TEFL QUIZ – CALL UNIT 5

Group Members:

Aulia Hakim - Jessy Therinda - Rahmani Husna

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         From what had been learnt from this unit (5), our knowledge grows especially about teaching listening skill. We are impressed with the way CALL ‘s site provide us comprehensible explanation about teaching methods and how it could be applied in computer systematically.

For example in 5.2.1, the natural approach becomes easy to adopt because it is simple yet well- elaborated. Moreover the site led us to some related sites which have totally implemented the approach such as:  John's ESL Community-(http://www.johnsesl.com/templates/quizzes/LQ.php), California Distance Learning Project (http://www.cdlponline.org/) and so on. These sites enlarge our understanding on how the natural approaches works and how it is applied on the computer. Therefore, it is suggested to use the site to support teachers developing their language teaching.

Back in time, when one of our group members (Jessy) was in high school I actually did this kind of learning experience. The website contains an explanation about the topics and the exercise pages along with the audio. It was about listening comprehension exercise, fill in the blank, and yes or no questions. The provided exercise is very comprehensible, flexible and accessible, even when her teacher wanted to add other input, she could easily insert it inside the site.

         Things to know, that listening skill as comprehension abilities is emphasized to proceeds production abilities (either writing or oral). It help the learners not only to focus to the comprehension abilities but also to make them familiar with the language (L2) itself.

         And for some reasons we do agree to delay oral production in language learning. When we are forced to speak in that language, we need to know about grammatical structure of the language. It helps us so much in arranging the sentences. Somehow, students with limited grasp of vocabulary couldn’t easily produce a good sentence. Their focus doesn’t tend to the essence of comprehension, but to sentence arrangement.

         In addition, we think the fundamental things to build for low-level learner is vocabulary before anything else. By conducting many comprehension skill activities (either reading a text or listening an English video) student’s vocabulary is automatically increased and they become even familiar with the language.

         According to our experience when learning Mandarin, this approach is well-adopted, where we as the learner weren’t forced to produce a sentence in first year earlier. There, students tend to be equipped with the grammar and enough vocabulary. So they were let to be grew/ familiar with the L2. We think that is very effective way to develop student’s comprehension first.

Using CALL intensively as a self-study in developing English language in this semester help me a little understanding more about the topic. The provided information is clear enough, easy to understand, and neatly arranged in the website. For example, in unit 5 the topic is about Total Physical Responses and it gives complete explanation along with the example of implication. They also give some references blog or website related to the topic. Such as, an example of TPR game in the web <http://www.tpr-world.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=tpr-world&Category_Code=2000>. 

However, there were something missed, when TPR is applied on the computer. The main sense of TPR itself like, face to face are not effectively used. There were no intensive meeting between teacher and student during the site is undergone. Therefore, teachers couldn’t measure how far was the movement the student had made, whether they really understand or not, or whether they really imitate the teacher’s instruction or not. Besides, there was crucial thing left, without holding face to face, the teacher/ guider couldn’t give private feedback to evaluate learner’s development.

         According to Rahmani, based on her experience. Learning L2 more fun if  use bottom-up activities, she use it when she learn privetely with her daugther, she can learn many word without limited by subject that we learned.With this methode student will have many vocabulary than using top-down activities. We can know meaning of word and how to use it without restricted. This methode also make phonology, gramaticcal and lexical methode knowledge develope faster than anoteher methode.

         As we know there are two functions of language, sometimes we use it automaticly without realize it. To distinguish it, sometimes we find complication, but if we want to more carefully we can distinguish it easily.Learning function of language really helps when building parallel applications. It also helps us to develop communicative skill.

         In our opinion call program helps us in transactional purpose, CALL program provides us transactional language to develop information collecting skill to academic purpose. For social conversation, we think that CALL program have many weakness especially  for communicative conversation with partners.

Total Physical Response (TPR)

Group members : Aulia Hakim

                       Jessy Therinda

                       Rahmani Husna

1.  TPR is usually used in the face-to-face classroom. Is there anything missing when TPR is used on a computer?

2.  Please read the program descriptions of "Live Action English Interactive" and "Live Action Spanish Interactive" and a review of the Spanish one. Both programs use the principles of TPR to design for beginning and intermediate adult learners. However, TPR is usually used to teach languages to younger learners. Do you think "TPR-on-a-computer" is good for adults to learn languages? Why or why not?

