The Communicative Classroom; Some Observations on Roles and Tasks

Abstract

According to Richards and Lockhart; “The role of a teacher in the context of classroom teaching and learning may also be influenced by the approach or methodology the teacher is following. ” (1994:101). As such; one would anticipate a redefining of instructor (and learner) roles as approaches to language instruction have shifted in the last quarter century from an audiolingual methodology to an emphasis on communicative language
teaching. The increased concern for the development of communicative competence should have lead instructors away from their authoritarian role and likewise provided learners with roles which stress active participation. A review of literature provides some observations on the nature of roles in the communicative era of language instruction and also presents evidence favoring certain tasks which theoretically help realize this reshaping of roles. The observations presented strive to raise our collective consciousness about our pedagogical practices within a communicative framework.