Communicative-analytic method in teaching english to adults at commercial english schools and centers in Ukraine

Abstract

The growing use of English as the language of global communication leads to the growing demand for learning it among adult population of non-English-speaking countries. If such people did not have a chance of acquiring English during their school or university years but urgently need it for professional or personal purposes, they learn it in courses offered by numerous commercial language schools and centers. This article deals with the experience of teaching English at such schools and centers in Ukraine. The way of teaching and learning suggested in the article was developed to meet students' expectations and, at the same time, to be in full accordance with the most cutting edge achievements in today's approaches to organizing adult students' successful language acquisition. The developed method of teaching/learning was called the communicative-analytic one since, on the one hand, it makes use of the best in communicative language learning required for optimal attainment of the final goal of language education for adults - developing their English communicative competence. On the other hand, the communicative approach is combined with learners' analysis, practicing, and consciousness-raising as to separate language forms that students believe to be indispensable for language acquisition. Experiential learning activities and cultural orientation of the method are discussed, as well as some peculiarities of using it in courses of different levels within a commercial English language program.