1. Language Teaching in the “Post-Communicative” Era Harvard University Department of Romance Languages and Literatures TF/TA Workshop August 2009

2. Grammar Translation Method Based on classical language study: translation of literary texts Long lists of vocabulary Lots of grammatical rules Class conducted in L2 Little practice speaking/original writing Little room for creativity Demise: 1960’s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIAdHEwiAy8

3. Audio-Lingual Method (ALM) Behaviorism Language learning is habit-formation Mistakes are bad Oral presentation first, then written Memorizing dialogues Substitution drills -- lots of drills Class conducted in L2 -- no L1 allowed Very little creative use of the language Goal: proficiency http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WckCw_- 7e3M&feature=PlayList&p=770E8A546E86DA4F

4. French class

5. Communicative Languge Teaching (CLT) An “approach,” not a “method” Goals: Communication through interaction Authentic texts/materials Expressing personal experiences/opinions Linking classroom activities to the “real world”

6. The 4 Communicative SKILLS Reading Writing Speaking Listening All should be ACTIVE skills

7. Communication MODES Interpretive mode Presentational mode Interpersonal mode

8. Communicative Competence (Canale and Swain, 1980) = the knowledge and use of language Grammatical competence Sociolinguistic competence Strategic competence Discourse competence: the mastery of combining grammatical forms and meanings to achieve a unified spoken or written text in different genres.

9. Flaws of CLT Lack of proficiency: focus on meaning, with little emphasis on form Sentence-level pedagogical focus Not enough focus on writing, going beyond personal experience Not enough attention to context and linguistic register (discourse factors)

10. Inductive vs. Deductive grammar instruction Deductive grammar explanation: In Spanish, adjectives end in ‘o’ when masculine and ‘a’ when feminine. Make the following adjectives feminine: bonito, sucio, guapo, etc.

11. Inductive grammar instruction What rule can you propose to explain the difference between masculine and feminine adjectives in Spanish? David Letterman es guapo y sincero. Madonna es bonita y flaca. Activity: Listen to the following utterances, and decide whether the speaker is referring to David Letterman or Madonna.

12. “Post-communicative” language teaching Goals: Improve proficiency/accuracy as well as communicative skills Stress language use at discourse level Include all types of texts (written too) Integrate more intellectual content Focus on literacy

13. How to Accomplish Goals: Focus on Discourse Competence Study language as connected discourse, not at sentence-level Distinguish among types of sociolinguistic settings Link reading to writing; listening to speaking Study grammar within context

14. A Framework INDUCTIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING From Understanding to Producing Students receive data/input Students work with data (as researchers) Consciousness raising Tasks Finally --> Output/production For all skills and all modes of communication

15. TF/TA Training: 2009-2010 Topics: Teaching Reading Teaching Writing Focusing on Literacy Teaching Grammar Teaching Using Technology