Community Language Learning (CLL): is the name of a method developed by Charles A. Curran and his associates. Community Language Learning draws on the counseling metaphor to redefine the roles of the teacher (the counselor) and learners (the clients) in the language classroom.
CLL procedures:
- A group of learners sit in a circle with the teacher standing outside the circle.
- A student whispers a message in the native language (L1).
- The teacher translates it into the foreign language (L2).
- The student repeats the messages in the foreign language into a cassette.
- Students compose further massages in the foreign language with the teacher's help.
- Students reflect about their feelings.
APPROACH
A. Theory of Language
The social process view of language is elaborated in terms of six qualities or sub processes:
1. The whole person process.
2. The educational process.
3. The interpersonal process.
4. The developmental process.
5. The communicative process.
6. The cultural process.
B. Theory of Learning
CLL advocates a holistic approach to language learning. this is termed as “whole person learning.” this process is divided into five stages and compared to the onto genetic development of the child.
1. Birth stage.
2. Independent stage.
3. Learner as secure enough to take criticism.
4. Improving style and knowledge.
5. Learner as adult.
Types of learning and teaching activities
CLL combines innovative learning tasks and conventional activities
1. Translation: Ss ask in native lang. T translates to target lang.
2. Small/pair group: discuss a topic, a dialogue or a story.
3. Recording: Ss record the dialogue in target lang.
4. Transcribing: Ss transcribe the dialogue in target language in written form.
5. Analyzing: Ss analyze the written dialogue in target lang.
6. Reflection and observation: Ss reflect what have learned in the classroom and make an oral report, including express their feelings.
7. Listening: Ss listen to T’s monologue.
8. Free conversation: Ss and T or other Ss can free talk or exchange experience.
Learner Roles
CLL learners are typically grouped in a circle of 6-12 learners, with the number of knowers varying from one per group to one per student
Teacher roles
Teacher role is similar to that of a nurturing parent. The teacher is responsible for providing a safe environment in which clients can learn and grow.
Advantages of CLL
- CLL is an attempt to overcome the threatening affective factors in EFL and ESL.
- The counselor allow the learners to determine type of conversation and to analyze the language inductively
- The student centered nature of the method can provide extrinsic motivation and capitalize on intrinsic motivation.
Disadvantages
- The counselor/teacher can become too non directive. Students often need directions.
- The method relies completely on inductive learning. It is worthwhile noting that deductive learning is also a viable strategy of learning.
- Translation is an intricate and difficult task. The success of the method relies largely on the translation expertise of the counselor.
We are disagree with Community Language Learning method because 1) If teacher don't know about some mother language (L1) of students, teacher cannot translate L1 to L2. 2) Teacher isn't teacher because teacher is counselor. 3) Scoring is unstable, so difficult to give scores. and 4) Students evaluate themselves just one.