school. He doesn't know where the playground is. How will you help him?"

Step 2: Provide Language Input (The "What")

  • Introduce the useful language (functions/vocabulary) for that situation.
  • Example: "We can use phrases like: 'Come with me,' 'It is there,' 'Let's go,' 'Near the...'"
  • Use pictures, gestures, or a very short dialogue to demonstrate.

Step 3: Controlled Practice (The "Drill")

  • Students practice the new language in a safe, supported way.
  • Example: Choral repetition of key phrases. Role-play the situation with teacher guidance. "You are Ravi. You ask me." "Now, you are Priya. You answer."

Step 4: Communicative Practice (The "Task")

  • This is the heart of CLT. Students use the language to complete a task.
  • Example (Pair Work - "Information Gap"): Student A has a simple map of the school with some rooms marked. Student B has the same map with different rooms marked. Without looking at each other's paper, they must talk and complete both maps.
  • Other Task Examples for Primary Grades:
    • Surveys: "Ask 3 friends what their favorite fruit is and fill this chart."
    • Picture Differences: Find differences between two similar pictures by describing them to your partner.
    • Story Sequencing: In groups, arrange picture cards in order and then tell the story.
    • "Find Someone Who..." A game where students walk around asking questions to complete a list (e.g., "Find someone who has a red pencil.").

Step 5: Feedback and Extension

  • The teacher observes, notes common errors, and gives gentle feedback later.
  • The task can be extended. Example: "Now, write one sentence in your notebook: 'I helped my friend find the playground.'"

3.5 MERITS OF CLT (WITH REFERENCE TO TEACHING-LEARNING ENGLISH)

  1. Builds Real-Life Confidence: Students practice language they can actually use outside the classroom. They learn to ask, "May I go to the toilet?" not just translate sentences.
  2. Student-Centered and Engaging: Lessons are interactive and fun. Children are active participants, not passive listeners, which is ideal for young learners.
  3. Develops Fluency: By constantly using the language in tasks, students overcome hesitation and become more fluent speakers.
  4. Integrates Skills Naturally: A single task like "Plan a class picnic" involves listening to others' ideas (L), suggesting items (S), reading a list (R), and writing a final plan (W).
  5. Encourages Collaboration: Pair and group work build teamwork and social skills, making the classroom a supportive community.
  6. Makes Learning Meaningful: Language is linked to doing things and solving problems, which makes it more memorable and relevant for children.
  7. Focuses on Appropriate Use: Children learn the importance of polite language ("Please," "Thank you") and how to talk differently to a friend vs. a teacher.

3.6 LIMITATIONS OF CLT IN THE PUNJABI CONTEXT

While CLT is excellent, implementing it in typical Punjabi primary schools has challenges:

  1. Large Class Sizes: Managing pair/group work in a class of 40-50 students is very difficult for one teacher.
  2. Teachers' Own Proficiency: Many teachers may not feel confident in their own spoken English to facilitate free-flowing communication activities.
  3. Examination System: If final exams still heavily test grammar rules and rote memorization, teachers feel pressured to "complete the syllabus" rather than spend time on communicative tasks.
  4. Lack of Resources: CLT thrives on visual aids, picture cards, real objects (realia), and space to move. Many schools lack these basic teaching-learning materials.
  5. Overemphasis on Speaking: If not balanced, reading and writing—especially the beautiful handwriting and spelling crucial in primary grades—might get less attention.
  6. Initial Chaos: Communicative classrooms are noisier and seem less "disciplined" than traditional lecture-style classes, which can be misunderstood by school administration or parents.

CONCLUSION & WAY FORWARD

CLT is not about throwing away grammar or textbooks. It is about putting communication first. For a primary teacher in Punjab, it means starting small.

You can begin by:

  • Using more English for classroom instructions ("Open your books," "Make a circle").
  • Introducing one simple communicative game per week.
  • Using pictures and objects from the children's environment (a phulkari, a matka, a mango) to spark description and conversation.
  • Encouraging students to use English for their basic needs in the classroom.

