Community Language Learning

Background
Community Language Learning (CLL) is the name of a method developed by Charles A.
Curran and his associates. Curran was a specialist in counseling and a professor of psychology
at Loyola University, Chicago. His application of psychological counseling techniues to
learning is !nown as Counseling"Learning. Community Language Learning represents the use
of Counseling"Learning theory to teach languages.
#ithin the language teaching tradition Community Language Learning is sometimes cited as
an e$ample of a %humanistic approach.% Lin!s can also be made between CLL procedures and
those of bilingual education, particularly the set of bilingual procedures referred to as
%language alternation% or %code switching&. Let us discuss briefly the debt of Community
Language Learning to these traditions.
As the name indicates, CLL derives its primary insights, and indeed its organi'ing rationale,
from (ogerian counseling. Counseling, as (ogerians see it, consists of one individual (the
counselor) assuming %insofar as he is able the internal frame of reference )of the client*,
perceiving the world as that person sees it and communicating something of this empathetic
understanding% ((ogers +,-+). .n lay terms, counseling is one person giving advice,
assistance, and support to another 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 (the
counselor) and learners (the client?) in the language classroom. /he basic procedures of CLL
can thus be seen as derived from the counselor"client relationship. Consider the following
CLL procedures0 A group of learners sit in a circle with the teacher standing outside the circle1
a student whispers a message in the native language (L.)1 the teacher translates it into the
foreign language (L2)1 the student repeats the message in the foreign language into a
cassette13 students compose further messages in the foreign language with the teacher4s help1
students reflect about their feelings. #e can compare the client5counselor relationship
psychological counseling with the learner5!nower relationship in Community Language
Learning
C678A(.96: 6; CL.<:/"C6U:9<L6( (<LA/.6:9H.89 .: 89=CH6L6>.CAL
C6U:9<L.:> A:? CLL
Psychological counseling (client-counselor) Community Language Learning (learner-
knower)
+. Client and counselor agree )contract* to
counseling.
+. Learner and !nower agree to language
learning.
2. Client articulates his or her problem in
language of affect.
2. Learner presents to the !nower (in L.) a
message he or she wishes to deliver to
another.
@. Counselor listens carefully. @. Anower listens and other learners overhear.
B. Counselor restates client message in
language of cognition.
B. Anower restates learner4s message in L2.
-. Client evaluates the accuracy of counselor4s
message restatement.
-. Learner repeats the L2 message form to its
addressee.
C. Client reflects on the interaction of the
counseling session.
C. Learner raptors (from tape or memory) and
reflects upon the messages e$changed during
the language class.
+
CLL techniues also belong to a larger set of foreign language teaching practices sometimes
described as humanistic techniques (7os!owit' +,DE). 7os!owit' defines humanistic
techniues as those that
blend what the student feels, thinks and knows with what he is learning in the target
language. ather than self-denial being the acce!table way of life, self-actuali"ation and self-
esteem are the ideals the e#ercises !ursue. $%he techniques& hel! build ra!!ort, cohesi'eness,
and caring that far transcend what is already there... hel! students to be themsel'es, to acce!t
themsel'es, and be !roud of themsel'es... hel! foster a climate of caring and sharing in the
foreign language class. ((oskowit" )*+,- .)
.n sum, humanistic techniues engage the whole person, including the emotions and feelings
(the affective realm) as well as linguistic !nowledge and behavioral s!ills.
Another language teaching tradition with which Community Language Learning is lin!ed is a
set of practices used in certain !inds of bilingual education programs and referred to by
7ac!ey (+,D2) as %language alternation.% .n language alternation, a messageFlessonFclass is
presented first in the native tongue and then again in the second language. 9tudents !now the
meaning and flow of an L2 message from their recall of the parallel meaning and flow of an
L+ message. /hey begin to holistically piece together a view of the language out of these
message sets. .n CLL, a learner presents a message in L+ to the !nower. /he message is
translated into L2 by the !nower. /he learner then repeats the message in L2, addressing it to
another learner with whom he or she wishes to communicate. CLL learners are encouraged to
attend to the %overhears% they e$perience between other learners and their !nowers. /he result
of the %overhear% is that every member of the group can understand what any given learner is
trying to communicate (La ;orge +,E@0 B-). .n view of the reported success of language
alternation procedures in several well"studied bilingual education settings (e.g., Lim +,CE1
7ac!ey +,D2), it may be that this little"discussed aspect of CLL accounts for more of the
informally reported successes of CLL students than is usually ac!nowledged.
