What we can learn by becoming a learner: Experiencing CALL from the other side

Phil Hubbard

For a PowerPoint of the presentation on August 22, 2006 in Antwerp, click here

Abstract

There are a number of published studies on language teachers as language learners, and a general impression from many is that a language teacher or teacher trainee will profit from the different perspective that obtains when assuming the role of the learner. McDonough (2002) not only offers a review of key studies in this area but    also provides an autobiographical account of the dissonance between her world views as a teacher and a learner.  Although the literature in the field of CALL has grown substantially over the last 20 years, there is scant evidence that researchers, developers, or practitioners have put themselves in the position of language students. Cushion & Hémard (2003) provide a brief report on how learning Arabic while designing a beginning-level Arabic program aided them in the development process, but little else appears available. The assumption driving the present  research is that an extended experience studying a language exclusively through CALL resources will lead to insights into more effective development of CALL software and other computer-based learning activities, as well as useful advice to pass on to language students.  This presentation reports on two overlapping studies of language teachers learning second languages solely through the computer. The first concerns eight teachers from a community college ESL program engaged in the third year of a continuing project to develop learner training strategies and materials to help their students use CALL software more effectively. Each studied a foreign language at a beginning or intermediate level using CD-ROM or online materials over several months beginning in early October 2005.  They met regularly in person, kept learning journals, and posted comments on a discussion board. The participants’ experience can be tracked through excerpts from meetings, the discussion board, and learning journals, yielding insights into their learning process and the accompanying impact on their use of CALL in their ESL courses. The presenter served as an external consultant on this project and was also an occasional participant.  The second study reports on the presenter’s own experience learning Spanish almost 30 years after his last formal experience with it (a first-year university Spanish course) and with only limited use of the language since  then. Although he has maintained contact with the first group through an occasional conference call and reading and posting to the discussion board, his experience has been a more isolated one. As with the first group, deliberate contact with Spanish has been limited to what is available through the computer, including commercial software packages, online learning materials, and authentic text, audio and video from Spanish websites. The study will be ongoing through the winter and spring, and the presenter will report on insights gained from that extended experience, as tracked through his learning journal and board postings.