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Evolution of Communicative Language Teaching

The document discusses the historical evolution of language teaching methods, highlighting the shift from traditional approaches like grammar-translation to communicative language teaching (CLT) that emphasizes fluency and meaningful communication. In Morocco, despite guidelines promoting CLT since 2007, research indicates a significant gap between policy and classroom practice, with many teachers struggling to implement communicative methods due to inadequate training and resources. The findings suggest that most Moroccan English as a Foreign Language classrooms remain non-communicative, raising concerns about the effectiveness of current teaching strategies.

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12 views2 pages

Evolution of Communicative Language Teaching

The document discusses the historical evolution of language teaching methods, highlighting the shift from traditional approaches like grammar-translation to communicative language teaching (CLT) that emphasizes fluency and meaningful communication. In Morocco, despite guidelines promoting CLT since 2007, research indicates a significant gap between policy and classroom practice, with many teachers struggling to implement communicative methods due to inadequate training and resources. The findings suggest that most Moroccan English as a Foreign Language classrooms remain non-communicative, raising concerns about the effectiveness of current teaching strategies.

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ROSALIA
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© All Rights Reserved
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The Historical Background of CLT

The way people learn a language is changing over time. This can be obvious in the community of
Applied linguistics which traces the historical development of language approaches and methods.
Speaking about traditional methods like grammar-translation methods and audiolingual methods
means relying heavily on grammatical structures and memorization to learn a language but this is
no longer effective in the present days since there is a huge need for being fluent in a language.
One can master the rules of sentence formation in a language and still not be very successful at
using the language for meaningful communication (Richards 2006.p3)”.This quote reflects the
paradigmatic shift in language teaching which is the rise of communicative language teaching.
This approach came as a response to the previous traditional methods. Here the focus was on
communicative competence encompassing fluency, functionality, and sociocultural awareness
alongside grammar. Theories like communicative competence and the Comprehensible Input
Hypothesis provided the foundation for this change. Classrooms became more learner-centered,
with activities that encourage interaction and communication using the target language. Authentic
materials and tasks that emphasized meaning replaced memorization and drills.

In simple terms, “one of the most characteristic features of communicative language teaching is
that it pays systematic attention to functional as well as structural aspects of a language
combining these into a more fully communicative view” (Littlewood, W. 1981.p1). Hence, it can
be said that the communicative approach opens up a broader perspective on language,
considering its structure (grammatical competence) and communicative function (communicative
competence).

Moroccan educational ministry moving to more communicative classes

The real implementation of it in Moroccan classes


Since 2007 EFL teaching guidelines of the Ministry of National Education in Morocco aimed to
promote well-rounded communicative competence among students. However, these guidelines
appear to have had little impact on Moroccan classrooms. Despite emphasizing a focus on
communication, culture, and learner autonomy, research suggests another reality. Research
conducted by Diouani in 2020 revealed that there is a considerable disparity between language
teaching policies and their implementation in classrooms. The study revealed that teachers face
difficulties in effectively using communicative language teaching methods. The reasons behind
this gap include insufficient training, limited resources such as unsuitable textbooks, and student
resistance due to poor background in the English language. According to El Karfa's (2019)
research, there is a significant disconnect in classrooms today. More than 60% of observed
classes do not prioritize communication, which is a major concern. While some classes prioritize
communication, they are few and are overshadowed by the traditional, non-communicative
methods that are still widely used. This highlights a critical flaw in the system, as it fails to
achieve its own goals. Briefly, these previous studies have shown that most Moroccan EFL
classrooms are non-communicative. It has been a few years since those studies were conducted,
and it is important to ask if any progress has been made in English language teaching in the
country.

Littlewood, W. (1981). Communicative Language [Link]: Cambridge University Press

Jack C. Richards (2006): Language Teaching Today (CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

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