CALL in Language Learning

by  Tri Setyaningsih

Recently, the implementation of ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) in teaching and learning process is widely developed. It’s been a common for teachers to apply any program of ICT and for students to learn through the ICT application in the classroom situation. As we can see that book and blackboard are not as popular as they used to be in the past. Teachers are having their choices on what to be used as the teaching aid in the classroom. More choices are available these days. They are; whiteboard, tape recorder, overhead projectors, videos and of course, computer. Those are teaching aids that you can simply find in the teaching and learning process nowadays. Evenmore, many classrooms are also built under suitable circumstances to support the implementation of ICT in teaching and learning process as well.

Basically, the use of ICT in the classroom situation can be clearly seen on many programs like, CAL and CALL. Both programs are definitely relying on the role of computer. Based on Cambridge dictionary, “Computer is an electronic machine which is used for storing, organizing and finding words, numbers and pictures, for doing calculations and for controlling other machines.” There are so many things that we can do with this thing called computer. So, what’s the difference between CAL and CALL?  Hartoyo (2008:21) stated that CAL stands for Computer Assisted Learning and on the other hand, CALL is Computer Assisted Language Learning. In this part, we will foccus only on CALL program based on two major points. First, it’s about the strength and weaknesses of CALL program. And second, it’s about advantages and disadvantages of  using CALL in teaching and learning process.

CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) is considered as a program which helps teacher to facilitate students so that they can learn language easily especially, learning English language. Perhaps, we are all agree that teaching a language is as difficult as learning the language itself. It happens because we are teaching a language which is not our native language. So, there should be ways on how to overcome this problem in order to enable us, teachers, to teach English easily and help students to learn as well as understand English language better.

Moreover, Hartoyo (2008:23) said that the implementation of CALL in teaching and learning process mainly concerns on the role of computer which is also supported by hypertext and multimedia (video or audio). This creation of CALL program will appear as a product which is specifically designed to help students in learning language like English. Therefore, CALL program is aimed to improve students basic skills in English which are reading, writing, listening and speaking. To add, CALL program is also designed to help students to develop their English competency, such as: pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.

How can CALL program be implemented in language learning? It is being explained through the tasks which are aimed to develop students basic skills and competencies in learning English as follows. In reading skill, CALL program can be arranged through a narration form which is explaining about a story whether or not it is related to fable or fairy tales. In this case, students need to read the text about the story and answer the questions given based on the narrative text. In writing skill, CALL program is focusing on arranging jumbled words into a complete and correct sentence. this task will teach them to realize the function and  position of pronouns, verbs, prepositions and adjectives in a sentence so, they are able to arrange those sentence elements well and in order.

Furthermore, listening skill can be arranged in a task which enables students to listen to a song. In this condition, students need to be focus on the song lyric so that later on, they will be able to sing a long with the singer in the song without any help from the lyric. This condition will then allow students to improve their speaking ability as well. Even so, the task can evaluate students’ speaking ability by providing them with a dialogue of which they have to practice the dialogue with their friends.

Besides developing the students’ four basic skills in English, CALL program is also designed to improve the students’ understanding of English competencies. The first one is pronunciation. In this part, the program is arranged by providing students with words along with colorful pictures which they need to learn how to pronounce the word through the help of the speaker whom already pronounce the word correctly. The second one is grammar. In this case, students can be introduced to the tenses we used commonly in our daily live context. For example: the students should be introduced to types of tenses in order to realize of what tenses they have to use to describe the present, past or future event in their lives. The last one is vocabulary. Here, the students need to be introduced to bunch of words which are already classified into its types, such as: things in the classroom, fruits, animals, family and others. This is a stage which allows students to recognize things around them and try to classify each things into its types. For example: pencil, eraser and book are things in the classroom whereas, banana, grape, orange are classified into fruits, etc. Those are the explanation of how CALL program is developed and organized in teaching and learning a language process.

After knowing the definition of CALL along with the implementation of CALL program in developing students’ four basic skills and competencies in learning English. We are going to analyzed the strength and weaknesses of CALL program. Further, we will also talk about the advantages and disadvantages of using CALL program in teaching and learning process.

Let’s recognize what are the strength of using CALL program in teaching and learning process. Actually, the strength of CALL program is based upon the important role of computer which is considered to be multi functional. According to Ahmad,et al (1985:4):

The computer is flexible in a number of significant ways. it often happens that students cannot attend a class because o illness, timetable clashes, and other problems. This presents no difficulty for the computer. Provided a computer is available, the student can come at any time, and spend as long as is needed to gain full benefit from the material. It can accommodate different speeds of learning, or alternatively, limits can be imposed on the time available for answering questions, which is valuable when it is used for testing purposes.

