LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 11 : 4 April 2011
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.

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Language Acquisition through
Integrative Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

S. Gunasekaran, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.

Computer Is Indispensable!

In this era of information technology, computer has become indispensable in all fields, including Teaching of English as a Second Language. In India, the TESL has passed through various phases and methods involving technologies and there was always a constant search for a new method to realize the needs of the ESL learners.

Recently, the concept of Second Language Acquisition has gained significance and linguists try various techniques to minimize the difference between First Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning. One method which makes use of scientific advancements in TESL research is Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). By making use of computers, the CALL enables the learners to have interactive learning experience with the help of various kinds of software.

The current approach in CALL is to integrate the existing software like word processors, spelling and grammar checkers, speech recognition, multimedia, internet etc., to enhance the TESL and the SLA research. This paper describes how the Integrative CALL is different from other methods and how teaching-learning/acquisition process involving the Integrative CALL becomes a pleasurable experience to learners as well as teachers.

History of CALL

More than four decades have passed since computers have been used in teaching a second language. The history of CALL can be roughly divided into three main stages: behavioristic CALL, communicative CALL, and integrative CALL, based on the technological development and the methods and approaches to language teaching.

Behaviorist CALL

Based on the behaviorist learning model, the Behaviorist CALL was popular during the 1960s and 1970s, concentrating on repetitive language drills and games. This type of drill-and-practice or "drill-and-kill" was practiced more effectively with the help of mainframe computer, a mechanical tutor who never grew tired and always was impartial in assessing the performance of the students. The best-known tutorial system, PLATO, ran on its own special hardware consisting of a central computer and terminals and featured extensive drills, grammatical explanations, and translation tests at various intervals (Ahmad, Corbett, Rogers, & Sussex, 1985).

Communicative CALL

The next stage, the Communicative CALL, emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when new personal computers were creating greater possibilities for individualized work. Proponents of communicative CALL stressed the importance of using computer-based activities to teach grammar implicitly and facilitate the students to generate original utterances rather than affected speech or manipulated prefabricated pattern.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

S. Gunasekaran, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in English
Anna University of Technology Madurai
Dindigul Campus
Dindigul- 624 622
Tamilnadu, India
gunakundhavai@yahoo.com

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