CALL and Textbook Support: Study Guides for ESL Students By Shelia Ann Peace, English Instructor xxxxxxxxxxxx

College Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has been practiced since the 1960 s (Wikipedia, 2012). It involves the use of the computer to help students to learn a new language. It s been described by Mark Warschauer (1996) as having three phases of development: 1. Behavioristic CALL: language drills and practice; used in the 1960 s and 1970 s. 2. Communicative CALL: the 1980 s replacement of the behavioristic model, designed to allow authentic communication : involving students using the language more than learning the rules of the language via interactive programs. 3. Integrative CALL: the world-wide web opened up multimedia possibilities for CALL, in the 1990's, by allowing language students to practice all four skills in one setting: reading, writing, listening and speaking through the use of text, graphics, sound, animation and video (Warschauer); along with opportunities to verbally respond to computer software programs. Integrative CALL can employ hypermedia, which allow students to link with a variety of exercises for vocabulary, pronunciation information, answering questions and developing responses to prompts. This encourages individuals to develop personal learning strategy, says Warschauer. For example, some hypermedia involve simulation of real-life activities; whereby the student must follow steps to accomplish a goal with simulated people in video clips: participating by responding to what characters say and typing in responses. Remedial work includes showing the student how to find the right answer.

Carol A. Chappelle believes CALL should allow teachers to help students increase their language performance and ability. (2011) She poses the question: What linguistic needs do English learners have that computer technology can help with? An English coordinator at [this college] presented an answer to me after I invited her to sit in on a Writing class during my first semester here: Some of them don t understand what you re saying .

. . not because the instructors inability to speak clearly, she explained. We teachers have found that many classes here (as elsewhere in the world) have mixed-ability students. Some students have diligently studied English for years; and some are here because they want to learn English. I quickly discovered that one of the jobs of a [university] English Instructor can be to find the level of the lowest-ability student and build a plan that stimulates the strongest learner, while including opportunities to grow for the weaker learners. Computer Assisted Language Learning proved key to this instructor s game-plan. Many of them can read English, but they don t understand all of what s being said in the classroom, this coordinator explained. I, and other colleagues, have found that some students could get lost during instruction because of their in-training listening skills (The Prep Year program teaches them how to listen and comprehend in English. They are learning how to do this, while studying the four skills.). Chappelle says most teachers and researchers agree that learners should be provided with comprehensible input i.e., engaging language in a context whose message the learner can understand. (2011) These PowerPoint slides illustrate meaning of the concepts Opinion

and Reason : allowing the students to use English as the Second Language to develop their output : thereby, showing comprehension.

This English instructor found that in most classes, there were those students whose goals were high, even though their English skills were neo-developing; but, because of the high school scores required to enter this college, they were intelligent enough to learn to read, write, speak and listen in English successfully enough to complete the Prep Year program. The Interactions 1 and 2 textbooks provide ample opportunity for English language practice: introducing vocabulary, then context for using the vocabulary in each skills class. Further, there are form and structure exercises and noticing requirements which guide the attentive student through input (learning) and output (showing what you know) phases in each skill. Yet, the ability to read in English still leaves the challenge to ensure students comprehend all that they ve read and been exposed to in the classroom. This instructor decided to employ CALL Study Guides to help learners obtain help with comprehension as urged by Chappelle. Yoshii & Flaitz (2002) believe that students will better learn vocabulary through online help with comprehension; incorporating word definitions and images. The development of PowerPoint Study Guides, tailored to each class observed needs, was intended to get students to:  Focus (on daily tasks)  Visualize new vocabulary  Use new vocabulary (through recontextualization)  Display comprehension (as required by each textbook)  Keep up with daily work even when absent from class. These PowerPoint Study Guides provided visual focus during class (featuring page number and exercise number at the top of each slide), and opportunity for learner autonomy when studied at home

(where students can study at their own pace and/or review more challenging portions of the day s lesson). I wanted no excuses for not learning: inside or outside the classroom. Wikipedia, the people s encyclopedia, presents that The current philosophy of CALL puts a strong emphasis on student-centered materials that allow learners to work on their own. Such materials . . . normally embody two important features: interactive learning and individualized learning. CALL . . . can be used to reinforce what has been already learned in the classroom or as a remedial tool to help learners who require additional support. (2012) So, for the input phase, students use the textbook with the PowerPoint Study Guides to learn vocabulary and use vocabulary. This applied to all skills. I like to use color-coding to keep students interest and focus on matching words with definitions. As students interactively complete exercises, the slideshow can be designed to follow-up with correct answers in the classroom as well as allow those who missed class to keep up with daily lessons. When I perceive that a lesson s vocabulary words and/or concepts might be challenging, I incorporate visuals to aid the input process. Time constraints eliminated follow-up with picture-word matching worksheets to aid output. Instead, Study Guides were used interactively in the classroom, or at home at the individual s pace to apply vocabulary and meaning. Once the learning phase has been accomplished; Step 2 of the CALL process has been to use the Interactions 1 and 2 Online Learning Center to review and prepare for Quiz, Major and Final exams. This resource allows what Kuang-wu Lee says network-based technology can contribute significantly to (2006): 1. Experiential learning 2. Motivation

