Virtual education in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: positives and negatives

Abstract

Introduction. Speaking is considered one of the most difficult skills to be developed in class when teaching a foreign language. Therefore, teachers need to look for alternatives to enhance learners’ oral production. In this regard, Communicative activities (CA) play a fundamental role in language teaching due to the fact they provide them with opportunities to use language as in real situations. Objective. The main goal of this research is to provide a general overview of Communicative activities to enhance oral production in the EFL classroom. Methodology. This article was based on the qualitative approach. A descriptive - documentary research was carried out through an extensive bibliographic literature review about the main principles of the Communicative Approach, communicative activities, types of CA, and speaking. Results. Results from the reviewed research investigations show that they are quite useful for teachers and learners since CA facilitate learners’ oral production employing the interaction among classmates and teachers. Conclusion. Besides, Communicative activities encourage learners to develop their language competencies due to the dynamic in which these activities are carried out in the EFL classroom.