Communicative approach to language learning

In chronological terms the communicative approach is the most recent method of language teaching. Language teachers who adhere to the principles of this approach happily acknowledge that structures and vocabulary are important but feel however that their students would be inadequately prepared for communication if only grammatical items were taught. The communicative approach acknowledges the fact that while language learners may know the rules of language usage they may be quite unable to actually use the language.

The communicative approach acknowledges that every time we use language we do so to accomplish some language function such as giving directions, asking for information, persuading or giving assurances. As well as this it is true to say that language functions such as these are always carried out within a social context. When a speaker chooses a particular way of expressing an opinion or an idea he or she does so bearing in mind elements such as intention or emotion as well as the nature of the person who is being addressed or the relationship that he or she has with that person. In this way the manner of expressing an opinion to a close friend may be quite different from the way in which this is done to a parent or to a superior in the work-place.

The communicative approach also acknowledges that it is not enough for language learners to be knowledgeable about target language forms or functions: in addition to this they must be able to apply this knowledge in real life communicative contexts. To put this in other way, meaning only becomes clear when speakers and readers - or readers and writers - interact in communicative contexts. As listeners we provide speakers with feedback which will enable a revision to be made of what was originally said. In this way a speaker will try to communicate the intended meaning in a different or more appropriate way.

The main principles of the communicative approach

1. Whenever possible real life or authentic language should be exploited in the classroom. Here we are talking about language as it is used in a real context and not the kind of language that is often assumed to exist by textbook writers, dictionary compilers and grammarians.

2. Teachers who favour a communicative approach will create situations in which learners will be asked to guess the intentions of the speaker or the writer. Successful guess-work in this area is believed to be part of communicative competence.

3. An important part of this approach is the constant use of the target language. In this way the target language is an ever present vehicle for classroom communication and is not simply the object of a rather detached academic study.

4. Advocates of the communicative approach appreciate that one single language function can have many different linguistic forms. This means that a variety of linguistic forms can be presented simultaneously, always bearing in mind that all classroom activities focus on the real-life use of authentic language.

5. Learners who are exposed to the communicative approach will have the opportunity to learn about the importance of cohesion and coherence - the properties of language which bind sentences and texts together. This implies that learners will be expected to work with language at the discourse or supra-sentential level, that is, a level which is above that of the sentence alone.

6. Another important principle of this approach is to do with the importance which is attached to games in the classroom. Games are exploited because they have certain elements in common with authentic communicative acts. In other words, there is a genuine purpose behind the language exchange. Another important point here is that the speaker, in game situations, receives immediate feedback from the listener in terms of whether or not the communication has been successful. Where small groups are exploited learners will have the maximum amount of communicative practice time.

7. Another equally important element of communicative approach is that learners should be given every opportunity to express their ideas, emotions and opinions in the classroom.

8. The attitude of the communicative language teacher towards errors is extremely important. In this context errors are tolerated and are seen as an inevitable, natural and even desirable outcome of the development of communication skills. Clearly accuracy is important but fluency is probably regarded as being even more important.

9. A teacher concerned to exploit the communicative approach will seek to establish a range of situations which are likely to promote communication.

10. One of the very positive aspects of this approach is that the communicative interaction which it involves encourages co-operative relationships among the learners. Students are given an opportunity to work with each other and to negotiate meaning.

11. This approach recognises that the social contexts of any communicative event is essential in giving meaning to utterances

12. Learners exposed to the communicative approach will be encouraged to use language forms in an appropriate way: communicative competence is directly linked to appropriateness.

13. During the kind of communicative activities that take place in language classes governed by a communicative approach the teacher acts as an adviser or facilitator during communicative activities. There is no attempt on the part of the teacher to tell learners how to behave or what to think or what to say.

14. The communicative approach is very concerned to make it clear to learners that they have a choice, not only about what to say, but about how to say it.

15. A very important aspect of this approach is that all the grammar and vocabulary which is learned and exploited grows naturally out of the range of functional and situational contexts that are a part of the lessons themselves.

16. Lastly the communicative approach will strive to enable learners to exploit a range of strategies for interpreting the language as it is actually used by native speakers.