Observation of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in a Year 3 Primary School in Johor Bahru

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Hazwani Mohd Muhridza ◽  
Linda A/P V. Prapagara ◽  
Aminabibi Satanihpy@Saidalvi

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has a long history in an English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. It is an approach which focuses on developing learners’ communicative skills in a meaningful context. However, the application of communicative language teaching (CLT) in an English language classroom has recently been debated extensively. Teachers still find it difficult and challenging to adopt CLT effectively in the classroom. This paper aims to report the application of CLT in a Year 3 English language classroom during a 90-minute lesson. Specifically, the study intended to observe and describe whether or not the teacher focused on CLT in terms of lesson development and implementation. Data was collected using an observation checklist and field notes in accordance with the objective of the study. The collected data was analysed using content analysis and validated by interrater reliability. The findings have indicated strengths and weaknesses in the lesson conducted. This can be seen in certain features of the observation towards CLT such as pair or group work activities, fluency of the language, error correction implemented by the teacher and the role of the teacher. It can be concluded that CLT approach should be given importance in the classroom by teachers in the learning process.

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 54-60
Author(s):  
Kumar Narayan Shrestha

Since language and culture have muscle and bone relationship, the existence of one in the absence of another in unthinkable. But in practice, English language teaching has paid less attention to the local culture. It is commonly believed that the insertion of foreign cultural values is not in line with local cultural values. The insertion of local culture plays vital role in promotion of nationalism, different local cultures and local cultural wisdom. Similarly, it provides cultural identity and meaningful context for learning. Therefore, the main purpose of this article is to shed light on the importance of local culture in the English language classroom. In doing so, it aims at defining culture, language, shows relationship between them and puts forth some pedagogical guidelines. Journal of NELTA, Vol. 21, No. 1-2, 2016, Page:54-60


RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822199807
Author(s):  
Joseph Foley

This article discusses language teaching and the move from a predominantly psycholinguistic to a more sociolinguistic approach through Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), the Common European Framework of Reference Languages (CEFR) and English as an International Language (EIL). The context is four plurilingual and pluricultural societies in Southeast Asia and East Asia, (Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and China). These countries were chosen as they had similarities in the development of CEFR and consequently there were common factors that needed to be addressed in implementing CEFR. According to the English Proficiency Index (2020) a number of countries in the region have been described as being in the category of low or very low with regard to proficiency. To help improve such a situation, given the need for economic development, CEFR was introduced by various Ministries of Education in addition to the already existing official CLT syllabuses. English as an international language has also been widely proposed by a number of researchers, in terms of making teachers, students and educators aware of English as a world language as well as developing an attitudinal change with regard to ‘standard’ English. This article suggests that the basic principles of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) can be best applied through scaffolding using CEFR and EIL given the reality of teaching in relatively low English language proficiency contexts.


EDULANGUE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-97
Author(s):  
Syarifudin Syarifudin

Due to the central role of speaking skill and its escalating demands of instruction in various levels of education in Indonesia, a myriad of teaching approaches and strategies have been applied to equip learners with the competences enabling the development of this skill. As a widespread approach to English language teaching (ELT),  which  gains  its  popularity  within  the context  of  EFL, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is geared towards learners’ communicative competence comprising of grammatical competence, discourse competence, sociolinguistic competence, and strategic competence as the underlying abilities of speaking proficiency. The development of these competences can be better facilitated when learning takes its place both in and outside classrooms as the latter provides potential promises for learners’ speaking proficiency development. For this reason, this paper presents learners’ challenges for learning speaking, the model activities in and outside classrooms, the importance of speaking instruction and the components of communicative competence and speaking proficiency.


Author(s):  
Ramiaida Darmi ◽  
Fariza Puteh Behak ◽  
Yuslina Mohamed

The use of tasks in the language classroom has been one of the current trends in language teaching. According to Edwards and Willis (2005), task-based language teaching (TBLT) provides contexts for activating learner acquisition processes and promotes second language (L2) learning. This paper reports a study that explores a diverse use of tasks in the English language classroom. The aim of the paper is to describe a task designed for low proficiency L2 learners’, and to explore learners’ task performance and their use of the L2 in the tasks. The study took place in a tertiary setting in Malaysia, and involved fourteen L2 learners. The task was designed based on Cummins’ (1981) framework, which focuses on the role of context and cognitive demands in language development. Learners’ worked in pairs, and were observed in the classroom. Each pair of learners’ discussions was audio-recorded, which were later analysed for their L2 use. Results indicated that learners’ L2 use increased when contextual support is high and cognitive demands is low. This suggests that designing tasks with higher order thinking is a challenge for teachers especially when it involves tertiary learners and requires learners to communicate more in their L2.


1989 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 33-39
Author(s):  
Johan Zuidema ◽  
Gellof Kanselaar ◽  
H. Wichmann ◽  
M. Giezeman ◽  
L. Koster ◽  
...  

