ESL Methods- Topic 3 Continued "Communicative Language Teaching"

Alison presented on communicative language teaching (CLT), drawing from Bill Van Patten's influential work on language acquisition and classroom practice. She explained that true communication requires expression, interpretation, and sometimes negotiation of meaning with a purpose, distinguishing between non-communicative exercises like conjugating verbs and authentic communicative tasks. Alison outlined two main communicative purposes: psychosocial (establishing relationships) and cognitive informational (obtaining new information), while noting that entertainment can also be a purpose though it's less commonly used in classroom settings. She demonstrated the continuum from non-communicative exercises through partially communicative activities to fully communicative tasks, emphasizing that even beginner learners can participate in communicative activities with appropriate scaffolding. Alison discussed the difference between input-oriented tasks (lower language demand with more support) and output-oriented tasks (higher language demand requiring more production), and highlighted the importance of developing all four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.