3. Enhanced Student Achievement 4. Authentic Materials [listening, reading] 5. Greater Interaction 6. Individualization 7. Independence from a Single Source [because it supplements textbook work] 8. Global Understanding [through application of access and usage exercises: developing how-to skills]. Initially, students were guided during class hours through chapters and sections of the Online Learning Center; then assigned completion of tasks as homework (to be e-mailed to instructor and noted in their records). After students complained that this was too much work given their heavy schedules, it became voluntary. Now, it is used as an in-class tool to review prior to each Quiz, Major and Final exam; and strongly suggested as a Homework Study Guide (especially for Listening students who need to tune their ears to comprehending in English). The Online Learning Center provides instant feedback on students work. During in-class reviews, this is an aid to slow learners who have the opportunity to learn from their quick-to-answer peers. At-home, students can see what they need to know after submitting answers and receiving the right/wrong answer ratios with correct answers shown. Chappelle states that learners are unequivocal in their desire for feedback on their performance. Researchers will also attest to the importance of feedback as a means of providing learners an opportunity to see what they know and do not know. Advantages: a few 2011 second semester Grammar students who did not attend class regularly scored better on Quiz and Major than some who did: they said because they used the tailored PowerPoint Study Guides and the Interactions 1 Online Learning Center. One might conclude that a student s presence enhances performance only when the attendee is actively engaged in learning (vs.

socializing). Disadvantages: many teachers do not have the time to develop CALL resources for the classroom. At [this college], however, Ms. xxxxxx xxxxxxxx and Ms. xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx have organized such a resource center through the e-Library service. Two students responded to an e-mail SURVEY on CALL in the classroom: one C+ average Listening student and one A+ average Communication Skills II student. The Listening student said the PowerPoint study guides were somewhat helpful and that she sometimes used them to study at home. She was more enthusiastic about the Online Learning Center, stating that she used it at home to study for Quiz and Major exams. Listening online reinforced the CD recorded materials used in the classroom, she said. She felt that CALL resources help with vocabulary, listening and following textbook directions. However, the textbook is her preferred method of learning, along with audio tape exercises. She added that her greatest block to learning was her own talking during class. The Communication Skills student was very enthusiastic about the CALL resources used: transcripts to study Persuasive Speeches and audio-video lessons on giving a How-to speech (both E-how.com and YouTube.com are resources for these lessons). Kuang-wu Lee wrote that Lewis, et al. (1994) found CALL nets higher achievement for students who use it; and, students require less time to reach language goals with CALL. Listening, Grammar and Writing students are e-mailed study guides: leaving no excuses for not keeping up with classwork. Teachers are not the only source of information any more, but act as facilitators so that students can actively interpret and organize the information they are given . . ." (Dole, et al. 1991) Students have become active participants in learning and are encouraged to be explorers and creators of language rather than passive recipients of it. (Brown, 1991) Integrative CALL . . . combines information processing, communication, use of authentic language, and learner autonomy, all of which are of major importance in current language learning theories. (Lee)

Future plans for CALL, at this institution, include the Collaborize Classroom. This is an individualized classroom where students go online to respond to discussion prompts and classmates work: reading and writing in English as the Second Language in a safely-locked internet environment controlled by the administrator. Workshops for teachers called Webinars -- are available at http://www.collaborizeclassroom.com/on_demand_webinars/pd-on-demand The goal: increased participation and discussion among ESL students. Chappelle believes that the teacher s job is to teach English and to teach learners to use technology for learning English beyond the classroom. She wrote: When they leave your class, very few, if any, will leave behind their access to technology the technology that you will have taught them to use for language learning. I want to thank my former coordinator, Mrs. xxxxx xxxxxxxxxx for sitting in on my classes and providing the constructive criticism that led to the development of these PowerPoint Study Guides. Thank you.

References Chappelle, Carol A. (2011) Technology for Second Language Learning, Idiom - Vol. 41, No. 3, Fall 2011:
Conversations Lee, Kuang-wu (2000) English Teachers Barriers to the Use of Computer-assisted Language Learning,

The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VI, No. 12, December 2000 http://iteslj.org/ Warschauer, Mark (1996) Computer Assisted Language Learning: an Introduction, Fotos S. (ed.) Multimedia language teaching, Tokyo: Logos International: 3-20 Wikipedia (2012) Computer Assisted Language Learning, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computerassisted_language_learning Yoshii, M., & Flaitz, J. (2002). Second language incidental vocabulary retention: The effect of text and picture annotation types. CALICO Journal, 20(1), 33-58