ABSTRACT
Communicative language teaching (CLT) started in the late 1970s and developed widely in the early 1980s. Chinese scholars and practitioners have had varied positions on CLT that are shaped by both local and global histories and events. The positions may be broadly categorized as acceptance, resistance, and adaptation of CLT in China. CLT communicative activities place a high demand on Chinese teacher’s oral skills in English and cultural knowledge of countries in which English is a native language. Three defining features of CLT classroom instruction are discussed in the chapter: student-centeredness, flexible teacher roles, and purposeful and scaffolded activities that promote communicative engagement. In 1992, the State Education Development Commission (SEDC), as the representative of the Chinese central government and the official authority for making educational policy, introduced a new teaching syllabus with the stated goal of using English for communication. By the mid-1990s, teachers were required to teach communicatively; students were encouraged to use English for communication.
