Communicative Language Teaching Strategies for German as a Foreign Language in Uganda

Abstract

The communicative language teaching (CLT) approach emphasizes the change in the role of the teacher from a transmitter of knowledge to a facilitator of language learning. Teachers must therefore, develop and utilize teaching strategies that enable learners to freely interact in a classroom environment to enhance the required communicative competences. However, in the Ugandan context where the curriculum is examination-driven, teacher competence is judged on the basis of students’ excellence in the final examinations. As such, teachers tend to focus on producing better grades, thereby neglecting learners’ acquisition of vital communicative competences. This paper spells out the teaching strategies teachers of German use to create a supportive environment for communicative language teaching and learning. A cross sectional survey research design was used in the study. Questionnaires, observations, and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data on teachers’ experiences regarding the teaching strategies used to support CLT approach. Findings revealed that the teaching strategies utilised by the teachers of German had very little bearing on the CLT approach. For instance, the classroom environment did not encourage free interaction among learners as required by the CLT approach. It was recommended that teachers be introduced to teaching strategies that are relevant to the CLT approach during their pre-and in-service training.