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1~97~ImplementingCommunicativeLanguageTeachingandTask-BasedApproachinEFLClassroomsYi-TiLinYi-MiaoLinDepartmentofAppliedForeignLanguagesAbstract:Thispaperpresentsthesignificanceofcommunicativelanguageteachingandtask-basedapproachandhowthetwocanbecombinedandimplementedinEFLclassroomstofacilitatesuccessfullanguagelearning.Communicativelanguageteachingaimstobringreallifesituationsintotheclassroom,forthelearnerstodevelopacertainleveloffluencyincommunicatinginthetargetlanguage,andthelearningofasecondlanguage,thus,emergesnaturally.Ontheotherhand,task-basedapproachgivesamorespecificandpracticalusageintheframeworkofcommunicativelanguageteaching.Task-basedapproachisfocusingonthefunctionalpurposesforwhichlanguagemustbeusedandonthelearners’pragmaticlanguagecompetence.Thus,implementingcommunicativelanguageteachingandtasked-basedapproachinEFLclassroomsisashiftawayfromthetraditionalinstructionwhichfocusesonthestructureoflanguageandtowardsamorepragmaticusageoflanguageinanauthenticway.Keywords():communicativelanguageteaching/task-basedapproach/interactivelearning/interactiveteaching/TeachingandlearningEnglishinanEFLenvironmentisadifficulttaskforbothteachersandstudents.Howtomakethelessonsinterestingandatthesametime,ensurethatstudentsareacquiringthenecessaryknowledgeisacomplicatedprocess.Foryears,teachersinTaiwanarelookingforwaystoenlightentheirclassroomsandtofacilitatetheirstudentsinlearningtheEnglishthattheycanuse.ForthepurposeofcreatingasuccessfulEFLlearningenvironment,implementingcommunicativelanguageteachingandtasked-basedapproachintheclassroommayjustbetheremedy.CommunicativelanguageteachingAccordingtoBrown,suchateachingmethodis“…tomovesignificantlybeyondtheteachingofrules,patterns,definitions,andotherknowledge‘about’languagetothepoint212~98~thatweareteachingourstudentstocommunicategenuinely,spontaneously,andmeaningfullyinthesecondlanguage”(Brown,2000,P.14).AnotherdefinitionbyBerns(1990)statesthat,communicativelanguageteachingisfoundedonanunderstandingofthenatureofcommunicationandthevariabilityofnormsforcommunicationfromcontexttocontext.Withcommunicativelanguageteaching,languageisseenasasocialtoolwhichspeakersusetomakemeaning,diversityisrecognizedandacceptedaspartoflanguagedevelopment,alearner’scompetenceisconsideredinrelative,notinabsolute,termsofcorrectness,anditisessentialthatlearnersbeengagedinusinglanguageforavarietyofpurposesinallphasesoflearning.ThesignificanceofcommunicativelanguageteachingRecently,theterm“communicativelanguageteaching”iswidelydiscussedinthefieldoflanguageteaching.However,howiscommunicativelanguageteachingdifferentfromourusualwayofinstruction?Communicativelanguageteachingisadeparturefromthetraditionalstructuralviewoflanguageteachingwhichfocusesonthegrammaticalsystem.Instead,communicativelanguageteachingaimstobringreallifesituationsintotheclassroom,forthelearnerstodevelopacertainleveloffluencyincommunicatinginthetargetlanguage,andthelearningofasecondlanguage,thus,emergesnaturally.Extensiveresearchoncommunicativelanguageteachinghasbeenconducted,andthemostnoticeablearebyFinoccharioandBrumfit(1983),andNunan(1991).FinoccharioandBrumfit(1983)presentsathoroughcomparisonoftheformerlywidelyusedaudiolingualapproachandthenewlyarosecommunicativelanguageteaching.Someofthedistinctivefeaturesare:fromstructureandformtomeaning,linguisticcompetencetocommunicativecompetence,languageaccuracytofluencyandacceptablelanguage,and‘languageishabit’tolanguageiscreatedbythelearnerthroughtrialanderror.AsforNunan(1991),heproposesfivefeaturestocharacterizecommunicativelanguageteaching:1.Anemphasisonlearningtocommunicatethroughinteractioninthetargetlanguage.2.Theintroductionofauthentictextsintothelearningsituation.3.Theprovisionofopportunitiesforlearnerstofocus,notonlyonlanguagebutalsoonthelearningprocessitself.4.Anenhancementofthelearner’sownpersonalexperiencesasimportantcontributingelementstoclassroomlearning.5.Anattempttolinkclassroomlanguagelearningwithlanguageactivationoutsidetheclassroom.Takingalltheabovecriteriaintoconsideration,theteacherwillthen,formabasisforcommunicativelanguageteachingandtheactualpracticeofcommunicativelanguageteachingwillenhancethestudents’learningofEnglish.3~99~Task-BasedApproachNunan(1993)definescommunicativetaskas“apieceofclassroomworkwhichinvolveslearnersincomprehending,manipulating,producingorinteractinginthetargetlanguagewhiletheirattentionisprincipallyfocusedonmeaningratherthanform.AsforBrown,“Atask-basedcurriculum,then,specifieswhatalearnerneedstodowiththeEnglishlanguageintermsoftargettasksandorganizesaseriesofpedagogicaltasksintendedtoreachthosegoals”(Brown,1994,P.229).Task-BasedApproachintheClassroomThetask-basedapproachgivesamorespecificandpracticalusageintheframeworkofcommunicativelanguageteaching.Whatdifferstask-basedapproachfromothercommunicativeapproaches,suchasthecontent-basedorthetheme-based,isthatitissomewhatmorelanguage-based.Language-basedinthiscaseisnotinatraditionalsenseoffocusingonthestructureoflanguage,butrather,itisfocusingonthefunctionalpurposesforwhichlanguagemustbeusedando