1.

Underlying theories
1.1. The definition of CLT
Communicative Language Teaching is a set of principles about teaching
including recommendations about method and syllabus where the focus is on
meaningful communication not structure, use not usage. In this approach, students
are given tasks to accomplish using language instead of studying the language. The
syllabus is based primarily on;
1. Functional development,
2. Not structural development.
3. In essence, a functional syllabus replaces a structural syllabus.
4. There is also less emphasis on error correction as fluency and
communication become more important than accuracy.
5. Authentic and meaningful language input becomes more important as
well.
6. The class becomes more student-centered as students accomplish their

tasks with other students, while the teacher plays more of an observer
role.
1.2. The features and principles of CLT
2.2.1

Features
1) Focus on meaning.
2) Communicative competence is the desired goal.
3) Learner-centered.
4) Fluency is the primary goal.
5) Students are expected to interact with other people, either in oral
practice, through pair and group work, or in their writings.
6) Dialogues, if used, center around communicative functions.
7) Intrinsic motivation will spring from an interest in what is being
communicated by the language.
8) Task-based.

2.2.2. Principles

1)

The

communicative

principle:

Activities

that

involve

real

communication promote learning.

2)

The task principle: Activities in which language is used to carry out

meaningful tasks promote learning.

3)

The meaningfulness principle: Language that is meaningful to the

learner supports the learning process.

1.3. Advantages and disadvantages of communicative language teaching

1.3.1. Advantages of CLT
There are some advantages of CLT, there are;
1) The interaction between students and teachers.
Communicative teaching is becoming increasingly clear feature is the
change in the way as the internship; students develop the subject,
initiative

and

become

increasingly

important.

Teacher-student

relationship is an interactive, harmonious relationship, rather than the

traditional education, the kind of master-servant relationship.
2) To inform the basic knowledge and ability to skillfully combine the
development.
Traditional classroom teaching of English in the main body of the
expense of home study, only emphasized the teachers on the knowledge
of the systematic and integrity, which is a teacher-centered, knowledgecentered from the medieval "scholastic" teaching methods inherited One
consequence of the neglect of student ability. The communicative
teaching emphasizes the learner's cognitive ability and operational
capabilities, which allow the students themselves to think about and
express their views, thus trained in real life the ability to use language to
communicate.
3) Greatly improved the student's interest.
Communicative

teaching

students

to

participate

in,

sometimes

accompanied by scenes or simulated scenarios, so that students more

close to life, the students became the main character, naturally they were
interested in the English language, to learn English as a pleasure.
1.3.2. Disadvantages of CLT
There some disadvantages of CLT, There are;

1. It is felt that there is not enough emphasis on the correction of

pronunciation and grammar error. It is because too much focus on
meaning at the expense of form.
2. CLT approach focuses on fluency but not accuracy in grammar and
pronunciation.
3. The CLT approach is great for intermediate student and advanced students,
but for Beginners some controlled practice is needed.
4. The monitoring ability of the teacher must be very good
5. Grammar Teaching Practices make application of this approach difficult.
2. Lesson plan (with teaching material)
Target Audience

Senior High School Students

Subject

Speaking
To foster students speaking skills and in the primary EFL

Objective (Aim)

classroom by creating
a real-life communicative setting
Lost in London: Asking and Giving Directions

Topic
Teacher

Citra Priski Abadi

Class

IX SMA

Method

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

Durations / Meetings

45 Minutes / 2 Meetings

Objectives

Students will be able to;

1. Develop students speaking skills
2. Encourage asking and giving directions in English
3. Develop students speaking micro skills
4. Raise students communicative skills
5. Achieve skills integration

Materials

6. Enhance students collaboration

a central London map, You-tube videos, a lap-top,
worksheets

Speaking
Speaking
LessonPlans
Plans
Lesson

Fist Meeting: Lost in London: Asking and Giving

Directions
Procedure

A.

Pre-speaking

Objectives

Time

stage
Step 1:

a. The teacher introduces the topic

by showing the Students a map of
central London and asking
questions e.g.
What this?
Have you ever needed or used a
map?
Why do we usually need a map?

