Principles and Methodology
The Communicative Language Teaching Approach
All the methods described so far are symbolic of the progress foreign language teaching ideology underwent in the last century.  These were methods that came and went, influenced or gave birth to new methods - in a cycle that could only be described as competition between rival methods or even passing fads in the methodological theory underlying foreign language teaching.  Finally, by the mid-eighties or so, the industry was maturing in its growth and moving towards the concept of a broad "approach" to language teaching that encompassed various methods, motivations for learning English, types of teachers and the needs of individual classrooms and students themselves.  It would be fair to say that if there is any one umbrella approach to language teaching that has become the accepted "norm" in this field, it would have to be the Communicative Language Teaching Approach.  This is also known as CLT.
Overview | Basic Features | Features at Length | Caveats
Basic Features of CLT

David Nunan (1991:279) lists five basic characteristics of Communicative Language Teaching:

(1)  An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language.

(2)  The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation.

(3)  The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on the language but also on
      the learning process itself.

(4)  An enhancement of the learner's own personal experiences as important contributing
      elements to classroom learning.

(5)  An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activation outside the
      classroom.




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CLT Features at Length

Finnochiaro and Brumfit (1983:91-93) compiled this list of CLT features way back in 1983 as a means of comparing it to the Audiolingual Method.  Below each feature in blue italics is the feature of ALM to which it was being compared.

(1)  CLT:  Meaning is paramount.
      ALM:  Attends to structure and form more than meaning.

(2)  CLT:  Dialogs, if used, center around communicative functions and are not normally memorized.
      ALM:  Demands more memorization of structure-based dialogs.

(3)  CLT:  Contextualization is a basic premise.
      ALM:  Language items are not necessarily contextualized.

(4)  CLT:  Language learning is learning to communicate.
      ALM:  Language Learning is learning structures, sounds or words.

(5) CLT:  Effective communication is sought.
      ALM:  Mastery or "overlearning" is sought.

(6)  CLT:  Drilling may occur, but peripherially.
      ALM:  Drilling is a central technique.

(7)  CLT:  Comprehensible pronunciation is sought.
      ALM:  Native-speaker-like pronunciation is sought.

(8)  CLT:  Any device which helps the learners is accepted - varying according to their age,
               interest, etc.
      ALM:  Grammatical explanation is avoided.

(9) CLT:  Attempts to communicate may be encouraged from the very beginning.
      ALM:  Communicative activities only come after a long process of rigid drills and exrecises.

(10)  CLT:  Judicious use of native language is accepted where feasible.
        ALM:  The use of the students' native language is forbidden.

(11)  CLT:  Translation may be used where students need or benefit from it.
        ALM:  Translation is forbidden at early levels.

(12) CLT:  Reading and writing can start from the first day, if desired.
        ALM:  Reading and writing are deferred until speech is mastered.

(13)  CLT:  The target linguistic system will be learned best through the process of struggling to
                 communicate.
        ALM:  The target linguistic system will be learned through the overt teaching of the patterns of
                  the system.

(14)  CLT:  Communicative competence is the desired goal.
        ALM:  Linguistic competence is the desired goal.

(15)  CLT:  Linguistic variation is a central concept in materials and methods.
        ALM:  Varieties of language are recognized but not emphasized.

(16)  CLT:  Sequencing is determined by any consideration of content function, or meaning which
                 maintains interest.
        ALM:  The sequence of units is determined solely on principles of linguistic complexity.

(17)  CLT:  Teachers help learners in any way that motivates them to work with the language.
        ALM:  The teacher controls the learners and prevents them from doing anything that conflicts with
                  the theory.

(18)  CLT:  Language is created by the individual often through trial and error.
        ALM:  "Language is habit" so error must be prevented at all costs.

(19) CLT:  Fluency and acceptable language is the primary goal: accuracy is judged not in the
                abstract but in context.
        ALM:  Accuracy, in terms of formal correctness, is a primary goal.

(20)  CLT:  Students are expected to interact with other people, either in the flesh, through pair and
                 group work, or in their writings.
        ALM:  Students are expected to interact with the language system, embodied in machines or
                  controlled materials.

(21)  CLT:  The teacher cannot know exactly what language the students will use.
        ALM:  The teacher is expected to specify the language that students are to use.

(22)  CLT:  Intrinsic motivation will spring from an interest in what is being communicated by the
                 language.
        ALM:  Intrinsic motivation will spring from an interest in the structure of the language.





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Caveats

Brown (1994:78-80) warns that there are certain caveats in the field of language teaching when it comes to discussing CLT and one's support of the approach, saying that that support or belief needs to be "qualified".  He warns against:

(1)  Giving "lip service" to the principles of CLT (because "no one these days would admit to
      a disbelief in principles of CLT; they would be marked as a heretic") without actually
      grounding one's teaching techniques in those principles, or making sure one indeed
      understands and practices according to the characteristics that make CLT what it is.

(2)  Overdoing certain CLT features, for example engaging in real-life authentic language to
      the exclusion of helpful devices such as controlled practice, or vice versa.  Moderation
      is needed in combination with common sense and a balanced approach.

(3)  The numerous interpretations of what CLT actually "is".  CLT is often a catchcall term,
      and does not reflect the fact that not everyone agrees on its interpretation or application.
      Teachers need to be aware that there are many possible versions, and it is intended as
      an "umbrella" term covering a variety of methods.





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The Communicative approach does a lot to expand on the goal of creating communicative competence compared to earlier methods that professed the same objective.  Teaching students how to use the language is considered to be at least as important as learning the language itself.  Brown (1994:77) aptly describes the "march" towards CLT:

"Beyond grammatical discourse elements in communication, we are probing the nature of social, cultural, and pragmatic features of language.  We are exploring pedagogical means for 'real-life' communication in the classroom.  We are trying to get our learners to develop linguistic fluency, not just the accuracy that has so consumed our historical journey.  We are equipping our students with tools for generating unrehearsed language performance 'out there' when they leave the womb of our classrooms.  We are concerned with how to facilitate lifelong language learning among our students, not just with the immediate classroom task.  We are looking at learners as partners in a cooperative venture.  And our classroom practices seek to draw on whatever intrinsically sparks learners to reach their fullest potential."
CLT is a generic approach, and can seem non-specific at times in terms of how to actually go about using practices in the classroom in any sort of systematic way.  There are many interpretations of what CLT actually means and involves.  See Types of Learning and The PPP Approach to see how CLT can be applied in a variety of 'more specific' methods.
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