COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING: MANAGING THE LEARNING PROCESS

Authors

  • Mariya Olkhovych-Novosadyuk

Keywords:

communicative language teaching, communicative methodology, learner-centeredness, communicative curriculum, needs analysis, curriculum content, evaluation, metacommunication.

Abstract

The article deals with the issues of the nature of communicative language teaching. Changing views on the nature of language and learning in relation to theories, objectives, syllabus, classroom activities and the roles of learners, teachers and material which led to the emergence of communicative language teaching are analyzed.

Methodology as a communicative process is investigated as well as communicative abilities of interpretation, expression and negotiation. The roles of the teacher and the learners within a communicative methodology are identified. Moreover, the concept of learner-  centeredness is analyzed within the learning process domain.

A learner-centered curriculum has been compared with the traditional one pointing out similarities and differences between them. It is argued that communicative language teaching has had a major influence on language curriculum development. Therefore, curriculum decision-making in high-structure and low-structure contexts at the planning,  implementation and evaluation stages is outlined in this paper. One of the main issues to be considered within curriculum content is needs analysis which provides a basis for setting goals and objectives. Hence, the salient characteristics of the three approaches to needs analysis are presented according to their educational rationale, the type of information collected, the method and the purposes of data collection.

References

Bernstein, B. 1971. Class, Codes and Control. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

Breen, M.P. and Candlin, C.N. 2001. The Essentials of a Communicative Curriculum in Language Teaching. Eds. D.R.Hall, A.Hewings. Innovation in English Language Teaching. A Reader. London and New York in association with Macquarie University and The Open University, pp.9‒26.

Brindley, G., 1989. Assessing Achievement in a Learner-Centered Curriculum. Sydney: NCELTR. Halliday, M. A. K., 1973. ‘The functional basis of language’ in Bernstein, B. (ed.) Class, Codes and

Control, Volume 2: Applied Studies towards a Sociology of Language. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

Hymes, D., 1971. ‘On communicative competence’ in Pride, J. and Holms, J. (eds.)

Sociolinguistics. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1972.

Labov, W. 1972. Sociolinguistic Patterns. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pensylvania Press, pp.122-159.

Nunan, D. 1988. The Learner Centered Curriculum. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Nunan, D. 1989. Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

Nunan, D. 1992. Research Methods in Language Learning. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Nunan, D. and G. Brindley. 1986. The learner-centered curriculum in theory and practice. Paper presented at the Annual TESOL Convention, Anaheim, April 1986.

Nunan, D. and C. Lamb. 2001. Managing the learning process. Eds. D.R.Hall, A.Hewings. Innovation in English Language Teaching. A Reader. London and New York in association with Macquarie University and The Open University, pp.27-45.

Scarino, A., D. Vale, P. McKay and J. Clark. 1988. Australian Language Levels Guidelines.

Canberra: Curriculum Development Centre.

Published

2013-12-01

How to Cite

Olkhovych-Novosadyuk, M. (2013). COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING: MANAGING THE LEARNING PROCESS. International Journal of Multilingual Education, (2), 57–70. Retrieved from https://multilingualeducation.openjournals.ge/index.php/ijml/article/view/6688

Issue

Section

Articles