COMPUTER-ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING

(CALL)

History of CALL

3 three main stages since 1960s

Behaviouristic CALL Communicative CALL Integrative CALL

Behaviouristic CALL (1950s – 1970s)

Computer: mechanical tutor – never tired, judgmental, allowed individual pace

Informed by behaviourist learning model Repetitive language drills drill-and-practice Grammatical explanations Translation tests at various intervals

Communicative CALL (1970s - 1980s) (1)

Personal computers - greater possibilities for individual work

Cognitive theories: learning through discovery, expression, and development

Focus more on using forms than on the forms themselves

Implicit rather explicit grammar instruction Generation of original utterances rather

than prefabricated language

Communicative CALL (2)

      Predominant or exclusive use of target

language Text reconstruction programmes (students

rearrange words and texts to discover patterns of language and meaning)

Simulations (stimulated discussion and discovery)

Focus not what students did with machine, but with each other

Integrative CALL (late 1980s till now) (1)

    Criticism of Communicative CALL: computer used in ad hoc, disconnected fashion – need to 

integrate various skills (e.g., listening, speaking, reading, and writing)

integrate technology more fully into the language learning process

Integrative CALL (2)

    Social or socio-cognitive view Greater emphasis on language use in authentic social contexts Task-based, project-based, and content-based approaches in

authentic environments Students learn to use technological tools as ongoing process of

language learning & use vs. visiting computer lab once a week for isolated exercises (whether exercises are behaviouristic or communicative)

·        ·        ·       

Technology

        Behaviouristic CALL: Mainframe Communicative CALL: PC  Integrative CALL: multimedia

networked computer - with a range of informational, communicative, and publishing tools

Why changes in CALL paradigms?

             Pedagogical theories Economic and social changes: shift to global

information-based economies and need to deal with large amounts of information memorization is less important than effective

search strategies response and adaptation to changes rather single

approach to task communication across languages and cultures

Teacher roles

Assumption: students actively interpret and organize information, fitting it into prior knowledge or revising prior knowledge => Teachers are

rarely the sole source of language information facilitators of learning (task: find, select, offer

information on the basis of what their students must learn in order to meet diverse needs)

Benefits of using computers in language instruction

multimodal practice with feedback individualization in a large class pair and small group work on projects, either

collaboratively or competitively the fun factor (games) variety in the resources available and learning styles

used exploratory learning with large amounts of language

data real-life skill-building in computer use

Selection of CALL materials

Needs analysis Users Goals Setting (Self-Directed Learning/Teacher-guided) Teacher knowledge (language learning and

technology) / Technical facilities and assistance Budget

Designing Web-based Lessons

Decide how to organise content By topic area

• Personal information• Maps and directions• Employment

By language item• Noun phrases• Adjectives• Passive Voice

Designing Web-based Lessons

Match content with language objectives Often, topic areas complement language objectives – a relationship

between topics and elements of language, e.g. a unit on daily routine necessitates the use of the present tense 

Should be derived from students’ assessed needs• Low-level learners

Using the verb-to-be Using subject pronouns  

• High-level learners Preparing answers for possible interview questions Narrating experiences

 

Designing Web-based Lessons

Define language objectives

Students will be able to ask and answer questions concerning geographical information 

Students will be able to use the comparative and superlative to compare the different countries represented in the classroom

 

Designing Web-based Lessons

Incorporating Computer Skills Elementary word processing  Fundamentals of email  Basic Internet  browsing and searching 

Sequence the introduction of computer skills Introduce skills according to difficulty and necessity - easier

skills before more difficult skills Certain skills prerequisites to other skills  Often, computer objectives in Web-based CALL lessons are to

reinforce and refine existing skills

 

Designing Web-based Lessons

Content Area

+Language and computer objectives

=Web-based CALL lesson

 

Example

Content Area

Getting to know each other (personal information)

Geography 

Example

Language Objectives

Lower Intermediate ESL students working in small groups will be able to write a paragraph using the comparative and superlative to compare and contrast the different countries represented in the classroom with less than 2 errors.

Lower Intermediate ESL students working in pairs will ask and answer predetermined geographical information questions with 100% accuracy.  

Example

Computer Objective

Lower Intermediate ESL students will be able to navigate a Web site to discover predetermined information about the different countries represented in the classroom with 100% accuracy.

Example

Social and Cultural Objective (Often difficult to measure)

Lower Intermediate ESL students will get know to their classmates better and increase their knowledge of the cultures represented in the classroom.

 

Sample site

Visit this site for a sample lesson:

http://www.ryter.com/call/class.html

How can this site be improved?

 

Sample site

Add interactive activities:

e.g., those found at: http://a4esl.org/