The Communicative Classroom (1)

Main topics
1.

What is the communicative language ability?

2.

Components of the CC:

1.

Linguistics Competence Pragmatic Competence Discourse Competence Strategic Competence

2.

3.

4.

5.

Fluency

3. Issues for thr CC

The concept of the communicative language ability

-

It is an important aim of ELT

communication in both written and spoken language.

The major concept of communicative movement is how to know a language and use it in communication at different settings.
Hymes coin the term Communicative Competence in the early 70s as a

Communicative Competence
- The ability to interpret messages and negotiate meaning within specific contexts. - The social and cultural knowledge that learners need to understand and use linguistic forms.

Linguistic competence

Concerned with learning language itself: form and meaning. This knowledge can be oral or written. LC is a crucial part of CC.

1. Linguistic competence

Correctness in the CC (explicit teaching)

Which methods, activity types that are best to improve the LC of leaners?

1. Linguistic competence

Do teachers need to focus on form-focused (focused) teaching or on meaning-focused (unfocused) teaching? These two types are integrated in the CC.

2. Pragmatic competence

It involves two abilities:

1. How to use the language for communicative intentions. (illocutionary competence). EXAMPLE? 2. How to perform a particular function or express an intention clearly by selecting different linguistic structure (sociolinguistic competence, apprpriateness) examples?

- This knowledge can be spoken or written. - This knowledge is related to verbal or nonverbal (gestures). exmple

3. Discourse competence

How discourse works in terms of common cohesive devices used in English:

Turn taking in disourse

Maintaining conversation
Developing the topic.

Learners need to use some strategies used in conversations (discourse markers). EXAMPLES?

3. Discourse competence

This is also right when talking about written (textual) language. EXAMPLEs?

4. Startegic competence

How to cope in an authentic communicative situation and how to keep the communicative channel open. (Canale & Swain 1980).

Learners use some communicative strategies when they come into a situaion where they are unable to express what they want to say: 1. achievement strategies. 2. reduction strategy

4. Startegic competence

According to your views,which strategies are better in language learning? This raise a question related to wether these strategies can be taught?

Teachers can help learners to learn some questions for requesting help. EXAMPLES? Teachers can act as a listener who helps their leearners in interctins.

5. Fluency

It is related to language production (usually speech). It is the ability to link unites of speech together with facility and without strain or hesitation.

5. Fluency

Faerch, haastrup & phillipson list some components of F:

1. semantic fluency 2. lexical-syntactic fluency

3. articulatory fluency

5. Fluency

ELT concerns with how to improve fluency.

to use fluency drills in textbooks.

Teaching gambits Teaching lexical phrases "chuncks"