Murray, N: Communicative Language Teaching

The Communicative Approach has been the dominant paradigm in language teaching for over a quarter of a century. Despite the positive transformation it has brought to the way in which foreign languages are taught and learned, it has, the author argues, often been uncritically embraced wholesale and incorporated indiscriminately into contexts of application that are not always conducive to its principles and practices, and without due consideration of the need to adapt these so as to make them ‘digestible‘ according to local cultural and educational norms. This is no better illustrated than in Japan, a particular focus of the book. By offering a comprehensive critical appraisal of the Communicative Approach, the author demonstrates the need for language teachers to become fully conversant in and adopt a critical mindset to new ideas that appear in the field if they are to adjust them, effectively, for use in particular contexts yet maintain their essential integrity. Communicative Language Teaching provides a fascinating account of the Communicative Approach and offers an invaluable resource for language teachers and educators alike.