Communicative Language Teaching

This method is learner-centered and emphasizes communication and real-life situations.

Learner-Centered = In CLT, the teacher serves as more of a facilitator, allowing students to be in charge of their own learning. The teacher still sets up exercises and gives direction to the class, but the students do much more speaking than in a traditional classroom. This responsibility to participate can often lead to an increased sense of confidence in using the language.
Communication = In CLT, students practice real-life situations, for example, buying food at the market or asking someone for directions. In these exercises, the goal is for the student to communicate his or her needs and thoughts, without worrying about having perfect grammar.
Social Context = CLT also stresses social and situational contexts of communication. For example, in many languages, the form of "you" changes depending on the age and status of the two speakers. Addressing a person in the proper way can make a big difference in having a successful exchange, even if the verb tenses aren't right.

Some Classroom activities used in CLT
· Role Play
· Interviews
· Information Gap
· Games

Reference:

• http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/comlangteach/index.htm

Interlanguage

Interlanguage is the type of language produced by second and foreign language learners who are in the process of learning a language. In language learning, learner’s errors are caused by several different processes. These include: a. borrowing patterns from the mother tongue b. extending patterns from the target language. c. Expressing meanings using the words and grammar which are already known.
Teachers can give appropriate feedback after checking out learner’s interlanguage. Learners need not worry so much about making mistakes. They can assume that making mistakes is a procedure of development from mother tongue to Second Language.

Reference:

• http://duermueller.tripod.com/interlanguage.html

Teaching Methodologies