Moreover, Hope, et al (1984:16) said that:

Good programs can offer, in this way, individualized attention and can allow students to work at their own pace. Students can work in privacy without fear of reprisal or ridicule regardless of how slow they might be or how often they give incorrect answers. Immediate diagnosis saves time and frustration and helps students weed out their errors. Computers possess the quality of infinite patience. They treat each student in the same way without favoritism  They are also very consistent in their responses, regardless of how many hours they have been working. Even the best teachers cannot show the same level of enthusiasm, interest and energy, day in and day out.

In addition, Hartoyo (2008: 23) added that the combination of several media has created a term where computer seems to be more and more attractive for being multi functional in providing many tasks for the students.

It can be inferred that CALL program has several strengths than any other teaching aid. First, it is considered to be flexible in time for students to be able to do the tasks without worrying bad condition, like being ill or having tight schedule of studying. Second, this program concerns about individual differences of the students. It helps students to work with their own self capacity without feeling worried that their friends will notice and mock around their mistakes in doing the task. Even more, it offers a great capacity of patience that allows students to do their tasks no matter how long it took them to complete the task. This condition whether or not allow students to think carefully in order to explore their understanding about English to be better and better. Third, CALL program is really attractive. The program attracts students better than any other teaching aid since it is being combined with audio and video that make the learning process become visualized into reality.

If we are talking about the strength, then what about the weaknesses? CALL program is also being recognized to have weaknesses. It really depends on the source of electricity so, when there’s no electricity around, we cannot operate the program. Next, the program makes students to learn with themselves. The communication in the classroom happened specifically between computer and students, while the teacher who supposed to engage the students closely can be less active since the students can do the task themselves even though later on, the teacher can only find the result being shown and calculated by the program. And at last, this program can lead the students to be more individual for they can do the tasks privately without being interrupted by their friends. Further, they can spend many hours in front of the computer just to complete the task individually. That’s why, teacher’s  role is really needed at this stage as a person who should elaborate the tasks to be applied both individually and even in group works in order to help students to interact with their friends and the teacher as well.

We have discussed about the strength and weaknesses of CALL program. In this part, we are going to discuss about the advantages of CALL. Hartoyo (2008: 27) said that there are several advantages which are giving encouragement, freedom, collaboration and flexibility to the students and of course, the teacher. Since the program is really attractive, it can encourage the students to learn things which they don’t really interested in. For example, students who don’t like to read will be encouraged to learn for it is provided the students with better form like reading or listening to a narrative text completed with pictures and sound. The program offers freedom to the students. Through the hypertext system, students can choose any topic they like to do. In this case, the program consists of sequence of topics which are arranged well. When the students already understand a topic, they may skip one and find a topic which they haven’t learned and mastered yet. This will then allow students to use their time efficiently and avoid not to get bored doing the tasks they have understood well.

Further, CALL program allows students to have collaboration or to work collaboratively with their friends which is really depend on the creativity of the teacher who is going to conduct the classroom situation. Last, the program is really flexible in time so that the students can apply this even though they are not in the classroom or even they have missed the class for a week despite of bad conditions. This program helps students to catch the lesson they have left behind when they are unable to attend the class.

Talking about advantages must be completed with the disadvantages. So, there are also disadvantages of using CALL in teaching and learning process. Hartoyo (2008: 31) also assumed that computer is less handy, it brings negative impact on health and it costs a lot of money. First, in the early period of using CALL program, computer is considered to be heavy in terms of its size so that the students cannot bring it anywhere they like as if it is a book, but these days, computer or it is known as laptop/net book seems to be much handy. For example: you may have it as big as your palm size. Second, it brings bad impact to the students’ health. Doing a task takes lots of time in front of the computer for they are perhaps to have eye irritation or radiation from the computer. At last, it is considered to be expensive. Computer and its treatment cost lots of money that not every student can afford it.

To conclude, the implementation of CALL program is really developed these days in teaching and learning process. This program has its strength and weaknesses that should be recognized by the teacher. Further, the program also has its advantages and disadvantages that need to be considered by the teacher. Thus, teacher needs to be careful in choosing appropriate program of CALL and teacher should also be aware to arrange the tasks for the students so that they can improve their ability in learning a language, especially learning English.

References;

Ahmad, K., G. Corbett, M. Rogers, and R. Sussex. (1985). Computers, language learning and language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hartoyo. (2008). Individual differences: in computer-assisted language learning (CALL). Semarang: Pelita Insani.

Hope, G.R. et al. (1984). Using computers in teaching foreign languages. New Jersey: prentice-Hall,Inc.

Walter, Elizabeth. (2008). Cambridge: Advanced learner’s dictionary third edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.