what is the philosophy of the communicative approach?

Answer 1

The primary focus of the 'communicative approach' to teaching a foreign language (also called 'communicative language theory' or just 'CLT') is to teach... well... communication.

Perhaps it would be clearer if we underscore what it is NOT about. It is not about memorization, except to reach a specific goal. To CLT, lists of words are pointless without good uses for those words and a memorized dialogue almost pointless. It is also not about perfect accuracy, either in pronunciation, grammer, or even spelling.

Instead, CLT is all about communication - that is to say getting an idea from point A to point B. If you're going shopping, you do not need to speak in flawless language to find out how much something costs or express a desire to purchase it. If you're at a party, you needn't speak if full sentances every time you introduce yourself. You DO need to be able to spontaneously put together language concepts in such a way that a native can understand you and respond properly.

To facilitate this, CLT-based classes usually jump right into conversations. They tend to be topical, so students can learn all the things they are going to need in each particular context. And they tend to be 'alive' in that you are more likely to be asked to understand a current news broadcast than to translate a classic work of literature.

This approach, as you might imagine, can have its own problems as well. For example, some contexts DO require perfect diction and grammar to function well, so this approach may end up being no different from others. Likewise, since the emphasis is on understanding instead of actual linguistic skill, it could also be argued that a particularly empathetic teacher wouldn't require his students to learn much beyond how to communicate with him.

Hope that helps!