CommentsonCLT(交际教学法论析).doc

Comments on CLTThe significance of CLT in classroom teachingLanguage is interaction, it is interpersonal activity and has a clear relationship with society. That language study has to look at the use of language in context, both its linguistic context and its social, or situational context. But in our classes, especially in middle schools, the teacher occupies most of time, students just sit in the classroom firmly to receive knowledge. They seldom practice what they learn.The development of CLT (communicative language teaching) mushroomed in the 1970s. before that, the direct method, audiolingual and grammar-translation methods are mainly used. Some educators and linguists felt that students were nit learning enough realistic, whole language. They did not know how to communicate using appropriate social languages or expressions. When CLT entered language teaching, authentic language use and classroom exchanges where students engaged in real communication with one another became more popular.The purpose of learning language is to use language. One possible solution to bridge the gap between classroom language teaching and real life language use is the adoption of communicative language teaching, which has in recent years become a fashionable term to cover a variety of development in the methodology of language teaching. The goal of CLT is to development communicative competence of students, which includes both the knowledge about the language and the knowledge about how to use the language appropriately in communicative situations. Communicative competence entails knowing not only the language but also what to say to whom and how to say it appropriately in any given situations. CLT is to develop language skills of learners, namely, listening, speaking, writing and reading. CLT makes use of real life situations that necessitate communication. The teacher sets up a situation that students are likely to encounter in real life. Unlike the audiolingual method of language teaching which relies on repetition and drills, the communicative approach can leave students in suspense as to the outcome of a class exercise, which will vary according to their reactions and responses. Students motivation to learning comes from their desire to communicate in meaningful ways about meaning topics. Now the classroom became more student-centered with the teacher allowing for the students to output the language more often.CLT plays an important role in language teaching, especially in the classroom of middle schools.CLT can change the former serious, boring classroom atmosphere. Communications between teacher-student and student-student are the main parts. Students can express what they think bravely. In the discussion, their opinion are agreed and accepted, or complemented. They can taste the joy of success. Especially for slow students, every success can strengthen their interest and confidence in study. Interest is the best teacher. Both teacher and students should be relaxed in the class. In such situation, with the clear instruction from the teacher, students can discuss, express what they want to freely. For example, the teacher says, I can paint, and he draws a picture on the blackboard. Then a student says, I can sing, and he sings a song. At that time, every student wants to speak English and the action. Students can speak out some authentic and interesting sentences: I can turn around, I can open my mouth. That is what we want most. The atmosphere of the class is quite active dynamic and interesting. Every student has a desire to learn and speak what they have learned. The teacher should instruct every student to participate in the classroom activities, and satisfy the needs of students. In these situations, the attention of students is highly concentrated, also they strengthen what they have learned firmly. CLT can help students use what they learn flexibly. Language is just a tool for communication, when they learn something, they should practice as much as possible by both speaking and writing. The teacher can set up a situation that students are likely to encounter in real life, for example shopping, greeting, phoneing problem-solving and so on. Students can practice these topics in pairs or groups, and the present to each other. The teacher and other students can correct what mistakes they make.CLT can cultivate communicative competence of students. CLT requires students to help and communicate with each other. It is a process of exchanging ideas and feelings. In the process, students encourage each other to overcome the problems and difficulties together, ay the same time, students learn how to help, evaluate others work, that is acknowledge other advantages, tolerate other disadvantages, accept opinions of others, and learn from others modestly. In that case, every student participate in the classroom activities, it strengthen communications and co-operations between students. It is good for students to cultivate co-operative spirits, share achievements and respects originate from the CLT.CLT places students in the core of the classroom teaching. In the former teaching methods, teacher is the center of the classroom teaching, the teacher takes up most of the time, he just pure knowledge onto the students whether they can understand or not. Students sit in the classroom quietly to listen what the teacher teaches. And students have few chances to express their ideas only when the teacher asks them to. Besides for this, time is quite limited, few of time in the classroom allows them to discuss and answer questions. Also great pressure press upon them when they answer the questions. Many students are fear of answer question before whole students in the classroom. When CLT is applied to the classroom teaching, teacher becomes an organizer and instructor, students become the core of the classroom. The chances of presenting ideas multiply in the time-limited classes. Especially in pair work or group work, with the instructions from the teacher, students can express what they think bravely and fluently. In groups, they are peers, there is few authority factors and pressure from peers. Discuss in pairs or groups, students prepare enough, there is little pressure even facing the whole students and teacher. Consciousness of participation strengthens step by step. More and more students participate in the classroom activities, initiative position of students is manifested in the CLT.The ultimate goal of foreign language teaching is to enable students to use the foreign language in work or life when necessary. Thus we should teach that part of the language that will be used (rather than all parts of the language), and we should teach language in the way that is used in the real world. However this is not always the case in the present day language teaching practice. Very often there is a big gap between the use of language in real life and the traditional language teaching method.CLT involve the students in performing a real communicative purpose rather than just practicing language for its own sake. It creates a desire to communicate among students. That is, even if communication is focus on the students, they must feel a real need to communicate. Students must be concentrating on what they are saying, not how they say it. They must have some “message” that they want to communicate. The assessment should be based on whether the students have achieved their communicative purpose, not whether the language they use is correct. Then in the later, students can correct the mistakes each other or with the help of teachers.In reality, language is used in a certain context, but traditional pedagogy tends to isolate language from its context. For example, in traditional pedagogy, when the English passive voice is introduced, the teacher tries to present how the object in an active sentence is moved to the front of a passive sentence and how the verb is changed to an auxiliary plus an ed form of the original verb. Then the students will ask when the passive is used and why they should learn it. In many cases, the teacher may explain the reasons, one of which is, when it is not necessary to tell who has done the action, the passive is used. Then the students will ask another question “why is it not necessary to tell who has done the action?” Student keep asking question, because the grammar pattern is taken away from the language context. If teaching of the passive voice starts with examples from language use in context, students will have few questions to ask. Students and teacher can both benefit from it.CLT focus on meaning rather than on form, the reading sk