Implementing Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in Cameroon High Schools: Analysis and Perspectives

Abstract

The past few decades has witnessed a shift of focus in the teaching profession both in Native and some Non-Native settings. The teaching enterprise now rests on the solid assumption that language should be taught for the purpose of effective communication. L2 instruction main concern in the 21^st century is to help learners become competent users of the language.  The teaching of English aims to help learners possess the essential weapons (required knowledge) for a sound linguistic communication. This knowledge which, it should be recalled, is a prerequisite for effective communication, is technically referred to as Communicative Competence which involves not only linguistic competence, but also sociocultural, pragmatic, strategic, discourse, formulaic, interactional competences (Celce-Murcia:2007). Communicative Language Teaching is judged an appropriate model for learners to acquire communicative competence. However, in some Non Native settings like Cameroon, this method is tends not to be used due to some psychological, pedagogical, social and linguistic factors. The objectives of this paper are twofold: first, it seeks to critically examine some factors that constitute an impediment to the implementation of CLT in Cameroonian high school English classes. Second, it proposes some practical solutions for the implementation of the CLT approach.

Keywords: Communicative Language Teaching, Cameroon educational system, Communicative competence.