Approach
%heory of language
Curran himself wrote little about his theory, of language. His .student La ;orge (+,E@) has
attempted to be more e$plicit about this dimension of Community Language Learning theory,
and we draw on his account for the language theory underlying the method. La ;orge reviews
linguistic theory as a prelude to presenting the CLL model of language. He seems to accept
that language theory must start, though not end, with criteria for sound features, the sentence,
and abstract models of language (La ;orge +,E@0 B). /he foreign language learners4 tas!s are
%to apprehend the sound system, assign fundamental meanings, and to construct a basic
grammar of the foreign language.44 He cites with pride that %after several months a small
group of students was able to learn the basic sound and grammatical patterns of >erman%
(+,E@0 BD).
A theory of language built on %basic sound and grammatical patterns% does not appear to
suggest any departures from traditional structuralist positions on the nature of language.
However, the recent writings of CLL proponents deal at great length with what they call an
alternative theory of language, which is referred to as Language as /ocial Process.
La ;orge (+,E@) begins by suggesting that language as social process is %different from
language as communication.% #e are led to infer that the concept of communication that La
;orge reGects is the classic sender"message"receiver model in information theory. /he social"
process model is different from earlier information"transmitting models, La ;orge suggests,
2
because
Communication is more than 0ust a message being transmitted from a s!eaker it at the same
time both sub0ect and ob0ect of his own message1.communication in'ol'es not 0ust the
unidirectional transfer of information to the other, but the 'ery constitution of the s!eaking
sub0ect in relation to its other. . . . Communication is an e#change which is incom!lete
without a feedback reaction from the destinee of the message. (La 2orge 3)*,4- 4)
/he information"transmission model and the social"process model of communication are
compared in the table on page +.
/he social"process view of language is then elaborated in terms of si$ ualities or
subprocesses0
+. /he whole"person process
2. /he educational process
@. /he interpersonal process
B. /he developmental process
-. /he communicative process
C. /he cultural process
<$planation of these is beyond the scope of this chapter and, indeed, appears to involve
elements outside a theory of language.
La ;orge also elaborates on the interactional view of language underlying Community
Language Learning . %Language is people1 language is persons in contact1 language is persons
in response% (+,E@0 ,), CLL interactions are of two distinct and fundamental !inds0
interactions between learners and interactions between learners and !nowers. .nteractions
between learners are unpredictable in content but typically are said to 4involve e$changes of
affect. Learner e$changes deepen in intimacy as the class becomes a community of learners.
/he desire to be part of this growing intimacy pushes learners to !eep pace with the learning
of their peers. /ranel (+,CE) notes that %the students of the e$perimental group were highly
motivated to learn in order to avoid isolation from the group.% 5ntimacy then appears to be
defined here as the desire to avoid isolation.
.nteraction between learners and !nowers is initially dependent. /he learner tells the !nower
what he or she wishes to say in the target language, and the !nower tells the learner how to
say it. .n later stages interactions between learner and !nower are characteri'ed as self"as"
sertive (stage 2), resentful and indignant (stage @), tolerant (stage B), and independent (stage
-). /hese changes of interactive relationship are paralleled by five stages of language learning
and five stages of affective conflicts (La ;orge +,E@0 -H).
/hese two types of interactions may be said to be microcosmically euivalent to the two
maGor classes of human interaction 5 interaction between euals (symmetrical) and
interaction between uneuals (asymetrical) (7unby +,DE). /hey also appear to represent
e$amples of (a) interaction that changes in degree(learner to learner) and (b) interaction that
changes in !ind (learner to !nower). /hat is, learner"learner interaction is held to change in
the direction of increasing intimacy and trust, whereas learner"!nower interaction is held to
change in its very nature from dependent to resentful to tolerant to independent.
