Current Trends in Language Teaching

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CURRENT TRENDS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING

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English Language Teaching

Transcript of Current Trends in Language Teaching

CURRENT TRENDS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING

CURRENT TRENDS IN LANGUAGE TEACHINGPeople learn a language best when using it to do things rather than through studying how language works and practicing rules.Grammar is no longer important in language teaching.People learn a language through communicating in it.Errors are not important in speaking a language.CLT is only concerned with teaching speaking.Classroom activities should be meaningful and involve real communication.Dialogs are not used in CLT.Both accuracy and fluency are goals in CLT.CLT is usually described as a method of teaching.Communicative language teaching can be understood as a set of principles about the goals of language teaching, how learners learn a language, the kinds of classroom activities that best facilitate learning, and the roles of teachers and learners in the classroom.

COOMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHINGThe goals of language teachingHow learners learn a languageKinds of classroom activities that best facilitate learningThe roles of teachers and learners in the classroomWHAT IS/ARE THE GOAL(S) OF LANGUAGE TEACHING?

Communicative language teaching sets as its goal the teaching of communicative competence. Knowing how to use languageKnowing how to vary our use of language according to the setting and the participantsKnowing how to produce and understand different types of textsKnowing how to maintain communication despite having limitations in ones language knowledgeHow Learners learn a languageLanguage learning has been seen as resulting from processes such as:Interaction between the learner and users of the language.Collaborative creation of meaning.Creating meaningful and purposeful interaction through language.Negotiation of meaning as the learner and his or her interlocutor arrive at understanding.Learning through attending to the feedback learners get when they use the language.Paying attention to the language on hears (the input) and trying to incorporate new forms into ones developing communicative competence.Trying out and experimenting with different ways of saying things.The Kinds of Classroom Activities That Best Facilitate LearningOne of the goals of CLT is to develop fluency in language use. Fluency is natural language use occurring when a speaker engages in meaningful interaction and maintains comprehensible and ongoing communication despite limitations in his/her communicative competence.Activities focusing on fluencyActivities focusing on accuracyReflect natural use of languageReflect classroom use of languageFocus on achieving communicationFocus on the formation of correct examples of languageRequire meaningful use of languagePractice language out of contextRequire the use of communication strategiesPractice small samples of languageProduce language that may not be predictableDo not require meaningful communicationSeek to link language use to contextControl choice of languageTeachers are recommended to use a balance of fluency activities and accuracy activities and to use accuracy activities to support fluency activities.Accuracy work could either come before or after fluency work.

Mechanical practice refers to a controlled practice activity which students can successfully carry out without necessarily understanding the language they are using.Meaningful practice refers to an activity where language control is still provided but where students are required to make meaningful choices when carrying out practice.Communication practice refers to activities where practice in using language within a real communicative context is the focus, where real information is exchanged, and where the language used is not totally predictable.

Information gap activitiesJigsaw activitiesTask-completion activitiesInformation-gathering activitiesOpinion-sharing activitiesInformation-transfer activitiesReasoning-gap activitiesActivity types in CLT

Emphasis on Pair and Group WorkThey can learn from hearing the language used by other members of the group.They will produce a greater amount of language than they would use in teacher-fronted activitiesTheir motivational level is likely to increase.They will have the chance to develop fluencyClassroom activities should parallel the real world as closely as possible. Authentic materials: Provide cultural information about the target languageProvide expose to real languageRelate more closely to learners needsSupport a more creative approach to teachingThe Push for Authenticity

The roles of Teachers and Learners in the ClassroomLearners have to participate in classroom activities that are based on a cooperative rather than individualistic approach to learning.Teachers have to assume the role of facilitator and monitor

Ten Core Assumptions of Current Communicative Language TeachingSecond language learning is facilitated when learners are engaged in interaction and meaningful communication.Effective classroom learning tasks and exercises provide opportunities to students to negotiate meaning, expand language resources, notice how language is used, and take part in meaningful interpersonal exchange.Meaningful communication results from students processing content that is relevant, purposeful, interesting, and engaging.Communication is a holistic process that often calls upon the use of several language skills or modalities.Language learning is facilitated both by activities that involve inductive or discovery learning

Language learning is a gradual process that involves creative use of language, and trial and error.Learners develop their own routes to language learning, progress at different rates, and have different needs and motivations for language learning.Successful language learning involves the use of effective learning and communication strategies.The role of the teacher in the language classroom is that of a facilitator.The classroom is a community where learners learn through collaborative and sharing. \