Teaching to Speak or Teaching to Make Mistakes: The Price to Pay for the Communicative Approach in the Teaching of a Foreign Language

Abstract

The communicative approach in language teaching has prioritized fluency and meaningful interaction, frequently relegating explicit error correction. In this article, we argue that while this practice motivates oral production, it can incur significant pedagogical costs: error fossilization, limited development of linguistic precision, and difficulties in transferring competence to formal contexts. Based on a review of research on corrective feedback, focus on form, and fossilization—with special attention to studies in Spanish teaching contexts in Algeria—we propose a balanced integration of communication and strategic correction. We present empirical evidence (meta-analyses, classroom studies) and practical examples of activities that combine communicative tasks with a focused attention on form. We emphasize that communication and correction are not opposites, but rather complementary for the effective learning of any foreign language.