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Community Language Learning Overview

Community Language Learning (CLL) is a language teaching method developed by Charles Curran that uses counseling techniques. In CLL, the teacher takes the role of counselor and students are clients. Key features include students choosing topics, the teacher translating, and a focus on creating a safe and inductive learning environment. The method involves students recording conversations, discussing and transcribing them, and analyzing the language used with guidance from the teacher. While it gives students autonomy, some weaknesses include time spent and the teacher's translating ability. Overall, CLL aims to encourage student independence and responsibility for their own learning within a supportive community environment.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
431 views19 pages

Community Language Learning Overview

Community Language Learning (CLL) is a language teaching method developed by Charles Curran that uses counseling techniques. In CLL, the teacher takes the role of counselor and students are clients. Key features include students choosing topics, the teacher translating, and a focus on creating a safe and inductive learning environment. The method involves students recording conversations, discussing and transcribing them, and analyzing the language used with guidance from the teacher. While it gives students autonomy, some weaknesses include time spent and the teacher's translating ability. Overall, CLL aims to encourage student independence and responsibility for their own learning within a supportive community environment.

Uploaded by

fullhaus
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Community language learning (CLL)

Ananthan Nadarajan Muhammad Raheimy Abd Rahman Nor Affandi Khiruddin

WHAT IS C.L.L ?
Community Language Learning (CLL) is the name of a method developed by Charles Curran and his associates. Curran was a specialist in counseling and a professor of psychology at Loyola University, Chicago.

His application of psychological counseling techniques to learning is known as Counseling-Learning. Community Language Learning represents the use of CounselingLearning theory to teach languages

Counseling is one person giving advice, assistance and support to another person who has a problem or is in some way in need. Community Language Learning draws on the counseling metaphor to redefine the roles of the teacher as counselor and the learners as clients in the language classroom.

CLL is cited as an example of a humanistic approach. In language alteration, a message/lesson/class is presented first in the native tongue and then again in the second language.

Unique Features
Students decide topics Teacher translates Teachers are counselors Students are clients 100% safe Learning is inductive

Evaluation
Teacher asks questions to assess gains in:
Grammar Vocabulary Syntax

How it works in the classroom

Stage 1- Reflection
I
start with students sitting in a circle around a tape recorder to create a community atmosphere.

The students think in silence about what they'd like to talk about, while I remain outside the circle. To avoid a lack of ideas students can brainstorm their ideas on the board before recording.

Stage 2 - Recorded conversation


Once they have chosen a subject the students tell me in their L1 what they'd like to say and I discreetly come up behind them and translate the language chunks into English. With higher levels if the students feel comfortable enough they can say some of it directly in English and I give the full English sentence. When they feel ready to speak the students take the microphone and record their sentence. It's best if you can use a microphone as the sound quality is better and it's easier to pick up and put down. Here they're working on pace and fluency. They immediately stop recording and then wait until another student wants to respond. This continues until a whole conversation has been recorded.

Stage 3 - Discussion
Next the students discuss how they think the conversation went. They can discuss how they felt about talking to a microphone and whether they felt more comfortable speaking aloud than they might do normally.
This part is not recorded.

Stage 4 - Transcription
Next they listen to the tape and transcribe their conversation. I only intervene when they ask for help.
The first few times you try this with a class they might try and rely on you a lot but aim to distance yourself from the whole process in terms of leading and push them to do it themselves.

Stage 5 - Language analysis


I sometimes get students to analyze the language the same lesson or sometimes in the next lesson. This involves looking at the form of tenses and vocabulary used and why certain ones were chosen, but it will depend on the language produced by the students.
In this way they are totally involved in the analysis process. The language is completely personalized and with higher levels they can themselves decide what parts of their conversation they would like to analyze, whether it be tenses, lexis or discourse. With lower levels you can guide the analysis by choosing the most common problems you noted in the recording stages or by using the final transcription.

Pros
Learners appreciate the autonomy of 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.

Strengths
Student interest Student independence Students learn inductive techniques Non-threatening

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 our efforts to let our students become independent learners we can neglect their need for guidance.

Weaknesses
Time wasted Teacher poor translator Students have mix of languages Not enough time in school

Conclusion
The Community Language Learning method does not just attempt to teach students how to use another language communicatively, it also tries to encourage the students to take increasingly more responsibility for their own learning, and to learn about their learning, so to speak. Thus, CLL method creating an environment of mutual support, trust and understanding between both learner-clients and the teacher-councelor.

Thank You

Common questions

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CLL promotes learner autonomy by allowing students to choose discussion topics, analyze their own conversations, and determine areas for language analysis, enabling them to take responsibility for their learning. Challenges include potential time inefficiency, initial discomfort in using recording devices, and difficulty in balancing freedom with necessary guidance. Teachers can struggle to adapt to a less directive role, potentially leading to an overly hands-off approach, which may not support all learners effectively .