This warm-up task aims to

1. activate prior world
knowledge and relevant
content schemata (related
to target culture
awareness) and
2. motivate Ls by creating
expectations

1 Min

To provide Students with the

necessary language input
To make Ls active listeners
To integrate listening with
writing

2 Min

To motivate them through Youtube technology

To create a real-life context
To encourage self-correction

2 Min

To practice language related to

5 Min

b. Predicting/Guessing:
Students are asked to make
guesses about the purpose of the
lesson, e.g. What are we going to
talk about today?
Step 2:
Students are invited to listen to a
real-life dialogue derived from a You-tube
video1 in which two interlocutors are talking
about directions: the man asking for
directions is a foreigner / tourist lost in the
capital of Britain and his interlocutor is
British able to give the directions needed
based on a map.
Step 3:
Students are asked to watch the
You-tube video with the subtitles in order to
check their answers on their own first; then
the teacher gives feedback.
Step 4:
1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SU_DYxI8SU

Students are also provided with pictures

to help them understand the meaning and use

asking and giving directions

To practice imperatives

of key imperatives for giving directions.

B) While-speaking
stage
Step 5:
Students work in pairs and are
provided with two maps. The idea of this task
is information gap. Each learner gets a
different handout with different buildings
marked on the map. The students job is to
exchange information in order to complete
their maps. They should ask Excuse me, how
can I get to? Questions. Some buildings
(e.g. Railway Station) are marked on both

To make Ls act out a

dialogue
To motivate Ls by visual
aids
Skills integration
To check comprehension
To encourage
communication
To engage Ls in a
speaking game
To encourage peer
correction

maps to give students some point of

reference. The teacher has to mark X on all
the handouts by hand and make sure its in
the same place on both copies(Student A and
Student B) as the activity wont work
otherwise.
Step 6:
The teacher sets the scene: Students
imagine they are a group of friends visiting
London as tourists but they feel lost and need
somebodys help to continue their
sightseeing. Fortunately, theyve got three
maps of central London. To save time, they
decide to be divided into 3 groups to ask
directions for three different places of
interest;
a. The Houses of Parliament,
b. The Buckingham Palace and
c. The Tower of London.
The 3 groups manage to find
somebody to ask directions. Two members of
the group act out the dialogue to the whole

To consolidate vocabulary
for asking & giving
directions
To encourage Students act
out a real-life dialogue
To enhance group work
To create a real-life
communicative setting
To promote Students
interaction
To develop student
speaking skills
To make Ls realize how to
use a map
Skills integration
(listening & speaking)

8 min

class. To facilitate Ls to carry out the

speaking task, the teacher can provide them
with a list of helpful expressions and
vocabulary for asking and giving directions.

C) Post-speaking
stage
Step 7:
Each one of the above groups writes a
paragraph summarizing the directions for the
specific place of interest they were assigned
to find. They are asked to use appropriate
linking expressions.
Step 8:
A representative of each group reports
the paragraph back to the whole class. While
reporting back, the other groups listen
carefully to trace the way on their maps and
circle the destination.
Step 9:
Students are given a self-assessment

To develop Ls writing skill

using the appropriate
linking expressions
Skills integration (writing
& listening)

5 Min

To make students active

listeners
To engage students in a
speaking game
To check comprehension

5 Min

To provide and receive

feedback

1 Min

To listen & sing

To practice pronunciation
To listen, sing and dance
for fun

1 Min

questionnaire to fill in by Ticking whats

true for them in order to get a lesson
feedback as well.
Step 10:
Students view a video clip with a
relevant song, entitled Follow Directions2;
they sing following the lyrics in the subtitles
and dance all

SPEAKING MATERIALS AND WORKSHEETS

Lost in London: Asking and Giving Directions

A.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atFupd8NxRE

Pre-speaking stage:

