Using Call in Teaching Listening

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Using CALL in Teaching Listening

In order to use computer-assisted language learning or CALL to teach listening skills, teachers should first understand what CALL actually is and that they should aim to "establish a methodology for benchmarking speech synthesis for computer-assisted language learning." (Zoe, 2009) CALL is a modern form of computer-based learning that has two features that make it distinctive from other forms of computer-based learning. The first is called bidirectional learning and the second feature is simply the idea of individualized learning. CALL as a process is good for listening skills because of the fact that just giving a speaker one's undivided attention in order to understand the speaker's point-of-view is fine but that equates to only a single directional activity. Active listening makes great listeners. Active listening is more than paying attention and it is bidirectional just like the CALL process. Because the concept of just listening is not enough, using CALL teaches skills that are needed to be a great listener such as the skills of interaction, negotiation, affiliation, discovery, and almost every other significant aspect of working with others successfully. All this at the students on comfort leveled pace.

Teachers must understand that CALL is not a methodology and it should be considered more of a set of materials that when utilized together can be considered to be tools for learning. But the process is also enjoyable for students. "Most students considered the online discussions activities to be constructive enjoyable and valuable." (Son) This is a critical concept because of the underlying focus of the CALL process. The focus is on learning -- not teaching. In other words, the CALL materials should be used for teaching and facilitating the language learning process which includes reading, listening and even clear thinking. CALL as a process is mainly an accelerated student-centered learning materials best used in self-paced accelerated learning programs. The original CALL materials were built on the concepts of Computer-Accelerated Instruction or CAI and the difference between CALL and the original CAI process focused on the teaching aspects and not on the learning aspects. The materials allowed for emphasis on the student-centered lessons and created an atmosphere that the student can learn on their own in either a structured or unstructured interactive lessons. Teachers in the CALL process are more facilitators in the language learning process. The CALL process is effective because it reinforces what is learned in a classroom which then helps remedial learners with inherent language issues. "The research area of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has recently shifted from seeing the computer as a tool or partner to seeing it as a virtual environment where learners can collaborate and interact with a wide variety of native speakers." (Schwienhorst)

For over four decades, computers have been utilized for language teaching and there were distinct stages in the development process. New and old teachers alike have always loved CALL as a tool, "they further state that they are willing to use these tools in their future career; however, they face some problems such as lack of equipment, support and modeling. Therefore, teacher educators and the faculties need to take a serious and wary approach to the implementation of CALL as it requires close attention, critically selected software, teachers' and learners' positive attitudes and training and commitment." (Kilickaya) The progression of the CALL for teachers was the behaviorist CALL, the second the communicative CALL, and third was the integrative CALL. Each of these stages corresponded to the available technology and how it related to the pedagogical theories of the periods. Today, the end result has incorporated many situational experiences into the process so that these are now just a few reasons why the process can be such an effective tool in the teaching of the listening process: CALL provides experiential learning; students are more motivated, the CALL process enhances a student's abilities and achievements and each student learns at his own pace that is independent. So the underlying philosophies of the CALL lesson being based on the principles of language pedagogy can then be tied to the behaviorist theories, cognitive and constructivist theories and also concepts like the Krashen Monitor Theory.