Refinement of Methodology

In methodology, the change has been dramatic. The boring and mechanical types of structural drills have virtually been replaced by a variety of engaging activities.

Language learning may be seen as a process which grows out of the interaction between learners, teachers, texts and activities.

The communicative classroom serves as an ‘arena’ of interactions of language tasks. Teachers are organisers of all these activities and as a result greater demands of work have made on them (Breen & Candlin: 1980).

Demands Made on the Teacher

Breen & Candlin (1980) described CLT teacher as a facilitator; an interdependent participant and a researcher and learner

Medgyes wrote (1986: P.107):

‘The communicative classroom requires a teacher of extraordinary abilities: a multi-dimensional, high-tech, Wizard-of Oz like superperson - yet of flesh and blood.’

In a CLT classroom, teachers keep a low profile in their functions, relax their control of the class, resort to gentle correction, organise activities and stand aside, prompt with discretion and offer help only when requested. However, this withdrawal should not mean relinquishing control over the class, and it requires the teacher an extremely high degree of professional sophistication. They need very much more energy and adaptability (Nunan: 1987).

Who likes changes? The teacher was only provider of knowledge, the model for correct forms, and the controller of the class. The textbooks contained sets of lessons to be learnt, and all classroom interaction was teacher and textbook dominated. Lessons tended to look similar to each other. Nevertheless, this goal has been set – to develop the learner’s communicative competence. Learners want to be able to use the foreign language for personal need fulfilment. Teachers must change not only in the extra skills required, but in the teacher’s whole attitude to language, language learning and the role of the teacher. There are still some who are slow to adapt to these changes, and some who are even resistant to do it. To overcome this phenomenon teachers need to come to terms with this change by trying analyse themselves with these questions.

‘Who likes changes?

Who like to change?

When do people accept change?

When do people feel at ease with change?’

The answers to these questions might help them to understand that acceptance of change is an individual achievement. (Parcurari: 1995)

Constraint of the Textbooks

For a long time the textbook was the ‘bible’ and the teaching manual which gave in minute details of what to teach. However, with the advent of CLT, textbooks have become too restrictive. Teachers need to select and design tasks to practices interactive ability which simulates real-life language. Merely following a textbook is unlikely to simulate small-group interaction. Specific tasks of the kind are rarely found in textbooks. They need to be redesigned for this purpose. A textbook is just a simple tool in the hands of teachers. What is more important than a textbook is what we, as teachers, can do with it. As Brown and Yule, (1983) put it:

‘it is, in principle, not possible to find materials which would interest everyone. It follows that the emphasis should be moved from attempting to provide intrinsically interesting materials, which we have just claimed is generally impossible, to doing interesting things with materials ... these materials should be chosen, not so much on the basis of their own’.