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59THE ROLE OF CLT (COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING) ACTIVITIES IN LEARNING FOREIGN
LANGUAGES Tohtamurodov E.N. , Boboeva Yo.A. , Habijonov S.K.
1Tohtamurodov Elmurodjohn Nurmurodovich - Student;
Boboeva Yorqinoy Abdurakhmon qizi - Student;
Habijonov Salohiddin Kahramonjon ogli - Student, MANAGEMENT IN PRODUCTION FACULTY, FERGANA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, FERGANA, REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Abstract: the article under discussion depicts the role of CLT (Communicative Language Teaching) activities in learning foreign languages. The authors of the article suggest several interesting CLT activities which motivate students to learn English and improve their knowledge.
Keywords: CLT activities, motivation, communicative, foreign languages, tasks, interaction, social, sharing information.
Communicative Language Teaching is a language teaching that starts from a communicative model of language and language use. The range of exercise types and activities compatible with a communicative approach is unlimited, provided that such exercises enable learners to attain the communicative objectives of the curriculum, engage learners in communication. Classroom activities are often designed to focus on completing tasks that are mediated through language or involve negotiation or information and information sharing.
Since the end of 1970s, there has been a movement in CLT to make learners rather than teachers the center of language learning. According to this approach to teaching, learners are more important than teachers, materials, curriculum, methods, or evaluation. As a matter of fact, curriculum, materials, teaching methods, and evaluation should all be designed for learners and their needs. It is the teacher's responsibility to check to see whether all of the elements of the learning process are working well for learners and to adapt them if they are not.
In other words, learners should be the center of instruction and learning. The role of teachers is to help learners to learn. Teachers have to follow the curriculum and provide, make, or choose materials. They may adapt, supplement, and elaborate on those materials and also monitor the progress and needs of the students and finally evaluate students. Materials include textbooks, video and audio tapes, computer software, and visual aids. They influence the content and the procedures of learning. The choice of deductive vs inductive learning, the role of memorization, the use of creativity and problem solving, production vs. reception, and the order in which materials are presented are all influenced by the materials. Technology, such as OHP, slides, video and audio tape recorders, video cameras, and computers, supports instruction/learning.
Allwright, an expert in the field of communicative language teaching, writes in explaining Firth's view that "language is interaction; it is interpersonal activity and has a clear relationship with society. In this light, language study has to look at the use of language in context, both its linguistic context and its social, or situational, context (who is speaking, what their social roles are, why they have come together to speak)". Classroom activities used in CLT: example activities, role play, interviews information gap, games, language exchanges, surveys, pair work, learning by teaching. Some courses will have the students take occasional grammar quizzes, or prepare at home using non-communicative drills, for instance [3, p.p. 78-95].
Green distinguishes between "functional communication activities" and "social interaction activities" as major activity types in Communicative Language Teaching. Functional communication activities include such tasks as learners comparing sets of pictures and noting similarities and differences; working out a likely sequence of events in a set of pictures; discovering missing features in a map or picture; one learner communicating behind a screen to another learner and giving instructions on how to draw picture or shape, or how to complete a map; following directions; and solving problems from shared clues. Social interaction activities include conversation and
discussion sessions, dialogues and role plays, simulations, skits, improvisations, and debates [1, p.p. 123-135].
Many activities can be done with picture strip stories. We suggest one in our discussion of scrambled sentences. In this activity one student in a small group is given a strip story. The student shows the first picture of the story to the other members of his group and ask them to predict what the second picture would look like. An information gap exist - the students in the group do not know what the picture contains. They have a choice as to what their prediction would be and how they would word it. Afterwards they receive feedback, not on the form but on the content of the prediction. The activity just described is an example of using a problem-solving task as a communicative technique.
Brun discusses that communicative methodology is important and it is based on authenticity, realism, context, and a focus on the learner. A variety of games, role plays, simulations, and task-based communication activities support communicative language. Teaching classes these typically are in the form of one-of-a-kind items: exercise handbooks, cue cards, activity cards, pair-communication practice materials, and student-interaction practice booklets. In pair communication materials, there are typically two sets of material for a pair of students, each set containing different kinds of information. Sometimes the information is complementary, and partners must fit their respective parts of the "jigsaw" into a composite whole. Others assume different role relationships for the partners (e.g., an interviewer and an interviewee). Still others provide drills and practice material in interactional formats [2, p.p. 89-112].
Many proponents of communicative language teaching have advocated the use of "authentic, from-life" materials in the classroom. These might include language-based realia, such as signs, magazines, advertisements, and newspapers, or graphic and visual sources around which communicative activities can be built, such as maps, pictures, symbols, graphs, and charts.
Evaluations (tests, etc.) can be used to assign grades, check learning, give feedback to students, and improve instruction by giving feedback to the teacher. Though students should be the
center of instruction, in many cases, teachers and students rely on materials, and the materials become the center of instruction. Therefore, it is important for teachers to know how to choose the best material for instruction, how to make supplementary materials for the class, and how to adapt materials. However, materials often control the instruction, since teachers and learners tend to rely heavily on them. Materials that are appropriate for a particular class need to have an underlying instructional philosophy, approach, method and technique which suit the students and their needs. They should have correct, natural, current and standard English. Teachers need to look for good materials, both commercial and non-commercial, all the time. They also need to be aware of commercialism and copyright issues concerning materials.
References
1. Green P. Communicative Language Testing: A Resource Book for Teacher Trainers. Strasbourg: Council of Europe, 1997. Pp. 123-135.
2. Brun M. The essentials of a communicative curriculum in language teaching. Applied Linguistics 1 (2), 1998. Pp. 89-112.
3. Allwright R.L. Language learning through communication practice. ELT Documents. 76 (3). London: British Council, 1997. Pp. 78-95.
