Language Teaching Methods: Communicative Approach

American English
25 Jan 201319:40
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video script showcases a communicative approach to language teaching, focusing on the practical use of language for specific purposes. The lesson revolves around the function of persuasion, using the context of choosing the best place to live. Students engage in a role-play activity, where they must convince their 'parents' why their living situation is the most suitable. This method emphasizes not only linguistic accuracy but also sociolinguistic appropriateness, encouraging students to communicate effectively within a social context. The teacher facilitates the activity, allowing students to practice fluency and negotiation of meaning, with an emphasis on communication over strict form.

Takeaways
  • 🌟 The primary goal of the communicative approach is to enable students to communicate effectively in the target language.
  • 📚 While structures and vocabulary are important, the communicative approach emphasizes mastering the functions or purposes of language use.
  • 🎓 The lesson focuses on the function of persuasion, a skill deemed useful for academic work and everyday life.
  • 🏡 The role play scenario involves deciding the best place for a family to live, which serves as a context for practicing persuasion.
  • 👪 Students are divided into groups and assigned roles to represent family members advocating for different living situations.
  • 🗣️ The teacher demonstrates how to structure a persuasive argument, using expressions like 'first of all', 'besides that', and 'in addition'.
  • 🤔 Students are encouraged to think critically about their own living situations and the advantages of different places to live.
  • 📈 The teacher facilitates the role play, acting as an advisor, and allows students to practice making their cases.
  • 📋 Errors in form are tolerated to prioritize fluency and communication, with common errors addressed in subsequent lessons.
  • 🤝 Cooperative relationships and communicative interaction are fostered through small group work.
  • 🌐 The communicative approach aims to teach language that is not only linguistically accurate but also sociolinguistically appropriate for various settings.
  • 📚 The homework assignment is to write a composition using the persuasive structure learned, advocating for one's own place of residence.
Q & A

  • What is the primary goal of the methods demonstrated in the video?

    -The primary goal of the methods demonstrated in the video is to have students communicate in the target language.

  • What does the communicative approach emphasize in language learning?

    -The communicative approach emphasizes that students must master the functions or purposes to which language is put before they can truly use the language.

  • What is the new function that the unit in the video is focusing on?

    -The new function that the unit is focusing on is persuasion, or how to convince people to believe in one's point of view.

  • What is the family situation described in the video regarding where they live?

    -The family, originally from New York City, has spread out across the country with family members living in South Florida, Western Massachusetts, Philadelphia, and Madison, Wisconsin.

  • Why did the parents in the video decide to move to Florida?

    -The parents decided to move to Florida because they liked it after going on vacation there.

  • What is the main activity the students are participating in during the lesson?

    -The main activity the students are participating in is a role-play where they make a case for why their place of residence is the best for the family to live.

  • What structure does the teacher introduce for making a persuasive argument?

    -The teacher introduces a structure for making a persuasive argument that includes opening with one reason, strengthening the argument with additional reasons using transition expressions, and summarizing the main reason or giving a final reason.

  • What is the role of the teacher during the role-play activity?

    -During the role-play activity, the teacher moves from group to group acting as an advisor or facilitator, rather than as a director.

  • How does the teacher handle errors in student communication during the role-play?

    -The teacher tolerates errors in student communication during the role-play, focusing on fluency and reinforcing the idea that communication is primary. Common errors may be addressed in subsequent lessons.

  • What is the homework assignment given by the teacher at the end of the lesson?

    -The homework assignment is to write a one-page composition following the persuasive structure and making a case for their own place of residence in their own country.

  • What is the final decision-making process after the role-play activity?

    -After each child makes their case, the person playing the parent in the group decides which argument is the most convincing and states the reasons why.

Outlines
00:00
🗣️ Introduction to the Communicative Approach

The script begins with an introduction to the communicative approach in language teaching, which emphasizes the importance of students mastering the functions of language before they can truly use it. The focus is on the acquisition of linguistic structures and vocabulary, but within the context of communication. The lesson will be demonstrated by Alex Silverman, who will introduce a new unit on the function of persuasion, specifically how to convince others of one's point of view. The topic for this unit is 'the best place to live,' and the teacher uses a personal family scenario to engage students in a discussion about different living situations, including big cities, small cities, and the countryside.

05:01
🏙️ Discussing the Advantages of Big City Life

In this paragraph, the teacher facilitates a discussion on the advantages of living in a big city, with students providing various reasons such as better job opportunities and a wider variety of people to meet. The teacher then models how to structure a persuasive argument, using the example of living in a big city. The structure includes opening with a reason, strengthening the argument with additional reasons, and summarizing the main points. The teacher also introduces the role-play activity where students will practice making a case for their preferred living situation, using the structured argument format.

10:02
🎭 Preparing for the Role-Play Activity

The script outlines the procedure for a role-play activity where students are divided into groups of four and each receives a card with a role and information about a specific living situation. The students are to prepare a persuasive argument for their assigned place, using the structured argument format previously discussed. The teacher offers to answer any questions about the places and encourages students to think of additional reasons to support their case. The goal is for each student to convince the 'parents' in their group that their place is the best one to live.

15:06
🏡 Voting and Decision Making in Role-Play

After each student presents their case, the 'parents' in the role-play listen and decide which argument is the most convincing. The script includes dialogue from the role-play, where students make cases for Philadelphia, Massachusetts, and other places, highlighting features such as technology, libraries, and proximity to the sea. The 'parents' then vote for their preferred place, leading to a tally of votes and a creative solution where the 'parents' decide to live in different places for different years.

