Second Language Practice

Classroom Strategies for Developing Communicative Competence

Georges Duquette

• Publisher: Multilingual Matters
• Year: 1995
• Print ISBN: 9781853593055, 9781853593062
• eBook ISBN: 9781800418295
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Education General
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Over the last twenty five years, many theorists specialising in second language acquisition have promoted the communicative approach. Their arguments have been very convincing, but many school boards and teachers remain unsure as to how to implement this approach in the classroom; they do not know which specific skills should be developed, at which levels, or what strategies should be used. Since teachers are practical people, they need a publication which offers them ideas on how to develop second language skills in their students at various levels of competence development. We now know enough about the acquisition process that we can provide clear theoretical directions and practical examples of strategies consistent with second language theory. There is more than one way of getting students to develop communicative competence and there is always room for sharpening specific skills and adapting them to a variety of social contexts which are themselves culturally specific. Nevertheless, we do need to get started, and this book attempts to provide some leadership in this direction by bridging current theory with classroom practice while, at the same time, emphasising classroom strategies. Innovative teachers and administrators can then continue the process, add or subtract to the repertoire of strategies, in accordance with their student and programme needs.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Introduction
• Performance Goals
• Acknowledgements
• Biographical Notes on the Contributing Authors
• LEVEL 1: EARLY STUDENT COMPREHENSION AND RESPONSE
• 1 Strategies for Beginning Listening Comprehension
• 2 Increasing Comprehension Skills Through Listening and Asking Questions
• 3 Teaching the Receptive Skills at the Basic Level
• LEVEL 2: CONTEXT-BASED COMPREHENSION AND INTERACTION
• 4 Developing Comprehension and Interaction Skills with Idiomatic Expressions
• 5 Strategies for Developing Communicative Competence with Emphasis on Comprehensible Input
• LEVEL 3: MEANING-BASED COMMUNICATION AND PROBLEM-SOLVING
• 6 Integrating Communication and Social Skills Using Ensemble Techniques
• 7 Communicative Strategies for Intermediate Level Second Language Classes
• LEVEL 4: GROUP WORK AND THE COOPERATIVE APPROACH
• 8 Magic or Chaos: Task-based Group Work
• 9 One Peer Response Group in an ESL Writing Class: A Case Study
• LEVEL 5: REFINING LITERACY SKILLS
• 10 Correction of Speech Errors: Some Suggestions
• 11 Collaborative Strategies for Narrative Structure
• 12 Writing a Short Story Through Sharing and Reflecting
• EVALUATION
• Oral Communication Assessment and the Portfolio Concept
• Index