The language alteration process in CLL involves presenting a message first in the student's native language and then again in the target language. This process is significant because it aids comprehension and allows students to anchor new vocabulary and structures to familiar linguistic concepts from their native language. It also fosters inductive learning, increasing learners' confidence and reducing language learning anxiety, which is a hallmark of the CLL approach .

Educators might face challenges such as reluctance to use recording devices, students uncomfortable with a lack of structure, and difficulty in balancing student independence with necessary guidance. To mitigate these issues, teachers can gradually introduce recording practices, offer structured guidance initially, and provide continuous support. Ensuring clarity in expectations and fostering an atmosphere of patience and encouragement can also help in overcoming these challenges .

The transcribing phase in CLL contributes to language acquisition by having students listen to their recorded conversations and write them down. This process helps reinforce their understanding of vocabulary and syntax, promotes critical listening and transcription skills, and enhances their ability to self-correct and reflect on their language use. By actively engaging in transcription, learners develop attention to detail and improve their overall writing proficiency, while also gaining confidence in their language abilities .

CLL incorporates psychological counseling techniques by redefining the teacher as a 'counselor' and students as 'clients,' emphasizing support and guidance rather than direct instruction. This approach aims to create a safe environment where students feel comfortable, encouraged, and supported in their learning journey. The intended benefits include increased student autonomy, a strong sense of community, and enhanced motivation to learn collaboratively, as opposed to the more directive and less personalized traditional methods .

CLL fosters a supportive community by positioning both teacher and students as equal members participating in dialogue and by encouraging interaction that builds trust and understanding. By recording conversations and analyzing them collaboratively, students become more aware of their peers' strengths and weaknesses, fostering empathy and teamwork. This community-centric approach often results in deeper student connections, increased motivation, and a stronger sense of belonging, which can positively influence language acquisition .

In the Community Language Learning approach, the teacher acts as a ‘counselor’ and the students are ‘clients,’ contrasting with the traditional teacher-student dynamic where the teacher is the authority figure and students are passive recipients. In CLL, students decide upon topics, express ideas in their native language, and the teacher translates these into the target language. This method focuses on creating a supportive environment, fostering mutual support and understanding, which is different from conventional teaching methods that emphasize structured lessons and standardized assessments .

Community Language Learning is effective as an inductive learning approach because it promotes self-discovery and active participation, allowing students to learn language structures and vocabulary through real-life communication and personal experience. Unlike deductive methods that provide explicit instruction of rules followed by practice, CLL allows learners to internalize language organically, promoting deeper understanding and retention. However, it may be less efficient for learners who need clear structure or struggle with self-direction. The success of CLL largely depends on students' readiness for autonomy and educators' skill in facilitating the process without imposing too much control .

Key strengths of Community Language Learning include fostering student interest, promoting independence, utilizing inductive learning techniques, and creating a non-threatening learning environment. These strengths align with humanistic education by prioritizing student-centered learning, emphasizing personal growth and self-discovery, and fostering a supportive community. This approach respects individual learning paces and styles, ultimately aiming to equip students with skills to take responsibility for their own learning journey, which aligns well with humanistic educational goals .

Using a counseling metaphor in CLL can transform students' perception of language learning from a daunting task to a collaborative and supportive experience. This approach can reduce anxiety, enhance motivation, and promote a positive mindset towards language acquisition. Viewing the teacher as a counselor and the peers as a support network rather than competitors encourages a community of learners who are comfortable in expressing themselves and exploring new concepts without fear of judgment .

Community language 
learning (CLL)  
  
Ananthan Nadarajan 
Muhammad Raheimy Abd Rahman  
Nor Affandi Khiruddin
WHAT IS C.L.L ? 
Community Language Learning (CLL) 
is the name of a method developed 
by Charles Curran and his associates.
His application of psychological 
counseling techniques to learning is 
known as Counseling-Learning.  
Community Language
Counseling is one person giving 
advice, assistance and support to 
another person who has a problem or 
is in some way in n
CLL is cited as an example of a 
“humanistic approach”.  
In language alteration, a 
message/lesson/class is presented 
fir
Unique Features 
Students decide topics 
Teacher translates 
Teachers are “counselors” 
Students are “clients” 
100% saf
Evaluation 
Teacher asks questions to assess 
gains in: 
Grammar 
Vocabulary 
Syntax
 
 
 
How it works in the 
classroom
Stage 1- Reflection  
I start with students sitting in a circle around a 
tape recorder to create a community 
atmosphere.
Stage 2 - Recorded conversation  

Once they have chosen a subject the students tell me 
in their L1 what they'd like to say

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