CLT TEACHING APPROACH

CLT Teaching Approach



CLT Teaching Approach to ESL

Introduction

English as a Second Language (ESL), also called English for Speakers of Other Languages, refers to English used by a person who had acquired at least one other language before learning English. The term is often used in educational settings and in reports that provide demographic information. There is an increasing ESL population in the world as a result of colonialism, immigration, and economic and technological advancements led by English-speaking people (Anstey & Bull, 2004, Pp. 80). Language and English language policy contribute to the formation of one's individual and group identities although the relation is complex. The development of the concept of communicative language teaching (CLT) was associated with a break with the grammar-focused approaches to language teaching.

Thesis Statement

CLT (Communicative language teaching) approach to teaching is the most effective way of learning English as a second language.

Discussion

The English language has the third-largest population of native speakers among the many languages of the world. In addition, if both native and nonnative speakers are considered, English is one of the most spoken languages in the world (along with Mandarin Chinese). English is widely spoken because it is the primary language of two leading powers in the contemporary world history: the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Both countries receive immigrants who either already speak English or who need to learn ESL. Many former colonies of the United Kingdom elected to use English as a primary or an official language of their nation, despite not being the people's native tongue (Crystal, 1995, Pp. 106). In addition, due to the preeminent position of the United States in the 20th century, English is used worldwide as a common language in various fields, such as economy, science, technology, media, and politics. In this capacity, English has emerged as a leading international or universal language. CLT (Communicative language teaching) approach to teaching is the most effective way of learning English as a second language.

Communicative Language Teaching

Communicative language teaching approach to teaching is the most effective way of learning English as a second language. The development of the concept of communicative language teaching (CLT) was predominantly associated with a break with the grammar-focused approaches to language teaching that predominated in practice up to the 1960s and early 1970s. The emerging socially-oriented work of Austin (1962), Halliday (1973, 1975), Halliday, McIntosh and Strevens (1964) and Sauvignon (1972) (among others) in this period paved the way for a paradigm shift in language teaching. At a conceptual level, the work of Hymes (1972, 1977) on ethnography of communication and communicative competence was particularly influential. His 1972 paper (it first appeared in 1966 as a conference paper) presented an ethnographically-oriented formulation of the notion of communicative competence. This paper explicitly addressed language education issues. It was partly a critical response to Chomsky's (1965) highly abstracted notion of (grammatical) competence, and partly a call for language educators to take account of the 'differential competence within a heterogeneous speech community, both undoubtedly shaped ...