UNLEASHING LANGUAGE THROUGH COMMUNICATIVE GRAMMAR ACTIVITIES

As part of the formation of a new education system, focused on entering the World educational space, and the development of new educational standards for improving professional activities, a foreign language teacher needs to look for and find more optimal, interesting, successful solutions, use new teaching technologies leading to faster and better quality mastering the target language, especially the acquisition of speaking skills. Learning a language involves actually communicating in a foreign language in real life. For this purpose, language learners need to acquire a set of communication skills that they can use in different language situations, with different people speaking English. One of the main priorities is continuous training and practical application of the material covered to develop oral fluency.

When starting to learn a foreign language, everyone dreams of speaking it as quickly as possible. Moreover, to really talk about what is actually close to the listener, and not just retell the text stated in the textbook. N. Kuzovleva believes that the attitude towards a subject consists of two components: interest in it and awareness of its importance. Often, mastering a foreign language is not always colored by personal meaning, which sharply reduces its significance and interest in it [1, p. 81]. At the Elementary level, communication is difficult or even impossible due to limited vocabulary and lack of skills in grammatical construction of phrases, while an important element of teaching English to a group of students at this level, as with any other, is the development of speaking skills. However, if you load students with only vocabulary and only grammar, this can have a demotivating effect on the desire to acquire knowledge. The inability to speak the language is perceived as a lack of success in achieving the main task that course participants set for themselves, and gradually leads to a decrease in interest in the subject being studied. Faith in one’s own abilities and the ability to speak the target language weakens, and students stop actively collaborating with the teacher and with each other. Motivation, as a positive attitude towards a certain type of activity, decreases, despite the fact that it is the main element that determines the success of teaching a foreign language. As is known, motivation depends on the degree of personal involvement in language acquisition and the presence of realistically achievable short-term goals. There are several approaches to the task of defining motivation. Webster’s Online Dictionary offers an explanation of the verb “to motivate” as follows [3]: “to find a motive, need, or desire that causes a person to act in a certain way.” This desire is stimulated by the result – internal satisfaction from the success of the task. Experts in the field of foreign language teaching offer various strategies to help increase motivation in language learning. An experienced teacher will primarily focus on developing students’ linguistic confidence, which can be achieved through personalization of the educational process. This involves involving students in making decisions related to learning a foreign language, in determining the goals of learning foreign languages, as well as in discussing with students the usefulness of performing a particular type of activity.

Traditional grammar teaching, while valuable in providing fundamental knowledge, often struggles to translate theory into practical application. Communicative Grammar classes bridge this gap by promoting language acquisition through interactive and fun exercises[2, p. 18].

These activities are based on the principles of constructivism, in which students actively build knowledge through experience and interaction. By placing grammar in a communicative context, students move beyond rote memorization and develop a deeper understanding of how language functions in real-life situations.

Thus, communicative grammar activities offer a more evidence-based approach to language learning compared to traditional methods. By promoting active participation and contextual application, they provide students with the opportunity to not only understand grammatical rules, but to truly develop their skills in using them to communicate effectively. Here are some examples of communicative grammar activities:

• Role-plays: Students act out scenarios that require them to use specific grammar structures, promoting communication and understanding of context-based language use.

• Information gap activities: Students with complementary information must communicate using the target grammar to complete a task, fostering collaboration and negotiation skills.
• Grammar games: Games like bingo or Pictionary with a grammar twist introduce a playful element while reinforcing understanding of grammatical structures.

As the educational landscape evolves and focuses on global competency, foreign language teachers face a crucial challenge: equipping students with practical speaking skills.  Traditional grammar instruction, while important for foundational knowledge, often fails to bridge the gap between theory and real-world communication.

This article has explored the concept of communicative grammar activities as a solution to this challenge. By integrating grammar instruction with interactive tasks and real-life scenarios, they foster deeper understanding through contextual application. This approach aligns with constructivist learnirng principles, where students actively build knowledge through experience and interaction.

1. Long, M. H. (1981). Input, interaction, and language acquisition: A review of research. Language Learning, 31(2), 77-106.
2. Swain, M. (1985). Communicative competence: Theoretical perspectives. The Canadian Modern Language Review / La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 41(1), 1-24.
3. Webster’s Online Dictionary

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