One of the key elements in modern communicative methodology is that students don’t just sit there and listen or translate documents. They USE the language, ask questions, and complete tasks to work out the meaning and usage of the new language they are encountering. The idea of a student coming into a lesson, sitting in the classroom, singing a couple of songs in English and then listening to someone speak for an hour is absurd. If they wanted to know about history of the English language, how English as Lingua Fraca could be challenged by Mandarin or other such topics they can look it up online [and some do] but what these students need is how to communicate in English and how to incorporate ideas [such as talking about the past/present/future] into their day to day language [rather than just understanding the rules about talking about the future in English].
A case in point is when a student comes into class [having just sat a placement test], they understand the grammar very well [certainly much better than an average native English speaker. If you had asked me a year ago to talk about what grammar I am currently using I wouldn’t have been able to (it’s a mixed conditional by the way, 3rd and 2nd conditionals)] However when we ask them to (in English) talk about a topic they can be completely stumped! It can also be the same when people go abroad and try and use the language they have learnt, they can know rules [such as for Russian; when we are talking about something we like, we use the dative to show what we like (which changes feminine A sounds to OO sounds) and yet when I came over here I couldn’t even order some food In a restaurant.]
When a student actually speaks the language they do a few things that don’t arise in different circumstances.
One they realise what they can’t say in the language they are trying to speak. Thus it can show a grammar point or some vocab that they need to learn [basic example if I am talking in a Russian Class and I don’t a verb then I can ask the teach for the verb I don’t know].
Second it is a much better method of remembering a language point [this includes vocabulary and grammar]. There are a good few reasons for this, such as the fact that speaking is (general) quicker than writing, and as such you can use a word many more times (which helps to memorise a word) secondly students are generally encourages (and tend to even when not) to use this new grammar to talk about themselves, which again helps students to remember the new language. Thirdly they can help correct another student, where they may have to explain the language/vocabulary point again and [as long as it isn’t incorrect] this again helps with memorising a word. Thirdly there is no option to sit back and not think about the language. If you have to talk using this language then you HAVE to think [even if you don’t understand] about what you are suppose to do/are trying to do.
Another point is that it provides the teacher with an opportunity to correct errors as they occur during the lesson [not always with the target language]. If a student is perhaps pouncing words incorrectly or has forgotten earlier grammar then the teacher can hear these mistakes and address them in the class. This can be true of areas that students don’t feel confident with or are very confident with.
Thirdly it is also more interesting and fun for the students when they are engaged [which again assists with memorisation and extra curricular English activities.] This is almost an added bonus rather than a desired outcome but if this was not true would then the impact of the other effects would also be diminished as well. If students don’t enjoy lessons [or at least find them relevant and engaging] then they will probably TRY and forget the lesson and possible the English they “learnt” along side. I can certainly testify that this can be backed up by the test result of my teenagers in particular. The grammar they have found the hardest was the grammar that was presented in the least interesting way to them.
This is only a brief summary of the main points and many chapters can and have been written on this topic.