Verbal
9ender 7essage (eceiver
Verbal/Nonverbal
9ender 7essage (eceiver
Comparison of the information"transmission model (left) and the social"process model (right)
of communication
@
Theory of learning
Curran4s counseling e$perience led him to conclude that the techniues of counseling could be
applied to learning in general (this became Counseling"Learning) and to language teaching in
particular (Community Language Learning). /he CLL view of learning is contrasted with two
other types of learning, which Curran saw as widespread and undesirable. /he first of these
describes a putative learning view long popular in #estern culture. .n this view, %the
intellectual and factual process alone are regarded as the"main intent of learning, to the
neglect of engagement and involvement of the self% (Curran +,D20 -E). /he second view of
learning is the behavioral view. Curran refers to this !ind of learning as %animal learning,% in
which learners are %passive% and their involvement limited (Curran +,DC0 EB).
.n contrast, CLL advocates a holistic approach to language learning, since %true% human
learning is both cognitive and affective. /his is termed whole-!erson learning. 9uch learning
ta!es place in a communicative situation where teachers and learners are involved in "%an in"
teraction ... in which both e$perience a sense of their own wholeness% (Curran +,D20 ,H).
#ithin this, the development of the learner4s relationship with the teacher is central. /he
process is divided into five stages and compared to the ontogenetic development of the child.
.n the first, %birth% stage, feelings of security and belonging are established. .n the second, as
the learner4s abilities improve, the learner, as child, begins to achieve a measure of
independence from the parent. Iy the third, the learner %spea!s independently% and may need
to assert his, or her own identity, often reGecting unas!ed"for advice. /he fourth stage sees the
learner as secure enough to ta!e criticism, and by the last stage, the learner merely wor!s
upon improving style and !nowledge of linguistic appropriateness. Iy the end of the process,
the child has become adult. /he learner !nows everything the teacher does and can become
!nower for a new learner. /he process of learning a new language, then, is li!e being reborn
and developing a new persona, with all the trials and challenges that are associated with birth
and maturation. .nsofar as language learning is thought to develop through creating social
relationships, success in language learning follows from a successful relationship between
learner and teacher, and learner and learner. %Learning is viewed as a unified, personal and
social e$perience.% /he learner %is no longer seen as learning in isolation and in competition
with others% (Curran +,D20 ++"+2).
Curran in many places discusses what he calls %consensual validation,% or %convalidation,% in
which mutual warmth, understanding, and a positive evaluation of the other person4s worth
develops between the teacher and the learner. A relationship characteri'ed by con"validation is
considered essential to the learning process and is a !ey element of CLL classroom
procedures. A group of ideas concerning the psychological reuirements for successful
learning are collected under the acronym 9A(? (Curran +,DC0 C), which can be e$plainedFas
follows.
S stands for security. Unless learners feel secure, they will find it difficult to enter into a
successful learning e$perience.
A stands for attention and aggression. CLL recogni'es that a loss of attention should be ta!en
as an indication of the learner4s lac! of involvement in learning, the implication being that
variety in the choice of learner tas!s will increase attention and therefore promote learning.
Aggression applies to the way in which a child, having learned something, see!s an
opportunity to show his or her strength by ta!ing over and demonstrating what has been
learned, using the new !nowledge as a tool for self"assertion.
R stands for retention and reflection. .f the whole person is involved in the learning process,
what is retained is internali'ed and becomes a part of the learner4s new persona in the foreign
language. (eflection is a consciously identified period of silence within the framewor! of the
lesson for the student %to focus on the learning forces of the last hour, to assess his present
B
stage of development, and to re"evaluate future goals% (La ;orge +,E@0 CE). .
D denotes discrimination. #hen learners %have retained a body of material, they are ready to
sort it out and see how one thing relates to another% (La ;orge +,E@0 C,). /his discrimination
process becomes more refined and ultimately %enables the students to use the language for
purposes of communication outside the classroom% (La ;orge +,E@0 C,).
/hese central aspects of Curran4s learning philosophy address not the psycholinguistic and
cognitive processes involved in second language acuisition, but rather the personal
commitments that learners need to ma!e before language acuisition processes can operate.
CLL learning theory hence stands in mar!ed contrast to linguistically or psycholinguistically
based learned theories, such as those informing Audiolingualism or the :atural Approach.
