The Communicative Approach Method

 

The Communicative Approach Method

Contents Goals : The students are : Able to become communicatively competent Able to use the language appropriate to a give social context	Existing Classroom Practice As I once observed : The teacher gave the students a copy of a short story and asked the students to read it. After the students finished reading the story. The teacher started to ask their opinion about the story. The teacher tried to impulse the students by giving wrong or different comments about the story, so the students started talking communicatively. Then the teacher asked the students to make a group of three. Then the teacher told the students that they would play a game. The teacher gave three cards each groups, the cards are a pictures of a character in a story. Every student held their own card. In a chain they had to give some clues to their friend about the picture in the card so that their friend could guess the picture. Each student had a chance to give clues and to guess the pictures. They enjoyed the game very much. At the end of the lesson the teacher gave the students a copy of a short story again and asked the students to read it and to give their comments about the story.
Teaching-learning characteristics : Everything is done with a communicative intent Students use the language a great deal through communicative activities The communicative activities are information gap, choice and feedback Language functions are emphasized over forms Students work with language at the suprasentential or discourse level
Teacher’s activities/roles : The teacher is a facilitator of his/her students’ learning The teacher is a manager of classroom activities He acts as an advisor
Students’ activities : The students are communicators Negotiating meaning in trying to make themselves understood Learning about cohesion and coherence Expressing their ideas and opinions	As I was told : The teacher give an article from the newspaper to the students, then the teacher asked the students about the article and what they were thinking about the article. They discuss the article communicatively. Then the teacher told the students that they would play a game. Te teacher gave a card to each student. The cards are pictures about sport equipment. Then the student started by guessing what picture are their friend had, if she/he guessed a wrong picture, the students who had the picture would tell that she/he was wrong, then the students who had the picture guessed the picture of the next student.
Comments (plusses and minuses to English language teaching today) :
This method is very good that they are hoped to be able to use the language communicatively but  they have to understand all that being communicatively competent entails, the class should be at the high intermediate level of proficiency