The goal is to move gradually from a teacher-dominated classroom to a learner-active one, where English becomes a living tool for expression, not just a subject in the timetable.

EXERCISE: ANSWERS

1. What do you understand by CLT? What are its objectives?

  • Introduction: Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is a modern approach to language instruction that shifted the focus from mastering grammatical structures to developing the ability to communicate effectively in real-life situations. It emerged as a response to methods that produced students who knew rules but could not speak.
  • Understanding CLT: I understand CLT as a meaning-centered, student-centered, and interaction-based approach. Its core principle is "learning to use" rather than "using to learn." It treats language as a social tool for doing things (like requesting, apologizing, describing) and emphasizes authentic communication where students negotiate meaning. Errors are seen as natural milestones in the learning journey, not failures.
  • Objectives of CLT: The primary objective is to develop "communicative competence" (Hymes). Specifically, it aims to:
    1. Enable learners to use the target language effectively and appropriately in various social contexts.
    2. Develop fluency and confidence in spoken interaction.
    3. Make learners proficient in all four language skills through integrated, purposeful tasks.
    4. Focus on the functional use of language (how to do things with words) over mere structural accuracy.
    5. Foster learner autonomy and strategies to cope with communication breakdowns.
  • Conclusion: In essence, CLT aims to create confident and independent language users who can step out of the classroom and use the language to connect, share, and accomplish real-world goals, which is the ultimate purpose of learning any language.

2. Discuss the procedure in communicative language teaching.

  • Introduction: The procedure in CLT is not a rigid sequence but a flexible framework centered on creating a need for communication and providing opportunities to fulfill it. It moves from providing models to fostering independent language use.
  • Discussion of the Procedure:
    1. Presentation of a Situational Context: The lesson begins with a realistic scenario or problem (e.g., inviting a friend to a birthday party). This establishes the purpose for communication.
    2. Presentation of Language Models: The teacher introduces relevant functional language (e.g., "Would you like to come...?", "What is your favourite game?") through short dialogues, pictures, or realia, focusing on meaning.
    3. Controlled Practice: Learners practice the new language in a supportive environment through repetition, substitution drills, or guided role-plays to gain accuracy and familiarity.
    4. Communicative Practice (The Core): This is the crucial phase where learners use the language to complete a task. Activities are designed with an information gap, opinion gap, or reasoning gap—meaning students must talk to exchange information, give preferences, or solve a problem. Examples are information-gap activities, surveys, and role-plays with choice.
    5. Feedback and Correction: The teacher acts as a monitor and facilitator. Correction is mostly focused on errors that hinder communication and is done sensitively, often after the activity, to maintain fluency.
    6. Integration and Extension: The language function is reinforced through related reading or writing tasks (e.g., writing an invitation card) and connected to other skills.
  • Conclusion: Thus, the CLT procedure is a cyclical process of exposure, practice, use, and feedback, designed to simulate real communication and build proficiency through active, purposeful engagement.

3. What are the advantages of CLT?

  • Introduction: CLT offers significant advantages over traditional, grammar-translation methods, particularly in creating proficient and confident language users suitable for today's interconnected world.
  • Key Advantages:
    1. Practical Proficiency: It prepares learners for real-life communication, making learning immediately relevant and useful.
    2. Increased Motivation and Engagement: Interactive and task-based activities make lessons lively and enjoyable, increasing student participation and intrinsic motivation.
    3. Development of Fluency and Confidence: By prioritizing communication over perfect accuracy, it reduces the fear of mistakes and encourages learners to speak, thereby building fluency and self-assurance.
    4. Learner-Centered Approach: It acknowledges and caters to individual learner needs, interests, and experiences, making learning more personal and effective.
    5. Holistic Skill Development: It naturally integrates listening, speaking, reading, and writing within communicative tasks, promoting balanced language development.
    6. Fosters Critical Thinking and Collaboration: Problem-solving tasks require negotiation, explanation, and teamwork, developing both cognitive and social skills.
    7. Focus on Appropriateness: Learners acquire socio-linguistic competence—understanding how to vary language based on context, relationship, and formality.
  • Conclusion: Overall, the greatest advantage of CLT is that it humanizes language learning. It transforms the classroom from a place of silent rule-memorization into a dynamic social space where language is lived, experienced, and used as a genuine tool for human connection and expression.

