4 Communicative Competencies
Canale & Swain (1980) contend that communicative competence consists of four underlying competencies–
According to Richard and Rodgers (1982) there was a reformulation of the concept of method. Anthony’s approach, method and technique were renamed respectively, approach, design and procedure.
A method according to Richard and Rodgers was an “umbrella term for the specification and interrelation of theory and practice” (1982, p. 1540. An approach defines assumptions, beliefs, and theories about the nature of language and language learning. Designs specify the relationship of those theories to classroom materials and activities. Procedures are the techniques and practices that are derived from one’s approach and design.
Activities
Littlewood (1981) proposed two types of classroom activities that tried to achieve the aim of communicative competence. 1) Functional Communicative Activities - problem solving, following directions, and sequencing. 2) Social Interaction Activities - conversation, discussion, role-plays, debates, students centered activities.
Audiolingual Method
Originally used by the Army in WWII, the Audiolingual Method is a language teaching method based on Behaviorist (Skinner - operate conditioning) learning models and structural view of language. In practice, the AL method emphasized systematic attention to pronunciation, and intensive oral drilling of basic sentence patterns through pattern practice (memorization, repetition). Only enough vocabulary was introduced to make drills possible. Critics of this method (notably, Chomsky)said that the behaviorist model of learning was not how humans learned language, and therefore would not tap into learner’s underlying competence (Richard & Rodgers, 2001, p. 50-67).
Background Knowledge
What students bring to each learning activity. Also known as schema. Students acquire background knowledge from texts, activities, real-life experience, ect. Teachers of ELLs should activate as much background knowledge as possible in order to get the students ready for the task at hand. Important in SIOP.
CLT Types of Learning & Teaching Activities
Littlewood (1981) Functional communicative activities include-
Social interaction activities
Communicative Language Teaching
Based on research of American sociolinguists (Hymes, Gumperz, Labov) and British functional linguists (Firth & Halliday). An approach that emphasizes interaction as the means and the goal of language learning. The primary function of CLT is interaction and communication. Fluency is important. CLT Learning Principles:
Competency Based Language Teaching
(CBLT) Focuses on what learners are expected to do with the language. Used to define educational goals in terms of precise measurable descriptions of knowledge, skills, and behaviors students should possess by the end of a course of study. Used the help new immigrants fit into the status quo and class relationships. (Schenck, 1978)
Comprehensible Input
Second language input just beyond the learners current second language competence, in terms of its syntactic complexity, i + 1, (Krashen, 1982)
Comprehensible output
Swain (1995) 1) Noticing/triggering function- Learners may notice a gap between what they produce and the target form. 2) Hypothesis testing - an opportunity for learners to test what they know. 3) Metalinguistic reflection - learners reflect on their own target language use and enables them to control and internalize linguistic knowledge. Must precise, coherent, and appropriate.
Content Based Instruction
An approach in which L2 teaching is organized around content the student need to acquire, rather than around linguistic features. Draws on CLT principles.
Content topic/concepts
While planning, carefully consider the content concepts you wish to teach and use district curriculum guidelines and grade-level content standards to guide you. In sheltered classrooms, this entails ensuring that although materials maybe adapted to meet the needs of English learners, the content is not diminished. When planning lessons around content concepts, consider the following: (1991, Gunderson)
Cooperative Learning
(Kagan, 1992; Johnson & Johnson, 1994) Draws on philosophies of Piaget and Vygotsky. Learning happens best when there is a significant amount of interaction. Part of CLT. Emphasizes teamwork activities (peer editing, jigsaws). 5 Principles - (Kagan)
Current usage of terms: Methodology, Approach, Method, Curriculum/syllabus, and Technique according to (Harmer, 2001; Kumaravadivelu, 2006; Richards and Renandya, 2002)
define approach, method, and technique according to Edward Anthony (1963)
Designer methods
Methods and ideas about language learning that evolved from a single idea or idea of a single theorist. Often not based in language theory and a very narrow theory of learning. Each method contributed to the field.
Discourse Competence
Knowing how to begin and end a conversation. The ability to interpret meaning in relation to an entire discourse or text. Using discourse markers (Canale and Swain, 1980).
Feedback
Any action that provides information on the result of a behavior. Can be negative or positive.
Focus on form
Refers only to those form focused activities that arise during and embedded in meaning based lessons (TESL Wiki).
Free voluntary reading/sustained silent reading
FVR is an educational theory that says that many student gains in reading can be encouraged by giving students time to read what they want without evaluation. The basic premise is that student who read often will read better. SSR is a method of implementing recreational reading or FVR. Students read at a designated time and place. ‘
Grammar Translation Method
In the nineteenth century the Classical Method came to be known as the Grammar Translation Method. (Prator and Celce-Murcia 1979) listed the major charactericstics of Grammar Translation: 1) classes taught in mother tongue with little active use of the target language. 2) Vocabulary is not taught in context rather in isolated lists. 3) Elaborate, intricate explanations of grammar are given. 4) Grammar provides the rules for putting words together, and instruction often focuses on the form and inflection of words. 5) Reading of difficult classical texts is begun early. 6) Little attention is given to the context of texts, which are treated as exercises in grammatical analysis. 7) Often the only drills are exercises in translating disconnected sentences from the target language into the mother tongue. 8) Little or no attention is given to pronunciation.
Grammar-Translation Approach
Nineteenth century approach developed by German scholars that focuses first on a detailed analysis of grammar rules, followed by application of this knowledge to the task to translation sentences and texts into and out of the TL.
Grammatical Competence
The abstract abilities of grammar, vocabulary, phonology, and semantics of a language (Chomsky, 1965). Hymes (1972) said that linguistic theory needed to be part of a more general theory that incorporated communication and culture (Canale and Swain, 1980)
Graphic Organizers
Provide students will visual clues they can use to supplement written or spoken words that may be hard to understand. (KWL Chart, story maps, venn diagrams, t-charts, webs, timelines, outlines.)