Dr N S Prabhu's study presents a range of ideas on language teaching and learning which are marked equally by boldness in thought and a sense of the classroom.

The basic assumption underlying the study is that language form is best learnt when students are concentrating on meaning rather than form.

Dr Prabhu rejects the linguistic syllabus, opting instead for a task based 'procedural' syllabus where students have to solve problems through reasoning and self-reliance.

The study is based on research carried out during a five-year classroom experiment (The Bangalore/ Madras Communicational Teaching Project) and provides an example of operational research in which theory and practice help to develop each other.

Chapter 1: The context (PDF, 71 KB)
Chapter 2: The project (PDF, 134 KB)
Chapter 3: Teaching (PDF, 86 KB)
Chapter 4: Learning (PDF, 65 KB)
Chapter 5: Syllabus and materials (PDF, 65 KB)
Chapter 6: Pedagogic change (plus bibliography/appendices) (PDF, 267 KB)