Listen carefully to the dialogue and fill in the following gaps. Then watch the
relevant video and pay attention to the English subtitles to check your answers on
your own.
Asking and giving directions Transcript
-Excuse me!
-Yes, __________can I help?
-_____________,ehm, can you tell me the to Waterloo Station? I think Im lost
-I think you might be, yeah Youre actually here right in the middle of Hyde Park.
- Oh dear
- Its _____________at all! All you need to do is continue___________ on through St
James Park
-Yes
- And then, when you get to the Houses of Parliament, _______________left
- Hhmmm
- Then go _______________ the bridge
- Ok
- And then its first _________________ and youre there, thats Waterloo Station.
- Great, ok, soehm Through Hyde Park, and then ___________ at the Houses of
Parliament
- No, no, no, LEFT at the Houses of Parliament!
- Right! (=Ok). ____________ at the Houses of Parliament. Ehm Cross the
bridge
- Thats it!
- And then to the _______________?
- First on the right!
- First on the right!
- And thats Waterloo Station!
- Fantastic! Thank you very much.
- No problem, youre _____________
- Bye!
B.

While-speaking stage:
B.1. Look at the map below. There are buildings that are not marked on your map, but
they are marked on your friends map. You are at X. Ask your friend how to get
there and mark the ten buildings on your map. What question will you ask? What
phrases will you use to answer the question?
MAP 1/STUDENT A

How can I get to ?

Thepolice
policestation,
station,the
thebank,
bank,the
thehospital,
hospital,
The
thechemist,
chemist,the
thecharity
charityshop,
shop,the
thedisco,
disco,the
the
the
shoeshop,
shop,the
thenewsagent's,
newsagent's,the
theinternet
internet
shoe
caf,the
thesnack
snackbar
bar
caf,

MAP 2/STUDENT B

How can I get to ?

Thepost
postoffice,
office, the
theChinese
Chineserestaurant,
restaurant, the
the
The
bookshop, the
thecinema,
cinema, the
thefashion
fashion
bookshop,
boutique,the
thesupermarket,
supermarket,the
thecar
carpark,
park,the
the
boutique,
baker's,the
thedry
drycleaner's,
cleaner's,the
theSwan
SwanHotel
Hotel
baker's,

B2.

Simulation Activity: Lost in London: How to get to ?

1. You are a group of friends visiting London as tourists and youve just visited
the British Museum.
2. At the moment, you feel lost and need somebodys help to continue your
sightseeing. Fortunately, youve got three maps of central London. To save
time, you decide to be divided into 3 groups to ask directions for three main
London sights: a. The Houses of Parliament, b. The Buckingham Palace and c.
The Tower of London.
3. In your groups study the map of central London and prepare a dialogue about
asking and giving directions for one of the three different sights.
4. Two members of your group act out the dialogue to the class.
C. Post-speaking stage:
C.1. Work in your groups again and write a paragraph to summarize the directions

for the London sight you were assigned to find using appropriate linking
expressions. Then a representative of each group reports back to the class and
the other groups listen carefully to circle the destination tracing the way on
your maps.
C.2.

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE
Tick whats true for you

Now I can:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Ask directions for a place

Give directions to a place
Act out a dialogue about directions
Take notes while listening to directions
Take turns while acting out a dialogue
Use a map to get to a place
Use imperatives to give directions
Use prepositions of place
Write a paragraph about directions
Work well with my classmates

3. Application of Communicative Language Teaching

3.1. Some preparations before class
3.1.1. Materials
1. Text-based materials

Tick

A typical lesson consists of a theme, a task analysis, for thematic

development a practice situation description, a stimulus presentation,
comprehension questions and paraphrase exercises.
2. Task-based material
A variety of games, roles plays, simulations, and task-based
communication activities have been prepared to support Communicative
Language Teaching classes.
3. Authentic Materials
Many proponents of Communicative Language Teaching have advocated
the use of authentic real-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.
3.1.2.

