CLT Experience

Richards (2006, p. 2) said that Communicative language teaching can be understood as a set of principles about the goals of language teaching, how learners learn a language, the kinds of classroom activities that best facilitate learning, and the roles of teachers and learners in the classroom.

Communicative Language Teaching was an awesome experience for me. It showed me a new way to process the language. In this approach, Johnson (p. 2) said that message-focus is central to communicative methodology because it is central to language use, and communicative methodologists aim to simulate processes of language use in the classroom. That was challenging for me, because I was not taught in that way. I could not imagine how I would deal with Ss like that.

But as we read the material, I started to realize the importance to make the classes more meaningful and real for Ss. Before CLT, teaching English were almost abstract, unreal and distant for Ss needs. The English materials were made with different realities than ours, so for a long time, English was unreachable for us as teachers, and for Ss too.

I realized that the system was grammatically arranged and I felt so difficult to give Ss the chance to understand English as useful language in real daily life. Then I thought in activities that perhaps can be used walking on the street, taking into account that Gualeguaychú is a touristic city and it is not necessary to travel abroad to find someone who speaks English.

I enjoyed material design, because I think it is a good way to make my communicative aims on teaching real and enriching. Making my own material I can have a wealthy support for the whole syllabus and I can also prepare games to make classes more entertaining.

I really took advantage of the course, I enjoyed a lot. The cooperating teacher was a great support for me, I felt encouraged by her. And Ss were very disposed to work despite their difficulties and their negativity to learn English sometimes. 

Keep Motivated

It is important to keep students’ motivation and give them some minutes to play, so a character could help to make the class enjoyable for children while they learn a new topic or revise an old one. There are web pages like toondoo.com that can be used.
Colourful and original material can help to deliver an interesting class giving to it a personal touch. Also, the materials you use for a class should be contextualized and adaptable. They are profitable to encourage Students to speak in English. 

It takes a lot of times but a lot of benefits too!!

Selling books, magazines and newspapers

I want to share an activity that I did in a Kindergarten. Work communicatively is possible even when students are very young.

On one table I put the magazines, on the other books and in the last one the newspapers and the cash register.  Then I explained to Ss the activity. I brought them the flashcard with the things they had to buy and some “money” (they already knew until 12, so I gave them $2, $5 and $10).

One of them would be the seller and the others had to buy. They were used to say “Can I have…? So in that way they bought, for example, “Can I have 2 newspaper and 1 book, please?”. I was there, helping them to count and pushing them to talk, but they were not shy.

I changed 5 times the sellers until the bell rang and the activity was over.

I had thought that the activity would be disorganized but they behaved very well, as the activity was going on, they shifted places alone, I did not need to tell them several times what to do. I really enjoyed it and Ss had fun.

I think that the activity was truly communicative because Ss lived it naturally. Kids Come First (2003, p.65) said that it is essential that the teacher use every available resource to keep motivation high and keep Ss interested in participating in class activities. I used colourful materials and the T and I played first to captivate them with the activity.  Some of them were very active so I selected them to be buyers and sellers just to do not feel bored.

About me...

My name is Luciana; I’m 30 years old and I born in Neuquén.

When I was 5 years old I decided that I wanted to study English because I love it. Yes, I know, I was so young to take such decision, but I insisted a lot and when I was 8 I started my English course. The things were a little different than today because I wasn’t allowed to study English in a private course if I didn’t know how to write in Spanish previously.

I grew knowing that I wanted to make a little change in the world, I was a dreamer. So, when I was 12 I thought that could be interesting to became a lawyer and make some justice. But someone told me that Argentina is full of lawyers and nothing had changed.

One marvellous day, I realized that the change the world needed was EDUCATION, and the way to go further was English, so WHY NOT LEARN ENGLISH TO TEACH ENGLISH.

I’m on my way now ;)