ShodhPatra: International Journal of Science and Humanities

Communicative English Language Teaching and Learning: An Evolution in Revolution

The teaching and learning of English have undergone a significant transformation in response to changing social, academic, and global communication needs. The conventional methods of teaching English Language placed much emphasis on grammatical correctness, memorisation and teacher-centred teaching and learning, which in most cases did not help learners in being able to interact in the real-life context. With the gradual development of the English language into a world language, the focus turned not on the teaching of formulas of linguistic knowledge but on communicative competence and the use of the language in practise. This shift is a revolution in a revolution in the English language education profession. This paper examines the evolution of Communicative English Language Teaching and Learning as a dynamic and ongoing process rather than as a single methodological change. It examines the development of communicative practise during language learning in English that manifested via historical, theoretical, and pedagogical change in the context of learner centred, interaction-focused, and context-constrained strategies of learning. Although Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is considered an important step in this development, the study puts it in a larger context of communicative learning of the English language and incorporation of functional language use, the real world and the active involvement of the learner. The paper also brings out the transforming roles between teachers and learners, the significance of meaningful interaction, and the applicability of communicative learning of English in modern teaching and work.