Procedures
Fincocchiaro and Brumfit once propose communicative procedures like this:
1) Presentation of a brief dialogue proceeded by a motivation and discussion
of the function and situationpeople, roles, setting, topic and informality
of language.
2) Oral practice of each utterance of the dialog segment.
3) Questions and answers based on the dialog topics and situation itself.
4) Questions and answers related to the students personal experiences but
centered on the dialog theme.
5) Study one of the basic communicative expressions in the dialog or one of
the structures which exemplify the function.
6) Learners discovery of generalizations or rules underlying the functional
expression or structure.
7) Oral recognition, interpretative activities.
8) Oral production activities.
9) Sampling of the written homework assignment, if given.
10) Evaluation of learning (oral only).
How to sequence these things is not the most important. What really effects is

the principles to follow. From the above procedures, we summarize as follows:

In a communicative lesson, the teacher should:
a. Presentation of the topic

b. Motivation of the students to participate in classroom activities

c. Discussion of situations and functions
d. Study, analysis and application of typical structures
e. Activities related to both the topic and students experiences
f. Evaluation of tasks
3.2. Using pictures and games in classroom
3.2.1.

Using pictures in classroom

1. Why use pictures?
By providing a wide range of contexts, students can meet a range
of situations and experience that will equip them for real life
communication. Specifically, pictures contribute to:
a. interest and motivation
b. a sense of the content of the language
2. Five primary principles of using pictures in class
a. Easy to prepare
b. Easy to organize
c. Interesting
d. Meaningful and authentic
e. Sufficient amount of language
3. Some examples for using pictures
Topic from pictures
a. Show pictures from inside the book.
b. Ask the students to tell you as much as they can about the
topic of the story.

3.2.2.

Using games in classroom

1. Why use games?
Language learning is a hard task that can sometimes be frustrating.
Constant effort is required to understand, produce and manipulate the
target language. Well-chosen games are invaluable as they give students a
break and at the same time allow students to practice language skills.
Games are highly motivated since they are amusing and at the same time
challenging. Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful language in
real contexts. They also encourage and increase cooperation.
2. When to Use Games

Nowadays, games are often used as short warm-up activities or when there
is some time left at the end of a lesson. Yet, a game should not be regarded
as a marginal activity filling in odd moments when the teacher and class
have nothing better to do. Games ought to be at the heart of teaching
foreign languages. They can be used at all stages of the lesson, provided
that they are suitable and carefully chosen.
3. How to Choose Games
a. A game must be more than just fun.
b. A game should keep all of the students involved and interested.
c. A game should encourage students to focus on the use of language
rather than on the language itself.
d. A game should give students a chance to learn, practice, or review
specific language material
4.

Some ways to use games:

a. Picking the apples
b. Competition
c. Climbing the ladder
d. Hunting the match picture
e. Twenty Questions
f. Word Magic
You can create all kinds of appropriate meaningful and flexible
games and amusing activities and educational activities are necessary
to keep the class enjoyable and create a sense of fun. However, we
must be careful that the activities do not last too long or the children
will become bored.

5. Conclusion
In conclusion, Communicative Language Teaching is an
innovation of foreign language teaching, aiming at improving students

communicative competence. It also helps to carry out quality education in

foreign language teaching. Meanwhile, with the rapid development of EFL
teaching in non-English-speaking countries, English teachers have become
more aware that the exclusive use of either the Communicative Approach
or Audio-lingual method does not suit all English teaching situations.
Teachers have also discovered that no single teaching method
deals with everything that concerns the form, the use and the content of the
target language. So we cant throw away the traditional teaching method
completely. To make Communicative Approach work well in Indonesia,
we must reconcile it with the traditional Grammar-Translation method that
is still popularly used in senior high school.
6. References
Book resources:
Littlewood

W.

(1981).

Communicative

Language

Teaching.

Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.

Byram, Michael. 2000. Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching
and Learning. Taylor & Francis Routledge; New Yok.
Krashen, Stephen D. 1982. Principles and Practice in Second Language
Acquisition (Language Teaching Methodology). Pergamon
Press Inc.
Harmer, Jeremy. 2001. The Practice of English Language Teaching, 3rd
Edition-Longman Press.
Internet Sources:
a. http://www.slideshare.net/BerkayFrtna/disadvantages-ofcommunicative-learning-teaching-presentation
b. http://lc.hkbu.edu.hk/book/pdf/v08_07.pdf
Videos resources:
c. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SU_DYxI8SU
d. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atFupd8NxRE