Community Language Learning Teaching Method
what happens in a CLL class?
Teacher role: to act as a counselor as opposed to a chief
- engage the learner as a whole person by taking in consideration its “culture; educational; developmental; and communicative process.”
- teacher will need to adapt its syllabus because “the learners provide the topics.”
history & function of method
Student role: invest themselves completely into the process of learning a second language
5 stages of development
History:
- participate in the group discussions
- help others and also ask for help
- students will grow from “childlike dependence to self-direction and independence.”
- introduced in 1976 by Charles Curran
- inspired by the humanistic psychologist, Carl Rogers
- encompasses several psychological theories, such as Rogers’ “Person Centered-Therapy”
- depicts the same situation as a client in a therapy session with a psychologist
1. Birth: learner is dependent on the person withholding knowledge
2. Self: learner begins to acquire certain knowledge and begins to understand how language functions
3. Seperate existence: learner begins to use language without the constant support of the teacher-counselor
4. Adolescence: learner uses language when wanted/needed, but will refer to the teacher-counselor when the learner realizes certain weaknesses
5. Independence: learner is capable of fully working with language independently
Function:
- for students amongst a class to be regarded as a group-community
- every individual is an essential and active participant in the learning development
- stress and judgment free environment
pros & cons regarding the method
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pros:
- encourages the students to bring their knowledge outside of the classroom
- creates a safe space for the students
- guided by an unconventional, non-judgemental teacher
- teacher supports group to become as fluent as possible
- teacher takes group through a series of stages to make students as comfortable as possible
- Ariza, Eileen. (2002). Resurrecting the "old" language learning methods to reduce anxiety for new language learners: Community language learning to the rescue. Bilingual Research Journal, 26(3), 717-728.
- Douglas, Brown. (2007). Teaching by principles. An interactive approach to language pegadogy (3rd Edition ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
- Eisouh, S, Zuhair. (2011). Defensive learning and the TOEFL barrier: A case study. Education, 132(2) 310-320.
- La Forge, P. (1977). Uses of social silence in the interpersonal dynamics of community language learning. TESOL Quarterly, 11(4), 373-382.
- Richards, J. & Rodgers, T. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching. (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press.
- Tosuncuoglu, I. (2011). Communicative language learning as a motivating factor. Educational Research and Reviews, 6(7), 509-515.
Cons:
- students have to go through an independent journey to obtain their autonomy
- teacher cannot handle an enormous class
- students also have to share the same L1
- approach that should be exclusive for adult learners