Design
Objectives
9ince linguistic or communicative competence is specified only in social terms, e$plicit
linguistic or communicative obGectives are not defined in the literature on Community
Language Learning. 7ost of what has been written about CLL describes its use in
introductory conversation courses in a foreign language. /he assumption seems to be that
through the method, the teacher can successfully transfer his or her !nowledge and
proficiency in the target language to the learners, which implies that attaining near"native li!e
mastery of the target language is set as a goal. 9pecific obGectives are not addressed.
The syllabus
Community Language Learning is most often used in the teaching of oral proficiency, but
with some modifications it may be used in the teaching of writing, as /ranel (+,CE) has
demonstrated. CLL does not use a conventional language syllabus, which sets out in advance
the grammar, vocabulary, and other language items to be taught and the order in which they
will be covered. .f a course is based on Curran4s recommended procedures, the course
progression is topic based, with learners nominating things they wish to tal! about and
messages they wish to communicate to other learners. /he teacher4s responsibility is to
provide a conveyance for these meanings in a way appropriate to the learners4 proficiency
level. Although CLL is not e$plicit about this, s!illed CLL teachers seem to sift the learnersJ
intentions through the teacher4s implicit syllabus, providing translations that match what
learners can be e$pected to do and say at that level. .n this sense then a CLL syllabus emerges
from the interaction between the learner4s e$pressed communicative intentions and the
teacher4s reformulations of these into suitable target language utterances. 9pecific
grammatical points, le$ical patterns, and generali'ations will sometimes be isolated by the
teacher for more detailed, study and analysis, and subseuent specification of these as a
retrospective account of what the course covered could be a way of deriving a CLL language
syllabus. <ach CLL course would evolve its own syllabus, however, since what develops out
of teacher"learner interactions in one course will be different from what happens in another.
Types of learning and teaching activities
As with most methods, CLL combines innovative learning tas!s and activities with
conventional ones. /hey include0
! Translation. Learners form a small circle. A learner whispers a message or meaning he or
she wants to e$press, the teacher translates it into (and may interpret it in) the target language,
and the learner repeats the teacher4s translation.
-
"! #roup $or%! Learners may engage in various group tas!s, such as small"group discussion
of a topic, preparing a conversation, preparing a summary of a topic for presentation to
another group, preparing a story that will be presented to the teacher and the rest of the class.
&! Recor'ing! 9tudents record conversations in the target language.
(! Transcription. 9tudents transcribe utterances and conversations they have recorded for
practice and analysis of linguistic forms.
)! Analysis. 9tudents analy'e and study transcriptions of target language sentences in order to
focus on particular le$ical usage or on the application of particular grammar

rules.
*! Reflection an' observation. Learners reflect and report on their e$perience of the class, as
a class or in groups. /his usually consists of e$pressions of feelings " sense of one another,
reactions to silence, concern for something to say, etc.
+! ,istening! 9tudents listen to a monologue by the teacher involving elements they might
have elicited or overheard in class interactions.
-! .ree conversation. 9tudents engage in Jfree conversation with4 the teacher or with other
learners. /his might include discussion of what they learned as well as feelings they had about
how they learned.
,earner roles
.n Community Language Learning, learners become members of a community " their fellow
learners and the teacher " and learn through interacting with members of the community.
Learning is not viewed as an individual accomplishment but as something that is achieved
collaboratively. Learners are e$pected to listen attentively to the !nower, to freely provide
meanings they wish to e$press, to repeat target utterances without hesitation, to support fellow
members of the community, to report deep inner feelings and frustrations as well as Goy and
pleasure, and to become counselors to other learners. CLL learners are typically grouped in a
circle of si$ to twelve learners, with the number of !nowers varying from one per group to
one per student. CLL has also been used in larger schools classes where special grouping
arrangements are necessary, such as organi'ing learners in temporary pairs in facing parallel
lines.
Learner roles are !eyed to the five stages of language learning outlined earlier. /he view of
the learner is an organic one, with each new role growing developmentally out of the one
preceding. /hese role changes are not easily or automatically achieved. /hey are in fact seen
as outcomes of affective crises.
