Application of Communicative Approach in College English Teaching

The traditional teaching model is mainly focused on imparting language knowledge. Teachers often adopt a teacher-centered lecture teaching model, which resulting in students' "Dumb English." In order to change this situation, college English teaching should focus on cultivating the students' communicative ability, instead of limiting to syntax or "linguistic competence", where "linguistic competence" refers to the knowledge of the rules and forms of language. Classroom teaching should be aimed at fostering communicative competence and making the classroom a place to practice communicative ability. Therefore, we must well develop students' interpersonal skills, achieve the conversion that learning language form to content, making language as a tool for students to express thoughts, feelings and information. Communicative approach is born from the purpose that provides students with a lot of language practice opportunities, which improves their interpersonal skills.