📝 Reflecting on the Lesson and Assignment

The script concludes with the teacher summarizing the lesson and assigning homework. Students are asked to write a one-page composition following the persuasive argument structure to make a case for their own place of residence. The teacher emphasizes the importance of communication and fluency over form, and encourages students to reflect on the techniques and principles demonstrated in the lesson. The teacher also invites students to consider how they might adapt these methods to their own teaching practices.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Communicative Approach
The communicative approach is a method in language teaching that emphasizes interaction and the practical use of language in real-life situations. It is central to the video's theme as it is the pedagogical strategy used by the teacher, Alex Silverman, to have students practice language skills through a role-play scenario. The approach is demonstrated when students are tasked with convincing the 'parents' why their location is the best place to live, thus using language functions of persuasion.
💡Persuasion
Persuasion is the art of convincing others to believe in your point of view. It is a key function that the unit in the video focuses on. The teacher uses the topic of 'the best place to live' as a context for students to practice persuasive language skills. The concept is illustrated when students are given the role of family members advocating for their preferred living situation to persuade the 'parents' in the role-play.
💡Linguistic Structures
Linguistic structures refer to the grammatical patterns and sentence constructions that make up a language. They are important in language acquisition, as highlighted in the video, but the communicative approach suggests that mastering the functions of language is equally important. An example from the script is when the teacher discusses how to build an argument using linguistic structures such as 'first of all' and 'in addition'.
💡Vocabulary
Vocabulary consists of the words and phrases that make up a language. It is essential for effective communication and is a focus area in language learning. In the context of the video, students are encouraged to expand their vocabulary related to the topic of living situations to better express their arguments during the role-play.
💡Role-Play
Role-play is a teaching technique where students assume the roles of characters in a fictional scenario to practice language skills. It is a significant part of the video's narrative as it provides a social context for students to use language in a meaningful way. The role-play involves students convincing the 'parents' about the merits of their respective living situations.
💡Making a Case
Making a case is the process of presenting reasons and arguments to support a particular position or proposal. It is a structured way of persuasion used in the video's role-play. The teacher demonstrates how to make a case by listing reasons for living in a big city, using transitional phrases to build an argument, which the students then apply in their role-play.
💡Social Context
Social context refers to the setting and circumstances in which communication takes place. It is important in language learning as it provides real-life scenarios for students to practice their skills. In the video, the social context is a family council meeting where students must use persuasive language to convince the 'parents' of their viewpoint.
💡Cooperative Learning
Cooperative learning is an educational approach that involves students working together in small groups to achieve a common goal. It is encouraged in the video as a way to enhance communicative interaction and build cooperative relationships among students. The role-play activity is structured around cooperative learning, with each group working together to prepare and present their cases.
💡Fluency
Fluency in language refers to the ability to speak or write smoothly and effortlessly. The video emphasizes fluency over grammatical accuracy during the role-play, allowing students to focus on communicating effectively rather than worrying about making mistakes. The teacher's approach reinforces the idea that the primary goal is to communicate, with form errors seen as a natural part of skill development.
💡Language Teaching Methodologies
Language teaching methodologies are the various approaches and techniques used to instruct students in a new language. The video is a part of a series on language teaching methodologies, showcasing the communicative approach as a way to help students learn through interaction and real-world application. The video provides an example of how different methodologies can be adapted to suit the needs of language learners.
💡Sociolinguistic Appropriateness
Sociolinguistic appropriateness refers to the ability to use language in a way that is suitable for the social context, audience, and topic of conversation. The video highlights the importance of this concept as students are encouraged to use language forms that are not only linguistically accurate but also suitable for the role-play scenario they are participating in, demonstrating an understanding of social cues and norms.
Highlights

Introduction to communicative approach in language teaching, emphasizing the importance of language functions over just linguistic structures or vocabulary.

Demonstration of the communicative approach by teacher Alex Silverman, focusing on the function of persuasion.

The use of a real-life scenario involving the teacher's family to engage students in the topic of 'the best place to live'.

Discussion on the advantages of living in a big city, such as better job opportunities and a wider variety of people.

Introduction of the 'making a case' structure for persuasive arguments in English.

Role play activity where students practice making persuasive arguments for different living situations.

Students are divided into groups and given identities to argue for their 'home' as the best place to live.

Students prepare their cases using provided information and their own reasoning.

The teacher facilitates the role play, acting as an advisor rather than a director.

Students present their cases to 'parents' in the role play, practicing persuasive language in a social context.

Parents in the role play decide which argument is most convincing and explain their reasoning.

The teacher emphasizes the importance of fluency and communication over strict linguistic accuracy.

Students are encouraged to share their opinions and ideas regularly, with errors seen as part of skill development.

Homework assignment to write a composition making a case for their own place of residence using the taught structure.

Reflection on the role play activity and its effectiveness in teaching communicative language skills.

Encouragement for teachers to reflect on the demonstrated techniques and consider adapting them to their own teaching.

Emphasis on the teacher's responsibility to filter teaching methods through their own beliefs, experiences, and student needs.

Transcripts

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Related Tags
Language LearningRole-PlayPersuasion SkillsCommunicationEducational MethodsLinguistic StructuresVocabulary AcquisitionSocial ContextCooperative LearningTeaching Strategies