Community Language
Learning
Members:
Natalia Montesino
Carolina Moya

Summary of the Main principles
and ideas about the method.

Charles A. Curran
(1913- 1978)

CLL represents the use of
counseling learning to teach
languages
counselo
r clients

Humanistic techniques
Moskowitz 1978
 Engage the whole person, including
the emotions and feelings as well as
linguistic knowledge and behavioral
skills.

Approach: Theory of language
and learning
(La forge 1983:4). The foreign language
learners` task are “ to apprehend the sound
system, assign fundamental meanings, and to
construct a basic grammar of the foreign
language”

Language as Social process
(La Forge 1983)
Language is people
• Persons in contact
• Persons in response
interactions
• Learners- learners
• Learners - knowers

 The CLL view of learning is a holistic
one , since true human learning is both
cognitive and affective ( This is termed
whole-person).

The process of learner’s
relationship with the teacher.
Ontogenetic
“birth”stage
Learners’
abilities
Speaks
indepdently
Criticism
Style and
knowledge
of linguistic

SECURITY
ATTENTION
AND
AGRESSION
DESCRIMINATION
RETENTION AND
REFLECTION
SARD
SARD is a group of ideas
concerning the psychological
requirements for succesful
learning (curran 1976:6)

Design
Syllabus Roles of the teacher
 To provide a
conveyance for these
meanings in a way
appropriate to the
learner’s proficiency
level.
 Supportive role
 Interaction - monitor
learner utterances
 Emerges from the
interaction between
the learner’s
expressed
communicative
intentions and
teacher’s
reformulations.

CLL task and activities
 Translation.
 Group work.
 Recording.
 Analysis.
 Reflection and
observation.
 Listening.
 Free
conversation.

Counselor’s role ( Rogerian
physicological counseling)
 Responds calmly without judging.
 He/ she is supportive.
 Helps the client to understand.

Procedure
some typical activities.
 Circle of learners all facing one each other
 Period of silence.
 Knower use the volunteer to break the
silence.
 Questions to one another or to the knower
 Answers and questions recorded
 Pair or team work

Protocol of what a first day’s CLL class
covered. Dieter Stroinigg (in Stevick 1980:
185-186)
Informal greetings
Teacher made a statement of the goals and guidelines
A conversation in foreingn language took place
Reflection period
From the materials recorded the instructor write
sentences on the board
Students ask questions about the items
Students copy sentences from the board with notes on
meaning and usage

Strenghts and weaknesses of
the method
 Learners will be more
motivated by learning to
communicate.
 Learners are able to
choose the topic of the
conversation
 There is a trusting
relationship between
knower & learners.
 Learners have the chance
to express their feelings
and emotions
 Learners become more
independent on their
learning.
 The knower becomes to
non-directive.
 Learners may feel
uncomfortable recording
the messages.
 Time and learners’ number
control.
 Knower is not proficient in
L1 and L2.

Applicability in our chilean
context
 Translations during the
process , make the learners
feel more comfortable at
the moment to face L2.
 Feeling dependent on the
teacher and a warm
relationship between
learner – teacher. Learners
will feel more secure to
perform.
 To share ideas, opinions,
etc. With other learners.
Enhances the purpose of
the community language
learning.
 In chile, you can find
classes with a large number
of students .
 Discipline problems and
unmotivated students
 Teachers are focused on
accomplishing the school
program rather than
applying methods,
because of the lack of time
.

Provide examples of
applicability
The examples of applicability are
focused on the topic that students
choose.

The weather
 Role-play: students act it out that they
are reporting the weather forecast.
 Students make up a song about the
weather.
 In pairs, students from different cities
discuss how`s the weather like and
write sentences.
 Use of realia, the students read from
the newspaper the weather forecast
and comment.