Implementation of Communicative Language Teaching in Vietnam

IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING IN VIETNAM
By NGO DUY PHUCAn increasing number of Vietnamese students study English in order to grasp many opportunities for higher education, overseas study and future career enhancement as it has become a dominant foreign language in Vietnam. Unlike traditional methods used for a long time in Vietnam, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been likely to meet the Vietnamese students’ needs of communication in English. Since CLT was introduced in the late 1970s, there have been many discussions about application of CLT to second and language instruction (Spada, 2007, p. 271). This essay will discuss extents in which CLT that can be practically implemented in English beginning level classrooms by referring to this writer’s teaching context. It also identifies challenges of the implementation of CLT faced by teachers and students of English in Vietnam.According to Savignon (2001, p. 20), for learners who are accustomed to grammar translation and accuracy for a long time, the transition to CLT will not be easy. Ellis’s (1996, p. 214)noted that CLT is a whole new experience for EFL teachers in Vietnam. Many Vietnamese teachers of English, even those in Lewis and McCook’s study (2002, pp. 146-153) assumed that Vietnamese students are passive learners and it is very hard to implement CLT in English classrooms in Vietnam. It is thought that these assumptions were completely wrong. In Littlewood’s study (2000, p. 34), he pointed out that Asian students would like to be active and independent and they want to explore knowledge themselves and find their own answers. Although Vietnamese students may be used to the grammar-translation, they can become more active and successful language learners in communicative classes, given that teachers know how to familiarise them with CLT. Wyss (2002) suggested a “familiarising learners with communicative language teaching classroom approach” including four steps: know thyself, inform students, emphasise progress, stay your ground. Working with beginning level adult students, this writer found it useful to use Wyss’s approach precisely. However, if teachers talked too much about their teaching methodology, students would get bored and even frustrated. This writer suggests a different approach to get his students familiar with CLT. First, the teacher informs teaching approach and the goals the students should achieve at the beginning of the class. Second, the teacher discusses learning strategies that students need to know to achieve the goal of language learning in communicative classes. Many researchers show that, under the right conditions, strategy instruction can be effective (Chamot, 2008, p. 266). On the first day, the teacher can let students finish a task and then discuss learning strategy. During the course, the strategy instruction should be integrated with daily lessons rather than be provided separately. In brief, if Vietnamese teachers of English familiarise students with CLT at the very beginning of the class, both teachers and students can make CLT happen.In CLT, learners learn English through using it to communicate, trials and making errors (Richards & Rogers, 2001, pp. 172-174). This means the classroom should be an English-only environment (Harmer, 2007, pp. 134-135). Some researchers viewed the L1 as a negative influence and even interference in the L2 development (Spada, 2007, p. 280). According to Harmer (2007, pp. 134-135), the over-use of students’ L1 restricts the students’ exposure to the target language. He also suggested that teachers should maximise the use of English and minimise the use of the the mother tongue. The challenge met by Vietnamese teachers is to create an active English learning environment in beginner level classes since students are low proficient learners. Having gained valuable experience from beginner level classes, this writer suggests two things teachers can do to create such environment.First, teachers should establish a safe learning environment and balance between explicit and implicit feedback on learner error. If the students do not feel secure and comfortable in the learning environment, they are not going to study effectively. As Senior (2006, pp. 81-85) noted that classes with an informal atmosphere enable students to behave in spontaneous ways. Teachers should create many activities in which students work in pairs or groups. In these activities, joining with students as a participant creates many opportunities for teachers to create rapport with the class and recognise students’ difficulties, learning styles, errors, etc. Teachers should not be too concerned that group works interaction would lead to more errors than teacher-fronted instruction (Spada, 2007, p. 277). The type of error correction in CLT should be implicit and indirect and not interfere with communication. As many Vietnamese teachers of English and other subjects at school usually use direct corrective feedback, some students may be afraid of making errors and losing face in front of their classmates. Therefore, implicit and indirect error correction is suitable for them. It is suggested that teachers should keep a notebook or a diary to record students’ errors during the lesson (if possible) and then spend at least five minutes to take note what students’ shortcomings are from activities in the lesson after each class. If teachers do not have much time in the class, they can talk to their students privately about their errors and suggestions for improvement after classes. This writer notices that teachers should use the recast technique to correct students’ errors. The