CALL – computer assisted language learning

1. CALL – computer assisted language learning A short course delivered by Dr. Klaus Schwienhorst. MITE 2001 - January 2002

2. CALL – computer assisted language learning • The Tower of Babel • The seven language group that spoke English to a German! • English and the Internet • ICT and communication in many languages

3. CALL – computer assisted language learning CALL • computer-mediated communication, allowing learners to communicate and collaborate with target language culture and its speakers while accessing authentic materials Data Driven Learning - DDL • can cut out the middleman . . . to give the learner direct access to the data, the underlying assumption being that effective language learning is a form of linguistic research

4. CALL – computer assisted language learning • is one innovative approach to language learning • ‘situates the learner next to a corpus of authentic material with a search engine and a task’ • diverges from our common experience of language learning

5. CALL – computer assisted language learning ICT and Language Learning - three generations • behaviourism • communicative (multi-media) approaches • a renewed focus on form and learner autonomy

6. CALL – computer assisted language learning Authentic material • has a purpose in its own language • can be print, radio, TV, Internet . . . • exploits • world knowledge • discourse knowledge • linguistic knowledge • is available in on-line electronic corpora • problems of register and standards

7. CALL – computer assisted language learning The tools . . .

8. CALL – computer assisted language learning Internet resources • search engines • language resource collections • tutorials, exercises, dictionaries • are up-to-date,vast, convenient

9. CALL – computer assisted language learning Machine Translation • offers grammatically acceptable translations of straightforward formal (e.g. business) text • but . . rock ‘n roll = roulement de n de roche ‘; ripping yarn = filé de déchirure = thread of tear

10. CALL–computer assisted language learning Concordancers and DDL • use corpora (large 600,000+ word electronic texts) and a search tool (concordancer) to generate concordances • KWIC (keyword in context) lists a keyword centred in a fixed length field (80 characters?) • using strategies of perceiving similarities and difference, of hypothesis formation and testing

11. CALL–computer assisted language learning Some searches • homophones - whether/weather • prepositions ‘the horse fell onme’; ‘typical of the animal!’ • stylistic analysis – use of colour in a novel

12. CALL–computer assisted language learning Research claims that learners • assume control • are encouraged to ask questions about language • take on the role of researchers • rate concordancers higher than other materials for vocabulary acquisition

13. CALL–computer assisted language learning MOOs • text based synchronous communication environments • language is uncorrected • uses the written medium to increase language and linguistic awareness • offers a variety of communication scenarios, some user defined (rooms or a ‘bot’)

14. CALL–computer assisted language learning MOOsearchclaims • higher levels of topic initiation in target language, less by question • reciprocal adaptation of styles of input • students taking control of learning

15. CALL–computer assisted language learning Autonomy • assumes a capacity for reflection in the learner • reception always followed by interaction with authentic content and production • interaction - rewriting, change of focus, editing, letter writing . . .

16. CALL – computer assisted language learning Reflections

17. CALL–computer assisted language learning • onlanguage and culture • on autonomy and adult learning • on styles of language learning

18. CALL–computer assisted language learning And our own (multilingual) experience of • reception and • . . . processing Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir agus go n–éirí an oíche libh