English

1. TOPIC 2. COMMUNICATION IN A
FOREIGN CLASSROOM:
VERBAL AND NON- VERBAL
COMMUNICATION.

2. INTRODUCTION
Language is the most important
instrument of communication. Royal
decree 1513/ 2006 defines language as
“the principal vehicle for human thinking,
the most powerful tool for reality
interpretation and representation, and the
culprit of learning instruments”

3. COMMUNICATION
Communication is a process of sending (production) and receiving
(comprehension) messages that enables humans to share information.
Communicative Competence is the ability to use the language correctly
and appropriately to achieve communication goals.

4. VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Verbal communication uses sounds or conventional symbols (a
code) to exchanges messages.
SPOKEN LANGUAGE WRITTEN LANGUAGE
More spontaneous. It’s basically a conscious process.
Allows real- time modifications. Gives us more time to think, can be planned and
edited.
Requires human link since at least two interlocutors
are present.
Can be done alone.
Uses simple sentences: Subject- verb- object structure. Complex sentence structures.
Repetition is common. Avoids redundancies.
Feedback is immediate. May or not to have feedback.
Less elaborate (but, about…) More elaborate and literary (nonetheless, with respect
to…)
Uses sounds through the voice. Uses textual signs or symbols.
Human language is mainly oral. The command of oral language is necessary for the
later acquisition of written language.
Requires more fluency. Requires more accuracy.

5. Activities based on dialogues
• Role plays.
• Interviews.
• Expositions.
• Telephone
conversations.
• Dramatizations.
• Games as “Taboo” .

6. NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION
• Movements.
• Gestures.
• Facial
expressions.
• Eye contact.
• Touch.
• Tone of voice.
Non Verbal communication has been defined as communication
without words (body language)

7. NON VERBAL ACTIVITIES
• Games such as identification,
guessing, memory, sounds,
drawing…
• Drama, representation and
mime of actions, words,
feelings, video clips, pictures.

8. COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH
• Communicative language
teaching (CLT)
Students use the target language in
a variety of authentic contexts.
• Task Based Approach (TBA)
Students perform a series of
preparatory tasks in order to build the
necessary competence to perform the
final task.

9. EXTRALINGUISTIC STRATEGIES
Extralinguistic learning strategies focus on how learners manage a
conversation when their knowledge of the target language is limited.
• Improvisation.
• Looking for a substitute.
• Literal translation and foreignizing.
• Simplification.
• Generalization.
• Paraphrase.
• Point out.
• Non verbal communication (body language):
gesticulation, mimes, etc.
Achievement strategies: The speaker uses all his language
resources to convey meaning.

10. Total Physical Responses (TPR)
Students must to respond physically to the words of the
teacher and other vocabulary connected with actions.