recast technique is the reformulation of a learner’s incorrect utterance while maintaining a focus on meaning (Spada, 2007, p. 278). The recast can be integrated with teaching pronunciation effectively. While reformulating of the students’ utterance, teachers can correct students’ grammatical, lexical, phonological errors. However, there is no need to use implicit correction in every class all the time. If most students in the class made the same errors, direct corrective feedback could be used effectively. Moreover, humour is also considered as a powerful tool to facilitate informal learning environment (Senior, 2006, pp. 82-83). Nevertheless, Vietnamese teachers of English should use it precisely since students culturally show very high respect on their teachers.Second, teachers should determine carefully when to use L1 in order to minimise the use of L1 in communicative classes. As Swan (1990, pp. 96-97) noticed, L2 plays an important part in learning a foreign language and students are always translating L1 into and out of L2. Cook (2001, cited in Spada, 2007, pp. 280-281) argued that there is no need to be incompatible with L1 use in the classroom. Before beginning to speak a foreign language, students should have a vocabulary of at least 200 words and the basic word order rules of the target language (adjectives, adverbs, nouns, verbs etc.) (Richards, 1990, pp. 48-49). Therefore, teachers should teach students basic words used for instructions to do activities in the class. Besides, students should be taught how to negotiate for meaning in English like “How do you say (mother tongue, description or body language) in English?”. Moreover, for beginning level students, it is suggested that teachers should teach students how to use dictionary and vocabulary notebook effectively so that they can prepare new words for the next lessons from word lists given by teachers from the previous lessons. The use of L2 should not be seen as good device for saving time for other useful activities or for making life easier for teachers and learners (Harbord, 1992, p. 355). This writer notes that teachers should use L2 when there is a strong interference between L1 and L2 that may lead to misunderstanding. For example, Vietnamese students usually misuse adjectives in English even when they are at advanced level. They may say ‘a book good’ instead of ‘a good book’ since adjective goes after noun in Vietnamese. Therefore, discussions about the difference between L1 and L2 should be carried out in the class so that students can be more aware of interpreting from L2 to L1 and vice versa. Teachers can also assign students a translation homework check their understanding.One of the central principles of CLT is that linguistics skills and communicative abilities should not be treated in isolation from each other (Spada, 2007, pp. 275-276). The integration of form-focused experience will enable students to develop communicative ability (Savignon, 2001, p. 25). This is because “in meaningful communication, people employ incremental language skills not in isolation, but in tandem” (Harmer, 2007, p. 265). While Krashen (1982, cited in Spada, 2007, p. 276) claimed that grammar can only be acquired through exposure to the target language, Thomas (1996 cited in Seninor, 2006, p. 254) stated that an appropriate amount of class time devoted to grammar will be beneficial to students. When teaching beginner level classes, this writer found that teachers should focus on form with a number of appropriate words and phrases so that students will be more confident to interact with their peers. Despite the institutional constraints and language policies may not favour CLT, Vietnamese teachers of English have their own classes to implement CLT. Even though there are many assumptions and beliefs underpinning CLT, teachers should base on their students needs to determine the teaching procedures best suiting their own classrooms. One of the procedures used successfully by this writer to integrate language skills in his lessons will be described. First, the teacher demonstrates new vocabulary relating to a topic or content of the lesson. Second, the teacher provokes some questions basing on a scripted conversation. Students are asked to listen to the conversation (on tape or CD) twice without looking at the twice to answer the questions. After that, while students practice conversation in pairs, teacher goes around the class to correct students’ errors implicitly or listens to student in order to take notice of students’ difficulties or errors. At the same time, teacher can also teach pronunciation such as drilling with high rising tone in yes-no questions. Third, teacher pays students attention to forms used in the conversation. Students can be asked to do a grammar exercise at this stage or to do it at home as homework. Finally, students practice speaking with their peers in groups or in pairs and the teacher can encourage students to use forms or vocabulary they have learned in the lesson. The final stage can be used to evaluate students’ performance. Teacher can diversify the final stage with writing or reading activities or communicative games that relate to the content of the lesson and match student level.In conclusion, CLT has been proved as an ideal approach of the twenty-first century. There are many different assumptions, beliefs and even myths about implementation of CLT in practical English classes. CLT may be a new experience to some Vietnamese teachers and students. However, knowing how to familiarise students with CLT, understanding basic tenets and principles underpinning CLT, Vietnamese teachers of English can make a gradual transition from traditional methods to CLT. |