What is a Communicative Approach to English Language Teaching?

A Communicative Approach?Task-Based Learning in ELT
There are a variety of approaches to teaching EnglishIn the TBLT approach (Willis, 1996), the focus is on
as a second or foreign language. One aspect ofproviding communicative activities needed for English
English and foreign language teaching involves using alanguage learning, performing tasks using the target
Communicative Approach. But what exactly doeslanguage (English) and using the English language in
using a communicative approach mean?other ways for learning tasks. Examples would be
Well for me, a Communicative Approach to languagehaving learners buy postage to mail a letter by first
teaching includes several distinct aspects. We'll mentionteaching them the structures and language needed to
two of them here. Applying these aspects means thatperform the task, then actually having them do it.
language teaching and learning become far more thanAnother example would be teaching learners the
a series of grammar lessons and vocabulary lists. Forneeded English to order a meal in a restaurant, or
language teaching and learning to be trulymake a shopping purchase, then allowing them to
communicative, it must not only be in context, but usedcomplete such tasks on their own using unguided or
to convey ideas, preferences, thoughts, feelings andfree speech.
information in a way that is addressed to reach others.In the publication, "Approaches and Methods in
Usually, I address communicative language teachingLanguage Teaching" by Jack C. Richards and
through the use of two approaches:o Content-BasedTheodore S. Rodgers (CUP, 2001) more than a dozen
Instruction (CBI)o Task-Based language teachingapproaches to ELT are explored in depth. From the
(TBLT)now defunct Grammar-Translation and Situational
Definitions of CBI vs. TBL in ELTapproaches to Total Physical Response (TPR),
In CBI (Widdowson, 1978), the focus of classes is notNeuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Lexical
on the language and structure itself, but rather onapproaches to the Communicative approaches, the
learners acquiring skills or knowledge using English asNatural approach and Cooperative Learning, English
the language of instruction. If you teach a learner howand foreign language teachers world wide have a
to repair computers, for example, and use English asmuch greater language teaching approach repertoire
the language of instruction, the learners improve theirthan ever before.
language communicative skills while learning foremostSo, what's it going to be then?
the skill of computer repair.