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A central role of a 'communicative approach' (CA) language programs is to help language learners develop skills required to communicate and function using target language. When developing a CA program it is important to use authentic situations and text. When looking for such text or situations consider the following:
a) Oral/aural communications (speaking and listening);
b) Written communication (reading and writing);
c) Able to use language to describe creative thinking;
d) Problem-solving and reasoning skills;
e) Knowledge of how to learn;
f) Social and cultural awareness;
g) Seeing things in the mind's eye,
h) Self-management, e.g., assesses own knowledge, skills, and abilities
Accurately; sets well-defined and realistic personal goals;
i) Able to monitors and corrects performance;
j) Can applies technology to learning task;
k) Decision-making;
l) Ability to state desire or opinion;
m) Ability to persuade; and
n) Ability to negotiate.


With the preceding in mind, curriculum for CA programs should be developed using a holistic approach; task-and-text specific information; and be strategy-oriented. In order to produce such relevant curriculum, a through needs assessment, which effectively collects relevant materials, such as still and video pictures, written and oral sample of communications and job sub-tasks is necessary. These materials are used to write a literal description of all the societal/industrial culture information, job sub-tasks, and language-related skills for which an individual employee is responsible. The needs analysis procedure includes the ideal and/or required task skills of a specific job. These task-skills become the framework for developing the prescriptive syllabus.

To develop a working CA curriculum one should use a prescriptive syllabus. A prescriptive syllabus describes: cultural aspects, task skills and language needed. Thus, the syllabus is a list of learning objective (criterion-references) containing benchmarks and target dates. It is then used to develop the curriculum, evaluation and assessment materials that match the learning objectives and benchmarks of the prescriptive syllabus. The process stated above presupposes a "Functional Context" and "Communicative" approaches to curriculum. Teaching units and the evaluation format are in the form of scenarios and case studies that are also derived from the syllabus. Thus, the prescriptive syllabus is used to ensure that the learners' needs are being met before curriculum, evaluations (examination), or assessment materials are developed.

CA looks at reading and writing in areas such as skimming and scanning, vocabulary development and sentence structure as basic curriculum items. It assumes basic literacy, culture and learners' background knowledge. Readings are guided texts that meet the learners' needs with post-reading exercises, comprehension checks, listening activities and speaking and writing activities. Lessons for skimming and scanning skills should be based on practical texts that learners need to use for their daily lives.
© 2006, Babowal & Associates, Inc.