WE COULDN’T COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH, COULD WE? THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH PRACTICES, A CRITICAL VIEW

Abstract

Based on a brief background of its history, Communicative Language Teaching Approach (CLT) will be critically evaluated as theoretical principles as well as its practice in teaching English as a foreign language in the Arab world. The field of language teaching has passed through many changes and shifts over the last few decades. Some suppose that the language instruction has at last come of age (Harper, Lively, and Williams, 1998); others consider it as the post-method area (Richards and Rodgers 2001). In general, it is thought that there is no one particular best method that achieves the goals and meets the needs of all learners and teachers. However, I believe that the flexibility of CLT explains why it can continue and dominate the teaching environments. The term Communicative approach is an umbrella for all teaching methods whose goals are improving students’ abilities to communicate. It embraces all kinds of teaching approaches. Most lessons presentations I have seen so far about Task Based Approach, Humanistic Approach and even Total Physical Response Method are communicative. There was communication between the teacher and the students or among students themselves. The purpose of my writing is to highlight some of the difficulties of the application of this approach in the Arab world especially Egypt although I do believe those points of weakness could be easily overcome by a few modifications and regulations. This article is divided into four main sections; the first is an introduction and a historical background about CLT. The second is the CLT theoretical principles with a critical view. The third is a critical evaluation of the CLT practice especially in the Arab World. Finally, there is a conclusion followed by references.

Keywords

• Communicative approach
• EFL teaching
• Arab world
• Critical view

Kaynakça

1. Littlewood, W. (1981). Communicative Language Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Harper, J. Lively, M. & Williams, M. (Eds.). (1998). The Coming of Age of the Profession. Issues and emerging ideas for the teaching of foreign languages, Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.
2. Nunan, D. (1991). Language teaching methodology: A textbook for teachers. London: Prentice Hall. Richards, J.C. and Rogers T.S. (2001). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press.