The Concept of CLT

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter consists of two parts which are literature review and conceptual framework underlying the study. The theoretical review is presented in four headings. Those are communicative language teaching, teaching speaking skills, communicative activities and assessing speaking skills. The next part describes the conceptual framework.

A. Theoretical Review

1. Communicative Language Teaching

a. The Concept of CLT

Communicative Language Teaching is a set of principles about the goals of language teaching, how learners learn a language, the kinds of classroom activities that best facilitate the learning and roles of the teachers and learners in the classroom Richards, 2006:2. Harmer 2001:84 adds that communicative language teaching is a set of belief which includes not only re-examination of what aspects of language to teach that stresses the significance of language functions, but also a shift in emphasis in how to teach that is related to the idea that language learning will take care of itself and that plentiful exposure to language in use and plentiful oppurtunities to use it are vitally important to students‘ development of knowledge and skills. 10 Communicative Language Teaching aims broadly to apply the theoretical prespective of the communicative approach by making communicative competence the goal of language teaching and by acknowledging the interdependence of language and communication Laser-Freeman, 2000:121. The goal of CLT is to enable students to communicate in the target language fluently and accurately. Thus, CLT tends to be learner-centred rather than teacher-centred Brown 2001:46. It requires the students to acknowledge the language forms, meaning, and functions of the language. It leads students to communicate in meaningful ways in certain situations. Richards 2006:22 gives ten core assumptions of current communicative language teaching as follows: 1 second language learning is facilitated when learners are engaged in interaction and meaningful communication, 2 effective classroom learning tasks and exercises provide opportunities for students to negotiate meaning, expand their language resources, notice how language is used and take part in meaningful interpersonal exchange, 3 meaningful communication results from students processing content that is relevant, purposeful, interesting and engaging, 4 communication is a holistic process that often calls upon the use of several language skills or modalities, 5 language learning is facilitated both by activities that involve inductive or discovery learning of underlying rules of language use and organization, as well as by those involving language analysis and reflection, 6 language learning is a gradual process that involves creative use of language, and trial and error. Although errors are a normal product of learning, the ultimate goal of learning is to be able to use the new language both accurately and fluently, 7 learners develop their own routes to language learning, progress at different rates, and have different needs and motivation for language learning, 8 successful language learning involves the use of effective learning and communication strategies, 9 the role of the teacher in language classroom is that of a facilitator, who creates a classroom climate conductive to language learning and provides opportunities for students to use and practice the language and to reflect on language learning and 10 the classroom is a community where learners learn through collaboration and sharing. The assumptions above imply that English teachers should provide classroom activities that give opportunities for students to use the language to interact in meaningful communications. Thus, it is the teachers‘ task to give feedback for every single activity done by students so students, at the end, are able to use the language accurately and fluently. It is also important to the teacher to teach communicative strategies in accordance with their own styles of learning. Furthermore, the teacher, as facilitator needs to create comfortable atmosphere with various interesting activities such as pair or group work activities. Therefore, students can practice to use language, for example, by sharing ideas, opinions and other feelings to each other as well as to the teacher.

b. The Characteristics of CLT