Essay-Communicative_Approaches-Applied_Linguistics
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This document discusses the communicative approach to teaching second languages. It describes how the communicative approach was developed in the 1960s in response to criticisms of structuralism and as an extension of prior methods. The communicative approach emphasizes using the target language interactively and functionally to develop communicative competence. It aims to create a comfortable environment where students can practice language through negotiation, cooperation and problem-solving in small groups. Proponents of this approach argue it helps prepare students for real-world language use but critics note it may neglect grammar, memorization and other skills.
Essay-Communicative_Approaches-Applied_Linguistics
- 1. Universidad Católica de la Ssma. Concepción Education Department English Pedagogy Essay: ‘Communicativ e APPROACHES’ Authors: María de los A. Betancur Murillo. Paulina Ramírez González. Subject: Applied Linguistics. Teacher: Ms. María AngelicaFuica.
- 2. Concepción, September, 30. COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. Nowadays, thanks to the new communication systems, education had suffered a revolution in a lot of scopes, for example in second language learning methodologies. For this reason, many teaching methods had born, such as „Communicative Approach‟, also known as „Communicative Language Teaching‟(CLT). Thisapproachof second language acquisition is definedasa language teaching approach, in which the most important point is the interaction as a mean and as the final objective in language learning.But, is it really adequate for present schools? Historically, CLT was born in late 1960, when structuralism was call in question. This model proposed answers to Chomsky‟s interrogations to the structural theories (about lack of responses to essential characteristics of the tongue, e.g. originality, singularity).Furthermore, experts on this field considered that Communicative Competencewas more important than language structures, because in this way, the learning covered a more complete understanding, for the reason that it is conceived as the capacity that each student have to utilize the knowledge about formal and sociolinguistic aspects of the tongue, in order to use it in the correct way. CLT was an answer for „Audio-lingual method‟, which emphasizes in listening and speaking, but, it did not allow the development of Communicative Competence, that is too much important to CLT; and also asan extension of „Notional-functional method‟, which pay all attention in the purposes to uselanguage in different contexts, that is, it “focuses on what people want to do or what they want to accomplish through speech” (Learning Ace, n.d.). Related to this, Littlewood (1981) says: “one of the characteristics of the Communicative Approaches of other languages is that it worries about the functional aspects of the language as of the structural ones. Classroom lessons are likely to be organized around concepts such as „asking for things‟ in different social settings, procedure by means of students worked in small groups and the purpose is that they can use the linguistic resources in tasks of resolution of problems”.
- 3. Now, in order to extend the concept of Communicative Competence, that was defined previously,is important to say that it is composed by two versions: the weak version, that is related to the habitual practice, when is central to give the students the opportunity of use the language. And the strongest version is associated with the classroom situation, when students learned language by communication. Another author, David Nunan (1996), conceived CLT as a general teaching model, being that, it implies all the skills in one method and it searches global learning and comprehension. Consequently, this approach is guided by five principles that are focuses on the needs and interests of each student, there are: 1. It emphasizes in the language communication through the interaction; 2. It uses real-life situations to learn language; 3. Students have the chance of think in the learning process, not only in the tongue; 4. Personal experiences are important like learning elements; 5. CLT tries to link up knowledge acquired in class with real life. So, basically this methodology searches to lead to negotiation and cooperation between students, to create fluidity through acomfortableenvironment, and, in the same way to improve pronunciation and grammar. It is of this manner, because one of the most important things is that students feel comfortable at the moment of learning a second language, as well as the relation between the language used in classroom and language used outside the classroom. Thus, arelevant factor to heed thatcan make the difference at the moment of learn a new language, is the time of exposure of people with the language. It has been demonstrated that students in their early teens are quicker and more effective second language learners. The ideal age for learning a new language may be during the years from about ten to sixteen when the maturation of cognitive skills allows a more effective analysis of the regular features of the second language being learned. Concluding, if we use Communicative Approach in the process of second language acquisition is essential to interact with other people, because it allows students‟ development as a social entity, in order to prepare them for real life. On one hand, it is the idea that if we use this method, we extend the skills about abstract and critic thought, that is the ability of think, tools that were forgotten in other approaches. On the other hand, we have older instruments to use, as memorization and repetition, those are useful implements
- 4. that now had been forgotten, and for this reason, today students cannot pay attention and memorize words or simple definitions; it is a big problem for all people that hope to learn or to teach a language.Hence, at the moment of teaching, the studentsought to have the opportunity to express themselves and share their knowledge about language. For a correct comprehension is necessary to know how to use language accurately, appropriately, and flexibly. But anyway, is important to unite resources used in different approaches, as those named above, so as transmittingthe knowledge to the learners through all the possible learning styles.
- 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY. - Littlewood, William (1981). Communicative Language Teaching: An Introduction. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. - Nunan, David (1996). Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. - Richards, J. and Rodgers, T. (1986).Approaches and methods of language teaching. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. - Brown, H.D. (1994). Principles of language learning and teaching. New Jersey. Prentice Hall.
- 6. WEBGRAPHY. - Learning Ace (n.d.). A functional-notional approach to language learning. Extracted in September, 9th , from http://www.uwec.edu/esl/minors/TESOL/FunctionalNationalSylllabus.pdf