In second language teaching a great deal of attention is paid to the learning of communicative skills. The computer program PRESTIGE (Productive and Receptive English, a Smart Tutor and Intelligent Generator of Exercises) subscribes to the views currently held in communicative language teaching. Among these are learning the meaning of a word through deduction of the word's meaning from contexts, and emphasizing the use of productive language. The computer program PRESTIGE, written in PROLOG, consists of several parts: A parser, which checks if syntax, spelling and inflection of pupils' input sentences, words, and verbs are correct. The parser is the heart of the program, and is capable of analysing most English sentence structures which are used in the first years of secondary education. A database of descriptions of words and context sentences in everyday English (taken from Collins COBUBLD English Language Dictionary). Both databases can be consulted by the pupil at any moment and thus constitute an extensive help facility. A database of texts. These texts are taken from a method called "Notting Hill Gate" (Malmberg). A generator of exercises. The program is able to generate exercises for both receptive and productive language use. Receptive: a story fragment is selected from the database. For every word, pupils can ask for a description (in English) or for a context sentence in which the word is used. Productive: several different exercises can be generated. They vary from cloze texts: the parser leaves out words that belong to a certain grammatical class (adjectives, prepostions, etc.), to free language productions: writing a composition. Furthermore, exercises can be generated in which interrogative or negative sentences have to be made. When the pupil is writing a composition, the parser checks whether the sentences are grammatically correct. Here as well, all help options from the databases are available. Pupil registration. For every pupil the program keeps track of the words that (s)he has studied, what kind of help (s)he has asked for, and what the results of the exercises are. The advantage of PRESTIGE over existing courseware for second language teaching is the open structure of the program, which makes free input of language possible. In the article the possibilities of the parser are shown and illustrated by examples. The article concludes with a discussion of the uses of PRESTIGE as an intelligent generator of exercises, and some plans for further research.


2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Graves ◽  
Sue Garton

This article explores three current, influential English language teaching (ELT) curriculum approaches to the teaching of English in public-sector schools at the primary and secondary level and how the theory of each approach translates into curriculum practice. These approaches are communicative language teaching (CLT), genre-based pedagogy, and content and language integrated learning (CLIL). For consistency across approaches, the theoretical underpinnings of each will be briefly described according to a matrix of curriculum factors including:•the view of language and language acquisition underlying the approach•how learners’ needs are construed•the nature of the content and materials•the teacher's role•the context•how language is assessedThis is followed by a discussion of research on how each approach is implemented in primary and secondary contexts, the extent to which the theory is put into practice and factors that influence its success in the classroom. Implications for the future of curriculum development in ELT will be discussed. These implications address the viability of CLT in primary and secondary schools, the role of knowledge about language in curriculum implementation, and teacher roles and identity.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Sri Diana

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been accepted as one of the teaching methods by numerous language teachers due to its major focus on developing learners’ communicative competence. This paper aims to describe communicative language teaching, misinterpretations about its practice and the factors leading to teachers’ misconceptions. It shows four misinterpreted beliefs of the implementation of communicative language teaching: communicative skills, teacher’s role in communicative activities, fluency and accuracy as the main goals and teaching techniques. It then presents three reasons that might lead to teachers’ misinterpretations concerning the practice of CLT. Teachers do not have enough training and  adequate resources.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andi Asrifan

We still try 1) to find out how something works, 2) why something went wrong, or 3) what could happen in other ways. It's in our DNA, and we couldn't assist! Our inquisitive nature is manifested in teaching a language every day, as we explore how language functions, how to use the best teaching methods, or why we have not done stuff in class. We all have learned something valuable in our language teaching classrooms and had something worth sharing with our colleagues. This is pure and fundamental research and in essence, we are "researchers." It's often a problem when teachers hear 'study,' and they reply 'No, it's too complicated for me.' 'For university teachers, that's too complicated.' I heard some of them through my own ears and just isn't real! All can access science. This post will generally describe the role of research in a language classroom, how our research can inform our teaching practices and finally, the ways in which teachers share their work.


RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822097854
Author(s):  
Kevin Wai-Ho Yung

Literature has long been used as a tool for language teaching and learning. In the New Academic Structure in Hong Kong, it has become an important element in the senior secondary English language curriculum to promote communicative language teaching (CLT) with a process-oriented approach. However, as in many other English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) contexts where high-stakes testing prevails, Hong Kong students are highly exam-oriented and expect teachers to teach to the test. Because there is no direct assessment on literature in the English language curriculum, many teachers find it challenging to balance CLT through literature and exam preparation. To address this issue, this article describes an innovation of teaching ESL through songs by ‘packaging’ it as exam practice to engage exam-oriented students in CLT. A series of activities derived from the song Seasons in the Sun was implemented in the ESL classrooms in a secondary school in Hong Kong. Based on the author’s observations and reflections informed by teachers’ and students’ comments, the students were first motivated, at least instrumentally, by the relevance of the activities to the listening paper in the public exam when they saw the similarities between the classroom tasks and past exam questions. Once the students felt motivated, they were more easily engaged in a variety of CLT activities, which encouraged the use of English for authentic and meaningful communication. This article offers pedagogical implications for ESL/EFL teachers to implement CLT through literature in exam-oriented contexts.


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