Raising communicative competence in second language learning – the Blackpool Telos Project

“Communication is understood as the exchange and negotiation of information between at
least two individuals through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, oral and written/
visual modes, and production and comprehension processes” (Michael Canale 1983:4).

The aim of the Blackpool Telos Project is to raise communicative competence in second language learning of 10th and 11th grade german grammar school students. The BTP is also suitable for advanced adult learners. The above mentioned quotation should serve as a kind of guiding principle for the following analysis. One should bear in mind that according to Breen & Candlin (1980), Morrow (1977) and Widdowson (1978), communication is a form of social interaction and is unpredictable and creative both in form and message. Communication occurs in sociocultural contexts and in discourse, it is performed under limiting psychological and other conditions. It always has a purpose and involves authentic as opposed to textbook language. And finally, communication is considered to be successful or not on the basis of actual results.
The learner and his needs, the learning goal and the final realization within Telos are the most important points. In the BTP, special emphasis will be put on the independent learning of a second language in a constructive environment. Here, English is considered as a second language and not foreign language because it is used within the own language field. Non native English speakers can find themselves in two situations: “einerseits Situationen, in denen Englisch als ‘fremde Sprache’ verwendet wird, d.h. außerhalb des eigenen Sprachraums und der für die eigene Kultur und Gesellschaft alltäglichen Kommunikationsanlässe und –funktionen; andererseits Situationen, in denen dem Englischen innerhalb des eigenen Sprachraums als ‘zweite Sprache’ neben der eigentlichen Muttersprache eine kulturell und gesellschaftlich verankerte und bedeutsame Rolle zukommt” (Kohn, Kurt 2002: 1).
The organization of this paper is as follows. First I will provide a theoretical background for the BTP. Special emphasis is put on defining communicative approaches. The second part connects theory and practice. In this part, the main aim of the Blackpool Telos Project, and an introduction to the different activities, will be discussed and linked to constuctivist ideas. The third part will provide a linguistic context of the material and discuss the learning potential of the various tasks. In order to illustrate the third part, screenshots of the BTP will be used. The CD with the BTP will be attached to the paper.