During my English lessons I usually use the Communicative language teaching, that is perhaps the most popular approach among the methods of teaching a second language today. CLT emphasizes the student’s ability to communicate in real-life contexts. As a result, students learn to make requests, accept offers, explain things, and express their feelings and preferences. Additionally, since CLT focuses on teaching language through real-world assignments and problem-solving, it’s less concerned with grammar accuracy and instead focuses on fluency.
With children, on the other hand I usually use the natural approach. When teaching with the Natural Approach, students initially receive nothing but input from the teacher—they’re not asked to produce anything. Over time, students are asked to produce so long as they comfortable doing so—based on the target structures taught. They start off by relaying the language taught while they build up their linguistic skills.
This method is perfect for true beginners due to the intensive use of visuals and physical cues to convey meaning. Since students are not asked to produce initially, this reduces learner stress.
A great way to put the natural approach into practice is by performing the activity, “The king wants.”
For this activity, simply ask students for an item and start the sentence with “The king wants… (or the queen wants…)” For example, if you say, “The king wants a pencil,” students must give you a pencil. Don’t have too many items in the class? Flashcards can work just fine.
While traditional approaches do provide a solid foundation for effective language teaching, I also know that these techniques don’t always address students’ current needs. In fact, the communicative approach, still widely preached as the latest and greatest option, is already due for a makeover of its own.