C+is+for+communicative

Adapted from: Thornbury, S. (2010, 8 15). C is for Communicative. Retrieved 9 18, 2013, from An A- Z of ELT: Scott Thornbury's blog:[]


 * C is for Communicative **

‍People __understand__ the term //communicative// in many different ways. Usually, it’s used to __describe__ any activity in which learners are speaking with one another. So, a coursebook activity where learners practice a written dialogue, or two students discussing what they did at the weekend, might both be labelled ‘communicative’. No __wonder__, therefore, that the term //communicative approach// has become so flexible that it can include any methodology that focuses on speaking in pairs or small groups. ‍

‍But, strictly __speaking__, //communicative// means more than simply //interactive//. In //An A-Z of ELT// I list the features of a communicative activity as being the following:


 * //purposefulness //: speakers are motivated by a communicative goal (such as getting information, making a request, giving instructions) and not simply just to display the correct use of language, for example, the past simple for the teacher’s sake;
 * //reciprocity: //to achieve this purpose, speakers need to speak to each other, and there is as much need to listen as to speak;
 * //negotiation: //following from the above, there might be moments when they don’t understand each other, and they may need to check and repair the communication in order to be understood by each other;
 * //synchronicity: // the exchange – especially if it is spoken – usually takes place in real time; allowing for interruptions, pauses, etc.
 * //unpredictability: //neither the process, nor the outcome, nor the language used in the exchange, is entirely predictable;
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt;">heterogeneity: //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt;">participants can use any language that they know; in other words, they are not restricted to the use of a specific grammar item.‍</range id="523120670_2">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt;">‍<range type="comment" id="523120670_3">The __typical__ communicative activity is the information gap task (of the type that the students are doing in the picture above) where Student A has some information and Student B has some other information, and the students need to share this information so they can achieve the outcome. //Describe and Draw//, //Spot the Difference// and //Find Someone Who..//. are all __examples__ of information gap activities that meet the points outlined above.</range id="523120670_3">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt;"><range type="comment" id="523120670_4">But how is this task __better__ than, say, activities – such as rehearsing a written dialogue or playing a game like Pelmanism - that are interactive but not strictly communicative? The standard __argument__ (and an important idea related to the communicative approach) is that activities like this closely reflect the way language is used in the ‘real world’. __Another__ way of saying this (and a basic principle of task-based instruction) is that language is best learnt through life-like language exchanges. Cognitive theorists might __add__ that when we communicate we have to pay attention to meaning and this means that learners don't concentrate too much on formal accuracy, and thereby develop strategies – such as ‘chunking’ – that promote fluency.‍</range id="523120670_4">

People understand the term ……. in many different ways.

Usually, it’s used to describe any …

No wonder, therefore, that the term …

But, strictly speaking, ……… means more than …

... are all examples of ... that meet the points outlined above.

But how is this …….. better than, say, …

The standard argument is that …

Another way of saying this is that …

…. might add that when …