A Case Study of Communicative Language Teaching
Summary
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been one of the most important factors that the second level teachers paid attention to. This practice is the technique they use when they are teaching the second language to improve their student's communication and understanding skills. Teachers will do practice this technique by developing the speaking skills of their students (Richards, 2006). This is very important because students will be able to increase their speaking and communication skills on early stage. Teachers want the student not only to develop how they understand the language, but that would also like students to develop their communication skills in general.
Analysis
Communicative Language Teaching is general, but broadly expounded study about the language itself, the nature behind it, and how it can develop. Teachers are the ones responsible for developing their student's language communication ability (Chiu-Yin Wong, 2012). They have to analyze on how they would create a foundation in teaching the language itself. Once the students are well-developed with the language communication, they will be more comfortable in writing, understanding, and speaking the language. This communicative learning teaching started when researches showed that some teachers were not exercising the communicative learning teaching because they do not now how they are going to demonstrate it. It can be a challenge that may lead to misunderstanding between the teachers and the students.
Alternative Analysis
The teacher has a major role to play when it comes to teaching the language. The manner of learning shows that the teacher is not forcibly teaching the students to learn the language. Teachers give time to the students to learn the language through opportunities given to them (Richards, 2006). Based on the three major roles that the CLT teachers have, the students, primarily, will have time to absorb and learn the language by having some topic related activities and language interaction (Larsen-Freeman, 1986; Richards & Rodgers; 2001). A student will be able to create a foundation of their learning of the language if they will be having activities which will help them in getting familiar. Then, the teachers will also participate with the activities to help students become more familiar with the language, thus not controlling the activities itself. Students will be the ones who will find the applicable learning path for themselves in the activity sessions (Littlewood, 2004; Richards & Rodgers, 2001). This is important because the students will not be forced to learn the language intensively, but they will learn it by getting comfortable with the language at first, and then develop their language skills in the learning curve manner. The third major role is coaching the students (Larsen-Freeman, 1986; Richards & Rodgers; 2001). After students and the teacher successfully participated in the activities, coaching the students will help them improve their opportunities as they need to polish what they have learned. The teacher will provide key points to the students on which area they would need to focus for improvement.
Many teachers of Communicative Learning Teaching have different perception of the said process (Saengboon, 2006; Thompson, 1996; VanPatten, 1998). Some says that the CLT is the way how to teach the way how to speak the language itself and disregarding the grammar, while some others would say the CLT is intended for learning the way to speak and write the language. Different students and teachers have different point of view and perceptions about CLT, it maybe depending on their capability and how they would prefer to learn the language. That is why it is important to know what the teacher’s perception is towards the topic because it will be the manner on how the teacher will teach the language (Johnson, 1984).
There was a research conducted to study the perception of the teachers about CLT (Mangubhai, Dashwood, Berthold, Flores, and Dale, 1998). Based on the results of the research, a group activity or group work within the class is much better to learn the language and learning the language including the grammar is much preferred.
Recommendation
There were some instances that the student would say yes, they like the CLT because of the process of how it is being taught; however, they may oppose their choice because they would realize that teachers are having a hard time exercising the CLT towards their students (Chiu-Yin Wong, 2012). In general, teachers may really have a hard time teaching the second language, however, if it is going to be beneficial to the students, teachers may have the fulfillment, as they will see the result of their hard work. Learning a different language other than our fist or second through CLT is an opportunity that not everyone has. Students who learn another language may have the potential to be more competitive in the future. It can be an additional skill and talent that the other people may not have.
Conclusion
Communicative Language Teaching is best regarded a strategy rather than a method. Thus although a reasonable level of theoretical consistency can be discovered at the stages of language and studying concept, at the stages of style and process there is much higher room for personal description and difference than most techniques allow. It could be that one edition among the various suggestions for curriculum designs, exercise kinds, and educational setting actions may obtain broader acceptance later on, providing Communicative Terminology Educating a position just like other teaching techniques. On the other hand, divergent understanding might cause to homogeneous subgroups. Concerns that have been brought up consist of whether a communicative strategy can be used at all levels in a language program, whether it needs current grammar-based syllabuses to be abandoned or merely improved, how such an strategy can be analyzed, how appropriate it is for non-native instructors, and how it can be implemented in circumstances where learners must keep take grammar-based assessments. These types of questions will potentially require focus if the communicative activity in language teaching is constantly obtain momentum later on.
References
Wong, C. (2012). A Case Study of College Level Second Language Teachers’ Perceptions and Implementations of Communicative Language Teaching. The Professional Educator, 36(2).
