COMMUNITY LANGUAGE LEARNING (CLL)

BACKGROUND

developed by Charles Curran in the 1970s

primary insights from Rogerian counseling theory

counselor client (knower) teacher (learner) student

Maskowitz’s Humanistic Techniques which engages the whole person:

• blend what students feel, think, and know with what they are learning in target language

• self actualization and self-esteem• help to foster a caring climate • emotions and feelings as well as linguistic

knowledge and behavioral skills

Language Alternation; (another language teaching tradition which CLL is linked )

- Mackey: A message, lesson or class is presented first in the native language and then, in the target language before overhears.

Approach;

Theory of Language;

the social-process view of language

+the Interactional view of language

La Forge’s Alternative Theory; beyond the structuralist view of language which means Language as a Social Process.

Communication; Not just a message, Not just the uniderectional transfer, Speaker = listener = subject and object of

the message.

Verbal

Sender Message Receiver

<the information-transmission model>

Verbal

Sender Message Receiver

< the social-process model>

“Language is persons in contact”.

“Language is persons in response”.

La Forge

The interactional view;

- interactions between learners unpredictable

- interactions between learner and knower dependent and independent

Stages;

in stage 1; dependent

in stage 2; self-assertive

in stage 3; resentful & indignant

in stage 4; tolerant

in stage 5; independent

Theory of Language Learning

Whole-person Learning ( cognitive and affective )

-a holistic one

-analyzed into five stages

Whole person learning stages;

1- feelings of security and belonging2- independence3- speaking independently4- mature enough to take criticism5- improving the knowledge of linguistics

Convalidation or Consensual Validation

S stands for security

A stands for attention and aggression

R stands for retention and reflection

D stands for discrimination

“SARD” By Curran

Design

- Objectives encouraging the students to take more

responsibility

learning how to learn from one another

using the target language communicatively

The Syllabus

the teaching of oral proficiency

a topic based course progression

emerging from the interaction between learners and teachers

detailed and specific grammar and lexical points isolated by the teacher

Learning Activities

Translation

Group work

Tape-recording

Transcription

Analysis

Reflection and observation

Listening

Free conversation

Roles of Learners

Being a member of the community, Listening carefully Telling messages independently Repeating messages without any hesitation Expreesing feelings, frustration Being counselor of other learners

Learners become members of a community and learn through interacting with the community.

Learning is viewed as something that is achieved collaboratively not as an individual accomplishment

Learners are expected to listen carefully to the knower

CLL learners are typically grouped in a circle of six to twelve learners.

Roles of Teachers

Encourager Supporter Monitoring relationship Politely criticiser advicer

Is to respond calmly and nonjudgmentally, in a supportive manner, and help the client try to understand his/her problems

Keyed to the 5 development stages: In early stages of learning the teacher operates in supportive role, providing

target language translations and a model for imitation on request of the clients. Later, the teacher monitors learner utterances, providing

assistance when requested. As learning processes, students become increasingly capable

of accepting criticism and the teacher may intervene directly to correct deviant utterances, supply idioms and advise on usage and fine points of grammar.

Instructional Materials

a textbook isn’t necessary

developed by the teachers as the course develops

projector, tape recorder

scripts for conversations developed by the students.

Procedure informal greeting statement of the goals and guidelines sitting in a circle conversations and messages given by the

student in the L1 Translation of it into the target language by

the teacher repetition for the tape recorder

Replaying the tape recorder for refreshing what have learned by repeating

Reflection Elements of Spelling, Grammar, Capitalization Asking questions about the lesson Copying sentences from the board with notes

on meaning/usage.

What is the role of the native language in CLL?

Enhancing the security Providing a bridge from the familiar to the

unfamiliar Making the meaning clear

Weaknesses

a lack of grammatical syllabus unclear objectives focus on fluency rather than accuracy difficulty in evaluation

What areas of language skills are emphasized?

- Culture is the integral part of language learning, and language is for creative and critical thinking.

- The most important skills are understanding and speaking the language and then, reading and writing with reinforcement.

Cons

In the beginning some learners find it difficult to speak on tape while others might find that the conversation lacks spontaneity.

We as teachers can find it strange to give our students so much freedom and tend to intervene too much.

In your efforts to let your students become independent learners you can neglect their need for guidance.

Pros

Learners appreciate the autonomy CLL offers them and thrive on analyzing their own conversations.

CLL works especially well with lower levels who are struggling to produce spoken English.

The class often becomes a real community, not just

when using CLL but all of the time. Students become much more aware of their peers, their strengths and weaknesses and want to work as a team.