The Discussion of Community Language Learning

*What are the goals of teachers who use the Community Language Learning Method?
#answer: teachers who use the Community Language Learning Method want their students to learn how to use the target language communicatively.

*What is the role of the teacher? What is the role of the students?
#answer : the teacher's initial role is primarily that of counselor. This does not mean that the teacher is a therapist, or that the teacher does no teaching. Rather, it means that the teacher recognizes how threatening a new learning situations can be for adult learners, so he skillfully understands and supports his students in their struggle to master the target language. Initially the learners are very dependent upon the teacher. It is recognized, however, that as the learners continue to study, they become increasingly independent.

*What are some characteristics of the teaching/learning process?
#answer : in a beginning class, which is what we observed, students typically have a conversation using their native language. the teacher helps them express what they want to say by giving them the target language translation in chunks. These chunks are recorded,and when they are replayed, it sounds like a fairly fluid conversation. Later, a transcript is made of the conversation, and native language equivalents arewritten beneath the target language words. The transcription of the conversation becomes a 'text' with which students work.

*What is the nature of student-teacher interaction? What is the nature of student-student action?
#answer: the nature of student-teacher interaction in the community language learning method cahnges the lesson and over time. As Rardin and Tranel (1988) have observed, the Community Language Learning Method is neither student-centered, nor teacher-centered, but rather teacher-student-centered, with both being decision-makers in the class.

*How are the feeling of the students dealt with?
#answer: responding to the students feelings is considered very important in Counseling-Learning. One regular activity is inviting students to comment on how they feel. The teacher listens and responds to each comment carefully. By showing students he understands how they feel, the teacher can help them overcome negative feelings that might otherwise block their learning.

*How is language viewed? How is culture viewed?
#answer: language is for communication. Curran writes that 'learning is persons', meaning that both teacher and student work at building trust in one another and the learning process. Curran also believes that language becomes the means for developing creative and critical thinking.

*What areas of language are emphasized? What language skills are emphasized?
#answer:particular grammar points, pronunciation patterns, and vocabulary are worked with, based on the language the students have generated. The most important skills are understanding and speaking the laguage at the beginning, with reinforcement through reading and writing.

*How does the teacher respond to student errors?
#answer: the teacher to repeat correctly what the student has said incorrectly, without calling further attention to the error.