#hen faced with a new cognitive tas!, the learner must solve an affective crisis. #ith the
solution of the five affective crises, one for each CLL stage, the student progresses from a
lower to a higher stage of development. (La ;orge +,E@0 BB)
Learning is a %whole person% process, and the learner at each stage is involved not Gust in the
accomplishment of cognitive (language learning) tas!s but in the solution of affective
conflicts and Kthe respect for the enactment of values% as well (La ;orge +,E@0 --).
CLL compares language learning to the stages of human growth. .n stage + the learner is li!e
an infant, completely dependent on the !nower for linguistic content. %A new self of the
learner is generated or born in the target language% (La ;orge +,E@0B-). /he learner repeats
utterances made by the teacher in the target language and %overhears% the interchanges
between other learners and !nowers.
.n stage 2 the %child achieves a measure of independence from the parent% (La forge +,E@0BC),
Learners begin to establish their own self"affirmation and independence by using simple
e$pressions and phrases they have previously heard.
.n stage @, %the separate"e$istence stage,% learners begin to understand others directly in the
target language. Learners will resent uninvited assistance provided by the !nowerFparent at
C
this stage.
9tage B may be considered %a !ind of adolescence.% /he learner functions independently,
although his or her !nowledge of the foreign language is still rudimentary. /he role of
%psychological understanding% shifts from !nower to learner. /he learner must learn how to
elicit from the !nower the advanced level of linguistic !nowledge the !nower possesses.
9tage - is called %the independent stage.% Learners refine their understanding of register as
well as grammatically correct language use. /hey may become counselors to less advanced
students while profiting from contact with their original !nower.
Teacher roles
At the deepest level, the teacherLs function derives from the functions of the counselor in
(ogerian psychological counseling. A counselorLs clients are people with problems, who in a
typical counseling session will often use emotional language to communicate their difficulties
to the counselor. /he counselor4s role is to respond calmly and non"Gudgmentally, in a
supportive manner, and help the client try to understand his or her problems better by
applying order and analysis to them. /he counselor is not responsible for paraphrasing the
client4s problem element for element but rather for capturing the essence of the client4s
concern, such that the client might say, %=es, that4s e$actly what . meant.% %6ne of the
functions of the counseling response is to relate affect... to cognition. Understanding the
language of 4feeling4, the counselor replies in the language of cognition% (Curran +,DC0 2C). .t
was the model of teacher as counselor that Curran attempted to bring to language learning.
/here is also room for actual counseling in Community Language Learning. <$plicit
recognition is given to the psychological problems that may arise in learning a second
language. %8ersonal learning conflicts ... anger, an$iety and similar psychological disturbance
" understood and responded to by the teacher4s counseling sensitivity " are indicators of deep
personal investment% (M. (ardin, in Curran +,DC0 +H@). .n this case, the teacher is e$pected to
play a role very close to that of the %regular% counselor. /he teacher4s response may be of a
different order of detachment, consideration, and understanding from that of the average
teacher in the same circumstances.
7ore specific teacher roles are, li!e those of the students, !eyed to the five developmental
stages. .n the early stages of learning the teacher operates in a supportive role, providing
target language translations and a model for imitation on reuest of the clients. Later,
interaction may be initiated by the students, and the teacher monitors learner utterances,
providing assistance when reuested. As learning progresses, students become increasingly
capable of accepting criticism, and the teacher may intervene directly to correct deviant
utterances, supply idioms, and advise on usage and fine points of grammar. /he teacher4s role
is initially li!ened to that of a nurturing parent. /he student gradually %grows%4 .n ability, and
the nature of the relationship changes so that the teacher4s position becomes somewhat
dependent upon the learner. /he !nower derives a sense of self"worth through reuests for the
!nower4s assistance.
6ne continuing role of the teacher is particularly notable in Community Language Learning.
/he teacher is responsible for providing a safe environment in which clients can learn and
grow. Learners, feeling secure, are free to direct their energies to the tas!s of communication
and learning rather than to building and maintaining their defensive positions. Curran
describes the importance of a secure atmosphere as follows
As whole persons, we seem to learn best in an atmosphere of personal security. ;eeling
secure, we are freed to approach the learning situation with the attitude of willing openness.,
Ioth the learner4s and the !nower4s level of security determine the psychological tone of the
entire learning e$perience. (Curran +,DC0 C)
D
7any of the newer nontraditional teaching methods stress teacher responsibility for creating
and maintaining a secure environment for learning1 probably no method attaches greater
importance to this aspect of language learning than does Community Language Learning.
