The replacement of the grammatical syllabus with a communicative syllabus is discussed in terms of foreign language teaching practice. A syllabus is a device to assist in effective teaching and an administrative tool which involves generalizing about the nature of learning and specifies a progression to a stated set of goals. Developments in…

A consensus has emerged on many issues in communicative language teaching, but one question that needs attention is the question of what ought to constitute the appropriate starting point in the design and implementation of a second language program. Two positions to consider are the following: first, the development of communicative methodology,…

The notion of a communicative approach has developed considerably since it first began to influence teaching practice and as teacher-researchers have refined their understanding of the concept of communicative competence. At present, adopting a communicative approach has two aspects: (1) it means formulating teaching/learning problems in terms of…

Outlines sample exercises developed in a program designed to teach minimal (threshold level) competencies based on students' communication needs and the concept of a notional syllabus. (AM)

Teaching functional French is discussed with instructors of groups of foreign workers in mind. It takes as its starting point two "modules" for teaching French ("the highway code at driving school" and "starting and keeping small talk going") and uses them to exemplify some of the difficulties involved in the development and classroom use of…