About Cummunicative Approach (CA)

Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) has been developed as one of the post Communicative Approaches (CAs). However, it can be hardly said that they are clearly defined, although the promoters emphasize the differences between TBLT and CA (Knight, 2000).

Firstly, therefore, I would like to describe about theory of CA.

CA is the language teaching methodology which originated from a criticism with audio-lingualism. It was developed based on outcomes and theoretical frameworks of discourse analysis, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, etc. These theoretical frameworks were generated spontaneously, and were developed through influence of a democratic education started from 1930s, social philosophy after the Second World War, and linguistic philosophy, anthropology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, etc., progressed in 1960s in the West (Aoki, 1991).

CA has been criticized because it dismisses grammatical structures based on an idea of the serious consideration of meaning for communication; and then, various language teaching methodologies has advocated and practiced as the post CAs. However, the theory of CA still occupies the center of foreign and second language teaching (Hashimoto et al. 1999).

Nowadays the tendency of dismissing grammatical structures is dwarfed. Then CA is interpreted various language teaching theories and methodologies to improve learners’ communication competence and strategies through teaching and activities which is contextualized by authentic materials. There is no stated methodology for CA, and it consists of various theories for the definition and actual practice based on the policies from meaning-centered to grammar-centered (Hashimoto et al. 1999).

References

Aoki, N. (1991). コミュニカティブ・アプローチの教育観. 日本語教育, 73, 12-21.

Hashimoto, Y., Hirata, M., & Tasaki, K. (1999). 「コミュニカティブ」な教室活動に対する学生の受けとめ方―COLTによる中国系・非中国系学生の比較―. 日本語教育, 103, 89-98.

Knight, P. (2000). The development of EFL methodology. In C. N. Candlin & N. Mercer
(Eds.), English language teaching in its social context: A reader (pp. 147-166). London:
Routledge.

Kimiko