Rajasthan has not been untouched with the impact of English, but still it is treated as a foreign language in most of the parts including the rural areas. While teaching English in Dausa, we face some problems, which occur due to the tradition and habit of Grammar Translation Method. First of all, most of the government schools start teaching of English from 3rd standard, earlier they started from 6th standard. To some extent old traditional ways and GTM have been responsible for it. This method does not emphasis on speaking, reading and writing. It does not correct articulation, intonation and pronunciation of students. Besides, there are some words, idioms and phrases in English, which reflect the culture, traditions and customs of English people. They can not be translated into mother tongue Hindi without using the correct effect. In fact, this method develops a habit of translation at the thinking level. Students first think in Hindi and then they translate it into English. But now the question is that – is translation possible at all correctly by our students? An ideal translation is matching of phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic equivalents. The greatest problem is the catching of right mood, tone and intonation, and feeling and sense of original thinking. GTM tries to teach English by rules not by use. Thus only teachers remain speaking and students become passive listeners. They develop only bookish English and delicate expression is prevented.

Grammar translation method included detailed analysis of grammar rules, translating sentences and texts into and out of the target language, memorizing rules and manipulating morphology and syntax, reading and writing. Directmethod encouraged the use of foreign language in the classroom. Classroom teaching was conducted in the target language only. Learning process was mostly based on imitation and memorization. But we could not achieve such facilities. Situational language teaching was based on selection and organization of the situations. Situations were organized with the use of concrete things and pictures. They were used to introduce the new grammar structures.Audio-lingual method applied the principles of structural linguistics to language teaching. Pattern practice became a basic classroom technique. Audio-lingual method was the combination of structural linguistic theory and fundamentals of behaviorism.

Communicative Language Teaching is learner-centered and emphasizes communication and real-life situations. The role of the teacher in CLT is quite different from traditional teaching methods. In the traditional classroom, the teacher is in charge and “controls” the students. In CLT the teacher serves as more of a facilitator, allowing students to be in charge of their own learning. The focus of attention is gradually shifting from the language as a systematic code to the language as a means of communication with the search for an effective methodof instruction and consideration of the learner’s personality. Communicative competence encompasses the knowledge of how to use the language in the real world, without which the rules of grammar would be useless. Success of communication depends very much on the knowledge of successful strategies chosen by the speakers. Successful strategies are known as the “four maxims”of good communication. These maxims include quality (saying only what is supported by evidence), quantity(saying no more and no less than is needed), relevance (saying what is relevant to the point of communication) and manner (presenting ideas clearly unambiguously). The four maxims of successful communication can be used in teaching how to communicate effectively. Communicative techniques can develop productive, receptive and interactive skills in students that are necessary for effective communication. Activities with listening and reading, aim at developing in students skills of receiving information. Activities with speaking and writing develop in students skills of producing information. We should analyze our own experience of classroom interaction in the form of these questions.

Whetherstudents say about their opinions freely in class without any hesitation?
Whether students volunteer to raise problems for discussion?
Whether students speak, ask and discuss only when we call on them?
Whether students listen passively when we talk?
Whether students listen passively when their classmates talk?
Whether students tell and ask to us in class when they don’t understand?
Whether students are afraid to makemistakes?
Whether Students consult with classmates before answering?
Whether we encourage them to risk making mistakes and to speak without any hesitation?
Whether we are open to informal communication?

 We should organized Communicative language teaching the three-phase framework. Three-phase framework means subdivision of the teaching process into three phases: pre-activity, while-activity and post activity. By Pre-activity we can arise interest in the learners towards the main task, to motivate performance, to activate in learners their prior knowledge and to prepare them for the language that can be necessary to perform the main task. While-activityis organized as oral or written communication and it is based on engaging the students in the communicative tasks.Post-activityis reflection on the ideas and language that was produced during the main activity. Good communicative teaching is student-centred, not teacher-centred.

The classroom and the behaviour of teachers and students in the classroom should be as similar as possible to the behaviour of people in the “real world” outside the classroom. There are essential differences between using mother tongue Hindi and trying to use English which students do not know well. These differences help to explain the differences in behaviour of students in the foreign language classroom and in the streets outside the classroom. In CLT, students practice real-life situations, for example, buying food at the market or asking someone for directions. In these exercises, the goal is for the student to communicate his or her needs and thoughts, without worrying about having perfect grammar. CLT also stresses social and situational contexts of communication in EFL scenario. For example, in Hindi language, the form of “you” changes depending on the age and status of the two speakers. Addressing a person in the proper way can make a big difference in having a successful exchange, even if the verb tenses aren’t right. Instruction of English as a foreign language for children can be enriched when teachers use thematic units that focus on content-area information, engage students in activities in which they must think critically, and provide opportunities for students to use the target language in meaningful contexts and in new and complex ways. According to the standards, when teachers plan lessons they should focus on the five Cs of Communication, Culture, Connections with other disciplines, Comparisons with students’ native languages and cultures, and use of the foreign language in Communities outside the classroom. Increasingly, foreign language educators are integrating the five Cs of the standards into “content-related”.

In the beginning of communicative language classes, the teacher’s role includes introducing vocabulary and phrases, and providing comprehensible language input for the students. Visuals and manipulative, gestures, sounds, and actions all help students understand the new vocabulary and structures. Students need opportunities to be active participants in tasks that require them to negotiate meaning and practice language in communication with their teacher and with their classmates. The very problem is that even our post-graduate students want to learn in Hindi medium or in bilingualism. We should stress on group activities and group discussion. If a communication activity involves at least two people who interact with each other, it is inevitable that the emphasis should be on group activities and pair work. There are, of course, some difficulties to be overcome. Some of difficulties are (a) the size and furniture of the classroom, (b) the problem of noise, (c) the possibility of mistakes being undetected and uncorrected and (d) a few more assertive students dominating the groups. Another feature of lessons associated with the approach is that cue cards and role cards are often used to encourage interactions. Cue cards are often cards with simple pictures. Role cards set out the roles the students have to play and the linguistic tasks they have to perform. Student A, for example, may get the following card:

A: You have won a cash prize of five lacs rupees in an essay competition. Tell him this piece of good news. Student B responds as instructed. B: Congratulate A, and ask him how he is going to spend the money. This type of activity is different from mere dialogue practice. We do not put the words into the mouths of the students. The conversation is mapped out through a series of instructions, but students have the freedom to use their own words as they interact. Another feature is that the approach encourages the use of role-playing and simulations. Examples can be found in almost all the new books based on the functional approach. I have tried to give the fundamental reason behind the communicative approach and some of the techniques associated with it. On the other hand, I do not feel that there is necessarily a polarity between the oral approach and the communicative approach. I also admit that there are some constraints in the classroom situation, which make it difficult to use all the techniques I have mentioned. But given the will to succeed, the enterprising teacher can do much to promote a more creative use of language in the classroom.

The article was presented in First International Conference ELT@I Rajasthan on November 21, 2009.