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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.
