Text 4:

Communicative LanguageTeaching (CLT)

Main Features andTechniques:

1. Meaning is paramount.

2. Dialogues, if used, enter around communicative functions and are not normally memorized.

3. Contextualization is a basic premise. (Meaning cannot be understood out of context. Teachers using this approach will present a grammar topic in a meaningful context. Example: If the new topic to teach is Present Continuous, the teacher will not mime the action of 'walking' and ask: What am I doing? I am walking. Instead, the teacher will show, say, pictures of her last trip and tell the students something like: I have pictures of my vacation. Look, in this picture I am with my friends. We are having lunch at a very expensive restaurant. In this other picture, we are swimming at the beach.

4. Language learning is learning to communicate and effective communication is sought. (When learners are involved in real communication, their natural strategies for language acquisition will be used, and this will allow them to learn to use the language.)

5. Drilling may occur, but peripherally.

6. Comprehensible pronunciation is sought.

7. Translation may be used where students need or benefit from it.

8. Reading and writing can start from the first day.

9. is the desired goal (i.e., the ability to use the linguistic system effectively and appropriately).

10. Teachers help learners in any way that motivates them to work with the language.

Adapted from: www.ontesol.com