THE COMMUNICATIVE

CLASSROOM

HERE ARE SOME OF THE BASIC

PRINCIPLES THAT INFORM MY TEACHING.
TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU AGREE WITH
THEM?
WHAT ARE SOME PRACTICAL
IMPLICATIONS OF THESE PRINCIPLES?
PRINCIPLES OF THE COMMUNICATIVE METHODOLOGY

* Language is a tool for communication.

* Learners are individuals: they learn in different ways and have

different needs.

* People learn best when they feel comfortable and relaxed.

* Learners should be involved in the learning process.

* Learners need to learn how to learn

* Vocabulary is more important than grammar.

* Fluency is more important than accuracy.

* Learning is more important than teaching.

Learners need to practice USING the language, in as realistic
and authentic ways as possible. Grammar study, gap fills,
etc. are only steps along the way to developing the ability to
use language for real tasks. Classroom language is an
important source of input and practice.

LANGUAGE IS A TOOL
FOR COMMUNICATION
LEARNERS ARE INDIVIDUALS;
THEY LEARN IN DIFFERENT WAYS
AND HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS
We need to be aware of our individual students’
needs, and cater to them as much as possible.
We need to vary our ways of presenting and
practicing language to appeal to different
learning styles. There is no “right way” to learn,
and we need to respect the different needs and
wants of our students. We should try as much
as possible to get to know our students as
people, on a normal human level.
PEOPLE LEARN BEST WHEN
THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE AND
RELAXED

We must try to create an atmosphere of trust and mutual

respect in our groups. Learners should feel that they can
make mistakes without fear of ridicule. We should not
emphasize or exploit the imbalance in the teacher-learner
power relationship. Teachers and learners should be on a
first name basis. Tasks should be challenging but
achievable.
LEARNERS SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN
THE LEARNING PROCESS
We should elicit learners’ input regarding course content. We
should give them the opportunity to evaluate our lessons,
and to let us know what they do and do not enjoy about
them. We should as much as possible react and respond to
learners’ input. Learners should be made aware of their
progress and encouraged to set their own goals.
LEARNERS NEED TO LEARN
HOW TO LEARN
We should expose learners to a variety of ways to organize
their learning. We should make our learners aware of the
learning strategies they use, and expose them to other,
possibly better, techniques.
 VOCABULARY IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN GRAMMAR

We should not focus on grammar at the

expense of vocabulary. New vocabulary should
be introduced in almost every lesson.
FLUENCY IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN ACCURACY

We should be selective in our correction of

learners. We need to plan lessons that
allow students to speak freely as well as
speak with restrictions and correction.
Learners should be made aware that
“getting the message across” is just as
important as “getting the English right”.
LEARNING IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN TEACHING

We should pay more attention to what the

students are doing in the lesson, and less
about what we are doing. Student talk is more
important than teacher talk. Learners should
get the chance to answer questions. We
should plan our lessons with an eye to what
learners will be able to do that they could not
do before. We shouldn’t work so hard in the
classroom that students don’t have the time
and space needed to work!