/hus, it is interesting to note two %asides% in the discussion of learning security in CLL.
;irst, security is a culturally relative concept. #hat provides a sense of security in one cultural
conte$t may produce an$iety in another. La ;orge gives as an e$ample the different patterns
of personal introduction and how these are differentially e$pressed and e$perienced in early
stages of CLL among students of different bac!grounds. %<ach culture had uniue forms
which provide for acuaintance upon forming new groups. /hese must be carefully adopted
so as to provide cultural security for the students of the foreign language% (La ;orge +,E@0
CC).
9econd, it may be undesirable to create too secure an environment for learners. %/he security
of the students is never absolute0 otherwise no learning would occur% (La ;orge +,E@0 C-).
/his is reminiscent of the teacher who says, %7y students would never learn anything if the
fear of e$amination failure didnLt drive them to it.% How much insecurity is optimal for
language learning in Community Language Learning is unfortunately not further discussed in
the literature.
The role of instructional materials
9ince a CLL course evolves out of the interactions of the community, a te$tboo! is not
considered a necessary component. A te$tboo! would impose a particular body of language
content on the learners, thereby impeding their growth and interaction. 7aterials may be
developed by the teacher as the course develops, although these generally consist of little
more than summaries on the blac!board or overhead proGector of some of the linguistic
features of conversations generated by students. Conversations may also be transcribed and
distributed for study and analysis, and learners may wor! in groups to produce their own ma"
terials, such as scripts for dialogues and mini"dramas.
.n early accounts of CLL the use of teaching machines (the Chromachord /eaching 9ystem) is
recommended for necessary %rote"drill and practice% in language learning. %/he... design and
use of machines...now appear)s* to ma!e possible the freeing of the teacher to do what
only a human !erson can do... become a learning counselor% (Curran ,DC0 C). .n more recent
CLL descriptions (e.g., La ;orge +,E@) teaching machines and their accompanying materials
are not mentioned, and we assume that contemporary CLL classes do not use teaching
machines at all.
/roce'ure
9ince each Community Language Learning course is in a sense a uniue e$perience,
description of typical CLL procedures in a class period is problematic. 9tevic! distinguishes
between %classical% CLL (based directly on the model proposed by, >urran) and personal
interpretations of it, such as those discussed by different advocates of CLL (e.g., La ;orge
+,E@). /he following description attempts to capture some typical activities in CLL classes.
>enerally the observer will see a circle of learners all facing one another. /he learners are
lin!ed in some way to !nowers or a single !nower as teacher. /he first class (and subseuent
classes) may begin with a period of silence, in which learners try to determine what is
supposed to happen in their language class. .n later classes, learners may sit in silence while
they decide what to tal! about (La ;orge +,E@0D2). /he observer may note that the
aw!wardness of silence becomes sufficiently agoni'ing for someone to volunteer to brea! the
silence. /he !nower may use the volunteered comment as a way of introducing discussion of
classroom contacts or as a stimulus for language interaction regarding how learners felt about
E
the period of silence. /he !nower may encourage learners to address uestions to one another
or to the !nower. /hese may be uestions on any subGect a learner is curious enough to inuire
about. /he uestions and answers may be tape recorded for later use, as reminder and review
of topics discussed and language used.
/he teacher might then form the class into facing lines for three"minute pair conversations.
/hese are seen as euivalent to the brief wrestling sessions by which Gudo students practice.
;ollowing this the class might be reformed into small groups in which a single topic, chosen
by the class or the group, is discussed. /he summary of the group discussion may be
presented to another group, who in turn try to repeat or paraphrase the summary bac! to the
original group.
.n an intermediate or advanced class a teacher may encourage groups to prepare a paper
drama for presentation to the rest of the class. A paper drama group prepares a story that is
told or shown to the counselor. /he counselor provides or corrects target language statements
and suggests improvements to the story seuence. 9tudents are then given materials with
which they prepare large picture cards to accompany their story. After practicing the story
dialogue and preparing the accompanying pictures, each group presents its paper drama to the
rest of the class. /he students accompany their story with music, puppets, and drums as well
as with their pictures (La ;orge +,E@0 E+"2).
