COMMUNICATIVE

LANGUAGE TEACHING:
AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE
TEACHING RESOURCE
DR. ELENITA IRIZARRY RAMOS, ED. D.
UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO
RIO PIEDRAS CAMPUS
DEPARTMENT OF GRADUATE STUDIES
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Hands on activities
that promote risk
taking and increase
student participation

Objective:
Identify methods and
approaches that promote oral
participation of students in
English Language Teaching.
 English Program of the DEPR

To develop communicatively competent

Mission
students in the English language

The development of a student who is able

to communicate effectively, both orally
Goal
and in written form in the English
language.
What is Communicative
Competence?
Communicative competence is
the ability to use the language
correctly and appropriately to
accomplish communication goals.
The desired outcome of the
language learning process is the
ability to communicate
competently, not the ability to use
the language exactly as a native
speaker would.
 Learning Focused Goals of the
English Program (DEPR)
GOALS COMPETENCE NEEDED

Linguistic
Understand what they hear.
Discourse

Express their ideas in formal and Linguistic

informal conversations with correct Sociolinguistic
grammar, intonation and pronunciation. Discourse

Linguistic
Make use of English as a communication
Sociolinguistic
mechanism for different purposes
Discourse
framed in a variety of contexts.
Strategic
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING:
METHODS, APPROACHES,
& STRATEGIES
 Communicative Language Teaching (DEPR)

• Focus on meaning Classroom Activities

• Focus on functional Information,
aspects of language Group work Activities
focused on
Activities
focused on
opinion, and
Role plays
reasoning
• Emphasis on communication fluency
activities
interaction
• Emphasis on
authenticity of input Teacher Role
∙ Communication Facilitator
• Encourages fluency
• Learning by doing
through direct practice ∙ Active communicative participant
Learner Role
• Learner centered • Collaborator

7
Provide
Context Knowledge of the topic or
content
Learner
The vocabulary and language Centered
structures in which the Instruction
content is usually presented Strategies
Use Language in
The social and cultural Authentic Ways
expectations associated with
the content
Use Task- Fluent speakers use language to
based perform tasks such as solving
Activities
problems, developing plans, and
working together to complete projects. Learner
The use of similar task-based activities Centered
in the classroom is an excellent way to Instruction
encourage students to use the
language. Strategies
Use Language in
Tasks may involve solving a making a Authentic Ways
video, preparing a presentation, or
practicing a tongue twister.
Encourage
Collaboration Effective Communication gap:
collaborative Each student has
relevant information
activities
have three
that the others don't
have Learner
characteristics: Task orientation: Centered
Activity has a defined
outcome, such as Instruction
solving a problem or
drawing a map Strategies
Time limit: Students Use Language in
have a preset Authentic Ways
amount of time to
complete the task
Activity #1
BINGO
Motivate students
to learn and use
communicative skills
 BINGO
✔ Ask classmates to see who fits
at least one of the criteria
listed in the boxes
✔ This student must sign their
name in the box that applies
to them
✔ Each student can only be
used for 2 boxes
✔ A bingo is 4 in a row or
diagonally
✔ Bonus for a completed board
 Activity #2
Communicative
Drawing
Step 1. Have two students sit back-to-back.

Step 2. Teacher gives 1 student in each pair an object

Step 3. Make sure the 2nd student has colored pencils and paper.
 Activity #2
Communicative
Drawing
Step 4. The student with the object must describe it in as much
detail as possible, without directly saying what it is.

Step 5. The second student must draw the object as best they
can, based on the communication of the student with
the object.
 Activity #3
Guess the Object
This is a fun game for kids to practice the
power of description:

1. Using a large cardboard box, cut a hole

large enough for a student’s hand.

2. Make sure that students understand that

the person who puts their hand in the box
is not allowed to peek into the hole and
that they cannot guess what it is.
 Activity #3
Guess the Object

3. Place an object in the box.

4. Have the student describe what the object

feels like to the rest of the class.

5. Have the class take turns guessing what it

might be.
“Teaching and learning should
bring joy. How powerful would our
world be if we had kids who were
not afraid to take risks, who were
not afraid to think, and who had a
champion? Every child deserves a
champion, an adult who will never
give up on them, who understands
the power of connection, and insists
that they become the best that
they can possibly be.”
Rita Pierson
References
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