CLT is a product of educators and linguists who had grown dissatisfied with the audiolingual and grammar-translation methods of foreign language
instruction. They observed that students could produce sentence accurately in a lesson, but could not use it in the real communication outside the classroom. As
Hymes 1971, as cited in Larsen-Freeman 2000, said that being able to communicate required more than linguistic competence; it required
communicative competence. This perspective became the basis of the goal of Communicative Language teaching, which is communicative competence.
a. Theory of Language and Language Learning
Communicative Language Teaching viewed language as communication. Larsen-Freeman said that beside the linguistic competence the knowledge of
forms and their meaning language learners also need knowledge of functions language is used for. Thus, learner needs knowledge of forms and meaning, and
functions of a certain language. Therefore, CLT considers developing communicative competence as the goal of language teaching. Richard and
Rodgers 1986 stated 4 characteristics of this communicative view of language: 1. Language is a system for the expression of meaning.
2. The primary function of language is for interaction and communication.
3. The structure of language reflects its functional and communicative uses.
4. The primary units of language are not merely its grammatical and structural features, but categories of functional and communicative
meaning as exemplified in discourse 161.
Based on how language viewed as discussed in the previous paragraph, there are some elements that can be discerned in some practices of Communicative
Language Teaching. The teaching and learning process should involve
communicative principle, task principle, and meaningfulness principle. Communicative principle believes that activities which involve real
communication will promote learning. The task principle is when language is used for carrying out meaningful tasks in the teaching-learning activities, it will
promote learning. In the meaningfulness principle, language that is meaningful to the learner supports the learning process.
b. The Roles of Teachers and Students
In Communicative Language Teaching teachers and students have different roles form those found in more traditional language classroom. Breen
and Candlin 1980 in Richard and Rodgers 1986 see students as negotiator between the self, the learning process, and the object of learning. Larsen-Freeman
2000 considers students as communicators. They are actively engaged in negotiating meaning even they have lack competence in the target language.
Students are more responsible managers of their own learning. According to Breen and Candlin 1980 as cited in Richard and Rodgers
1986, teacher has three main roles, as facilitator, independent participant, and researcher and learner. As facilitator, the teacher facilitates the communication
process between all participants in the classroom, and between these participants and the various activities and texts. At other times, the teacher might be an
independent participant within the learning-teaching group; he is engaging in the communicative activity along with students. As researcher and learner, the teacher
has the competence of appropriate knowledge and abilities, actual and observed experience of the nature of learning and organizational capacities.
c. The Roles of Instructional Materials