;inally, the teacher as!s learners to reflect on the language class, as a class or in groups.
(eflection provides the basis for discussion of contracts (written or oral contracts that learners
and teachers have agreed upon and that specify what they agree to accomplish within the
course), personal interaction, feelings toward the !nower and learner, and the sense of
progress and frustration.
?ieter 9troinigg (in 9tevic! +,EH0 +E-"C) presents a protocol of what a first day4s CLL class
covered which is outlined here0
+. .nformal greetings and self"introductions were made.
2. /he teacher made a statement of the goals and guidelines for the course.
@. A conversation session in the foreign language too! place.
a. A circle was formed so that everyone had visual contact with each other and all were
in easy reach of a tape recorder microphone,
b. 6ne student initiated conversation with another student by giving a message in the L+
(<nglish).
c. /he instructor, standing behind the student, whispered a close euivalent of the
message in the L2 (>erman).
d. /he student then repeated the L2 message to its addressee and into the tape recorder
microphone as well.
e. <ach student had a chance to compose and record a few messages
f. /he tape recorder was rewound and replayed at intervals.
g. <ach student repeated the meaning in <nglish of what he or she had said in the L2 and
helped to refresh the memory of others.
B. 9tudents then participated in a reflection period, in which they were as!ed to e$press their
feelings about the previous e$perience with total fran!ness.
-. ;rom the material Gust recorded the instructor chose sentences to write on the blac!board
that highlighted elements of grammar, spelling, and peculiarities of capitali'ation in the L2.
C. 9tudents were encouraged to as! uestions about any of the above.
D. 9tudents were encouraged to copy sentences from the board with notes on meaning and
usage. /his became their %te$tboo!% for home study.
/his inventory of activities encompasses the maGor suggestions for classroom practices
appearing in the most recent literature on CLL. 6ther procedures, however, may emerge
,
fortuitously on the basis of learner5!nower interactions in the classroom conte$t.
0onclusion
Community Language Learning is the most responsive of the methods we have reviewed in
terms of its sensitivity to learned communicative intent. .t should be noted, however, that this
communicative intent is constrained by the number and !nowledge of fellow learners. A
learner4s desire to understand or e$press technical terms used in aeronautical engineering is
unli!ely to receive adeuate response ill the CLL class. Community Language Learning
places unusual demands on language teachers. /hey must be highly proficient and sensitive to
nuance in both L+ and L2. /hey must be familiar with and sympathetic to the role of
counselors in psychological counseling. /hey must resist the pressure %to teach% in the
traditional senses. As one CLL teacher notes, %. had to rela$ completely and to e$clude my
own will to produce something myself. . had to e$clude any function of forming or
formulating something within me, not trying to do something%(Curran +,DC0 @@).
/he teacher must also be relatively nondirective and must be prepared to accept and even
encourage the %adolescent% aggression of the learner as he or she strives for independence.
/he teacher must operate without conventional materials, depending on student topics to
shape and motivate the class. .n addition, the teacher must be prepared to deal with potentially
hostile learner reactions to the method. /he teacher must also be culturally sensitive and
prepared to redesign tile language class into more culturally compatible organi'ational forms.
And the teacher must attempt to learn these new roles and s!ills without much specific
guidance from CLL te$ts presently available. 9pecial framing in Community Language
Learning techniues is usually reuired.
Critics of Community Language Learning uestion the appropriateness of the counseling
metaphor upon which it is predated, as!ing for evidence that language learning 1in classrooms
indeed parallels the processes that characteri'e psychological counseling. Nuestions also arise
about whether teachers should attempt counseling without special training. CLL procedures
were largely developed and tested with groups of college"age Americans. /he problems and
successes e$perienced by one or two different client groups may not necessarily represent
language learning universals. 6ther concerns have been e$pressed regarding the lac! of a
syllabus, which ma!es obGectives unclear and evaluation difficult to accomplish, and the focus
on fluency rather than accuracy, which may lead to inadeuate control of the grammatical
system of the target language. 9upporters of CLL, on the other hand, emphasi'e the positive
benefits of a method that centers on the learner and, stresses the humanistic side of language
learning, and not merely its linguistic dimensions.
+H