AoA, CLT, & TBLT: Reflection & Application
| Action-oriented Approach|Plurilingualism|Tech-mediated
Action-oriented Approach (AoA), Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) Reflection & Application 💡
”Language is not just a tool for communication; it’s a bridge to action and connection.”
Purpose: This worksheet will guide you through reflecting on and internalizing the use of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and the Action-Oriented Approach (AoA) in your teaching.
Imagine you are teaching a class of intermediate English learners and you want them to learn how to make travel plans. You’re torn between two ideas: having students role-play a conversation at a travel agency or asking them to create a travel itinerary for a group trip. Which approach will help your students learn better?
- Should you focus on fluency through interaction (CLT), or on purposeful, real-world tasks (AoA)?
- What’s the difference between these two approaches, and how can they shape your teaching?
Look at these two comics. In the first, two students are role-playing at a travel agency desk, one saying, “I’d like to book a trip to Paris!” while the other responds, “Sure, let me check the flights!” In the second, a group of students is huddled around a table, designing a colorful travel itinerary poster, with one saying, “Let’s add a museum visit on Day 2!”
Comic 1
Comic 2
Look at both comics. What do you notice about the two activities? How are the students using language in each of the activities depicted?
Jot down your thoughts: Which activity seems more focused on speaking fluently? Which one involves a tangible outcome?
What is the difference we are seeing here?
The first image shows a typical example of a simple CLT (Communicative Language Teaching) task.
The second image shows a typical example of a simple AoA (Action-oriented Approach) task.
- CLT: Developed in the 1970s, CLT focuses on communicative competence, prioritizing fluency over accuracy. Students learn by communicating in real-life situations (e.g., in role-plays, information-gap activities), using language as the core of learning. It’s interaction-heavy, often with a focus on repetition, with teachers as facilitators.
- AoA: Introduced in 2001 via the CEFR, AoA views learners as social agents engaging in purposeful, real-world tasks (e.g., creating a travel itinerary). Rooted in social constructivism, it emphasizes strategic activation of competences to achieve objectives, producing tangible outcomes. The tasks are often contextualized through scenarios or projects.
- Key Difference: CLT targets fluency and interaction; AoA focuses on purposeful action and outcomes.
Quick summary points:
- The main goal of CLT is fostering communicative competence through fluency and interaction.
- The AoA emphasizes purposeful, real-world tasks where learners act as social agents.
- In the comic, The role-play aligns with CLT, whereas designing a travel itinerary with the AoA.
Reflection questions 💭❓
Step 1: Reflect on Your Experience
- Think of an example from your classroom where you’ve used a CLT activity (e.g., a dialogue, information-gap) or an AoA task (e.g., a project). How did your students respond to the two types of activities?
- How did focusing on fluency (not accuracy) feel during a CLT activity? Did your students seem more confident speaking, even with errors?
- How did your students respond to working toward a tangible outcome in an AoA task? Did they take more ownership of their learning?
- How did classroom dynamics differ between CLT (interaction-focused) and AoA (outcome-oriented)? Were students more expressive or collaborative in one approach?
Step 2: Evaluate Alignment with Your Teaching Goals
How CLT and AoA fit your teaching goals and students’ needs:
Student Needs:
Do your students need to improve fluency in everyday situations (CLT) or practical skills for real-world scenarios (AoA)? How can each approach help?
- How can you use CLT to improve your students’ fluency in your next lesson? For example, could you design a role-play for a topic they’re studying?
- How might an AoA task (e.g., creating a project) help your students apply language in a real-world context? What kind of artifact could they produce?
Teaching Style:
Do you prefer facilitating open-ended interactions (CLT) or designing structured tasks (AoA)? Which role feels more natural to you?
- Could you combine CLT and AoA in your classroom? For instance, could you design a scenario in which you start with a CLT role-play to practice language, then follow with an AoA project to create a related outcome?
Step 3: Identify Strengths and Challenges:
What challenges might you face with each approach (e.g., shy students in CLT, time constraints in AoA), and how can you address them?
- Fill in the table to analyze the strengths and challenges of CLT and AoA in your classroom:
| Strengths in My Classroom | Challenges in My Classroom | |
| CLT | _____________________________ | _____________________________ |
| AoA | _____________________________ | _____________________________ |
- How can you adjust a CLT activity or AoA task to match your students’ proficiency levels? (E.g., simplify a role-play (CLT) provide clearer instructions and scaffolding (TBLT) or break a project into simpler subtasks (AoA)?
Conclusion 🔚
Now that you have understood the difference between CLT, TBLT and the AoA, watch this 5-minute video that explains the model behind the AoA by clicking on the link The action-oriented approach (2018: LINCDIRE project) (05:33).
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