Communicative Language Teaching at Camp

Learning Through Communication

At our camps, English classes are not like those at school! First off, they are exclusively in English. But also, because we apply a method called Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), according to which, the goal is for students to communicate.  CLT does this while integrating the key language skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. 

In a CLT Classroom

In a CLT classroom, exercises focus on generating real interactions in English, rather than just memorizing scripts.  We want students to learn through experience rather than memorization. The English as a Second Language (ESL) activities used in class encourage as much speaking as possible. As such, they are often organized in pairs or small groups. 

Some common activities include:

• Role-plays
• Pair work followed by mini presentations
• Group work followed by presentations
• ESL Games

When preparing lessons, our ESL counselors work together to make sure lessons match students' levels while covering similar topics. They do this by using our Lesson Plans as a framework for objectives and approach, before personalizing them.

To support learners, you’ll use ESL teaching techniques like:

• Prompting – Giving hints or cues to help students recall words themselves.
• Eliciting –  Asking questions or using visuals to see what students already know.
• Monitoring – Moving between students during working times to assess their progress and provide support. 
• Total Physical Response (TPR) – Teaching language through movement and gestures to reinforce understanding.
• Drilling – Repeating words or phrases multiple times to help students practice pronunciation and structure.

Read more on our ESL Classroom Article >

English That Matters

In a CLT classroom, students learn useful English they can use in their life. This includes high-frequency words (words used often in the English language), but also, language that supports day-to-day life. At American Village, for example, they learn words related to daily activities, camp events, and conversations with counselors. This way, they can fully participate in camp life while improving their language skills, even outside of the classroom.

The Teacher’s Role

In a CLT classroom, the teacher's role is to guide students in the language, rather than to judge them in the language. This helps students feel comfortable speaking English. Most importantly, the teacher will never embarrass a student by making comments about their level, their errors or their accent. Accents are natural, we all have one! We can work on them through exercises. Errors are just a part of learning, and according to CLT, they are going to happen anyway, as we work on fluency.

Correcting Errors in CLT

In CLT, teachers focus on both fluency and accuracy, but at different times:

Fluency Focus (Encouraging conversation)

During fluency activities, the goal is to keep students talking. Important: At American Village, the majority of the day is focued on fluency. If a student makes a mistake, you don’t interrupt—instead, you either let it pass, or you can model the correct way to say it naturally in your response. 

Example:

Student: "I was go to New York in summer."

Teacher: "Oh, you went to New York last summer? Did you like it?"

Accuracy Focus (Helping with grammar & spelling)

During writing or structured speaking activities, you can correct mistakes more directly. Walk around the room, move from desk to desk to give individualized feedback and support (this is called monitoring). However, don’t interrupt students while they’re speaking—wait for the end of their speaking time to correct any errors. Always congratulate them for their efforts in English.

At American Village English immersion camps in France, we want campers to think about English differently. Learning a language can be a natural process, it can be stimulating and fun! By implementing CLT techniques, we provide a structured and interactive approach to learning in the classroom.