4. Discuss the limitations of CLT.

  • Introduction: Despite its strengths, the implementation of CLT faces considerable practical challenges, especially in resource-constrained educational settings like many primary schools in Punjab.
  • Discussion of Limitations:
    1. Contextual Challenges: In large, overcrowded classrooms, managing pair and group work for effective communication is a logistical nightmare for teachers.
    2. Teacher Readiness: Many teachers, products of traditional methods themselves, lack the necessary proficiency in spoken English and training to act as facilitators rather than lecturers.
    3. Assessment Mismatch: When high-stakes examinations continue to test rote memorization and structural grammar, teachers and schools are discouraged from investing time in communicative activities, leading to a "backwash" effect.
    4. Resource Intensive: CLT requires a variety of teaching aids (flashcards, charts, audio-visual materials, authentic texts) and physical classroom space for movement, which are often scarce in government schools.
    5. Potential Neglect of Accuracy and Literacy: An overemphasis on oral fluency can sometimes lead to fossilization of errors and underdevelopment of reading, writing, spelling, and grammatical accuracy, which are also important academic goals.
    6. Cultural Suitability: The highly interactive, student-led nature of CLT can sometimes conflict with cultural expectations of a teacher as the authoritative figure and a classroom as a quiet, disciplined space.
  • Conclusion: Therefore, the limitations of CLT are not flaws in the theory itself, but primarily implementation barriers. They highlight the need for systemic support—teacher training, revised assessment patterns, provision of resources, and manageable class sizes—to successfully harness the power of the communicative approach in diverse Indian classrooms.

5. “Communication skills form the basis of learning the language well.” Discuss by giving your own views.

  • Introduction: I strongly agree with this statement. Language is, at its very essence, a social tool for communication. Therefore, the process of learning a language is most effective and meaningful when it is built upon the continuous development of communication skills.
  • Discussion with Personal Views:
    • Foundation of Motivation: The primary motivation for a child (or any learner) to engage with a new language is the desire to connect, express a need, or understand others. When a child successfully asks for water in English and gets it, the sense of achievement fuels further learning. This functional success is a powerful basis.
    • Acquisition Mimics Natural Learning: A child learns their first language not by studying grammar, but by communicating—listening to others, attempting to speak, and refining their understanding through interaction. CLT applies this natural principle to second language learning, creating a stronger, more intuitive foundation than rote memorization.
    • Skills Integration: True proficiency isn't just about reading a textbook or writing an exam. It's the ability to listen to a question, process it, think of a response, and speak it appropriately. This integrated use of skills, which is the core of communication, leads to deeper and more durable learning. You learn the language by using it, not just to use it later.
    • From Knowledge to Competence: One may know many words and rules (linguistic competence) but without practice in communication, one cannot develop the strategic and socio-linguistic competence to use them effectively in real time with real people. Communication skills bridge the gap between knowledge and ability.
    • Personal Reflection as a Future Teacher: In my view, for my primary students in Punjab, if I only teach them grammar, I give them the bricks of the language. But if I teach them communication skills, I teach them how to build with those bricks—how to construct a sentence to ask a question, share a story, or make a friend. The latter is a far more complete and useful form of "learning the language well."
  • Conclusion: In conclusion, communication is not just the ultimate goal of language learning; it is also the most effective pathway. When communication skills form the basis, language learning becomes a dynamic, purposeful, and engaging process that builds not just linguistic knowledge but also the confidence and competence to navigate the world through language.

 

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