Reflection on the Communicative Classroom

This module helped crystallize what communicative learning is and how it translates into lessons in the classroom.  Some of the highlights I'd like to take away from this module include the following:

Criteria for a lesson based on communicative method principles:

a.  Language should be a means to an end; ie. the focus in lessons should be on meaning, not form.
b. Language in the classroom, as far as possible, should be real.
c. Content should be determined to a significant degree by the learners, so that they are forced to wrestle with the meaning-making process.
d. There must be negotiation of meaning between learners, so that they learn to interpret and clarify communications before responding.
e. Learners should be presented with language that is not predictable; ie. there should be an information, reasoning or opinion gap.

What does this mean for teachers and learners?

• Use of authentic language: Since the main goal for language learning in the communicative method is communicative competence, it follows that learners must not only be exposed to a rich variety of authentic language, but also must develop the skill of using it both fluently and accurately.
• Focus on the use of English for specific purposes: Teachers and learners are aware that language needs vary according to the demands of the situation.  Thus, it is expected that the content of content of specified courses will target these special demands.  For example, the needs of learners who are preparing to study medicine in an English-speaking university may be quite different from those who are studying English because they are planning to settle in an English-speaking country.
• Prevalence of information-gap activities:  One way that learners will use as much language as possible in situations where they are focused on negotiating meaning is through the use of information-gap activities.  These activities are intentionally designed to so as to require learners to communicate with one another in order to complete a certain task or get certain information.  The activity provides one learner with certain information and his or her partner with other information.  In order to complete the activity, however, they must have both parts of the information and therefore, must ask for, share, and clarify information.  These types of activities are guaranteed to get learners involved and using the target language.
•  Use of task-based learning: Task -based learning involves a challenge of interest to the learners.  The teacher presents a question or task for the learners and with some limited support, they must work together to plan, perform, and report on the task.  Throughout, the teacher may help with some language items, but the bulk of the language focus activities (analysis or practice) are implemented at the end of the lesson.  This technique has both benefits and disadvantages.  One of the main benefits is that the learners use their full arsenal of language skills and knowledge throughout the task, making the interaction more like real-life communication.  On the other hand, some have expressed concern that there is not enough focus on form.  

As we learn to implement each of these tools in an effort to create a more effective communicative language classroom, we must be careful to:

• maintain a good balance between focus on form and focus on meaning
• BOTH!
• all communication should always have a skills developmental purpose 
• it's not the point to have learners talking all the time - there must be purpose 
• authentic language should be used, but may need to be adapted so as not to overwhelm learners
• the language tasks should include some unfamiliar language, but not too much, otherwise some preliminary work will be required in order for them to be able to perform the task
• consider classroom management issues specific to communicative language classrooms
• pair / group work
• cultural assumptions about group work
• role of the teacher as a 'guide on the side'