Rethinking communicative language teaching: a focus on access to fluency

Although most teachers claim to practise communicative language teaching (CLT), many do not genuinely do so. In this paper, we examine some of the reasons for teachers’ resistance to CLT use. We provide a theoretical analysis that focuses on one of the greatest challenges facing CLT methodology —how to promote automatic fluency within this framework. We meet this challenge by proposing a CLT methodology designed to meet specific criteria that will enhance learners’ fluency, while addressing teachers’ commonly held reservations about CLT. The assumptions and design criteria of the methodology presented here can be operationalized for research purposes, allowing CLT to be evaluated in systematic outcome testing.