What is Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)?
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an approach in which learners acquire a language by using it to communicate: asking and answering, discussing, solving problems and role-playing real situations. Grammar and vocabulary are taught in context and serve communication. CLT is the main approach used in TEFL courses, including APTTI's Young Learners and Business English courses.
What this means in practice
CLT grew from the 1970s idea of 'communicative competence': knowing a language means being able to use it appropriately, not only knowing its rules. For Indian classrooms built around reading and writing, CLT shifts the focus to speaking and listening.
Key features of CLT
- meaningful tasks rather than repetition alone
- pair and group work to maximise talking time
- fluency activities alongside accuracy work
- authentic materials: menus, emails, videos, forms
- errors treated as a normal part of learning
CLT in large Indian classes
With 40 or more learners, use pair work ('turn to your partner'), short structured speaking tasks, sentence frames on the board, and quick rotation. Even two minutes of pair talk gives every learner more practice than a whole lesson of the teacher talking.
Common misunderstandings
CLT does not mean no grammar. It means grammar is introduced through meaning and then practised in communication. It also does not mean the teacher stops correcting; correction is timed so it does not kill fluency.
CLT activity examples you can use tomorrow
- information gap: partners complete a timetable by asking each other questions
- role-play: booking a train ticket or ordering food
- survey: 'find someone who' with a short question list
- problem-solving: plan a class trip within a budget
- story chain: each pair adds a sentence to a story
Practical next steps
- Start each lesson with a real communicative goal.
- Show the language needed in a short model.
- Give a controlled practice task.
- Move to a freer speaking or writing task.
- Give feedback on the most useful errors.
What to keep in mind
CLT works best when learners have enough language to attempt the task. Give support such as sentence frames to lower-level learners.
Common follow-up questions
Who developed Communicative Language Teaching?
CLT developed from the work of several linguists in the 1970s, including Dell Hymes's idea of communicative competence.
Is CLT suitable for exam classes?
Yes. Communicative practice builds the fluency that speaking tests reward, alongside exam-specific strategy work.
What is the difference between CLT and the grammar-translation method?
Grammar-translation focuses on rules and translating texts; CLT focuses on using the language to communicate, with grammar taught in context.
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