Answers :  

 1.  Yes, there are two things missing when TPR is used on computer,  that is limited feedback and limited interaction with the teacher. Although the software will give the user feedback such as right and wrong response, the program is not as effective as in the classroom, where the student response the teacher commands by imitating the action. The main value of this approach (TPR) is the interaction between the guider and the student. By repeating the commands, a guider could make sure and control the condition of the classroom so that the student will only focus on (pay attention to) action of the teacher. To get the attention of the students, the teacher usually conduct some warming –up, so they can be ready for the material through the approach (TPR). In the other hand, if TPR is used on computer, the students are not obviously lead up by a guider. Then the condition couldn’t control as effective as in the classroom ( by face to face ) student may or may not pay attention to the material. 

2 2.     

 In our opinion, learning language using TPR on a computer can be applied for all age. It is even good for adults because the program has simple design and easy to follow. It trained mostly for listening comprehension. TPR on a computer allows the learner to enhance their vocabulary list on the target language. The exercise take a visual learning and listening comprehension by video clips appropriate to the desired action. The program usually takes materials about everyday life conversation and needed. Visual learning mostly take a faster effect of learning something, that’s because we see it and immediately record in our memory.

But on other hand, learn using TPR on a computer is less interactive. That’s because the user is not really interacting with people, especially since all of the feedback given consists of repetitive right or wrong responses.

Task of TEFL : Unit 5

 Group Members : Aulia Hakim 

                       Jessy Therinda

                       Rahmani Husna

1.  Is it really good for L2 learners to delay their oral production?

2.  Does the natural approach attend to learners' output? Can comprehensible input alone lead to learners' comprehensible output?

3.  According to your language learning experience with computers, do you think those CALL programs always provide comprehensible input, particularly in listening?

4. Do you think the feedback from the computer is sufficient for language learners to develop their listening skills?

Answer 

1.     

> We think that it is really good (for some reasons) for L2 to delay their oral production At the beginning, when the learners start to learn new language, it’s better for them to just be a listener and focus on the listening comprehension skill. Become a passive learner will actually help them to prepare and steady their comprehension on the basic rules (grammar) which are applied on the essay. Moreover, it enables them to avoid of making mistakes in producing something. For example: elementary school students are usually drilled to comprehend an English essay or an English sound rather than making a comprehensive essay or speech. For us, it is impossible for them (an elementary school student) to speak fluently, while they don’t comprehend enough to acquire the language structure or they may not have listening or reading practice times. In conclusion, it is better to delay an oral production for beginner learner until they become more familiar with the language and ready to produce a sentence.

> However, we think that delaying oral production is not always good for some reasons. First is about learner’s confidence, learner may not brave enough to speak and produce a sentence. That’s because they afraid of making mistakes. Their output may become even rigid and seems awkward, rather than any other learner who precedes speaking and writing skill. The solution is just by letting them producing a sentence, where we automatically teach them how to make a decision without worrying on the risk behind.

-  Besides it, by producing a sentence, learner become familiar and memorizes to the material (e.g. vocabularies) longer.

-   Actually by producing output (a sentence, whether it is written or spoken) learners are automatically drilled to build their self-evaluation, so that they could measure how far their approach in learning language. 

    According to my own experience in my junior high school when I was leaning Arabic , I used to produce what I’ve learned directly  ( about vocabulary at that day ) by writing or speaking a simple sentence. The guider wouldn’t let me go before I could successfully put the new vocabulary in a sentence. However, I didn’t have to worry because she ( the guider ) would help me to arrange the sentence.

    By practicing it, I thought that my confidence was increased and I used to memorize the vocabularies easily. In conclusion, it is also good, if the learner are allowed to producing output while they are start in language learning process.

2.    Yes, The natural approach attends to learners' output
 However, I don’t think that comprehensible input can alone lead to learner’s comprehensible output. It is because the learners are not allowed to produce anything beside they are learning by listening or reading. They may have good understanding on the use of grammar in reading an essay or they may have good comprehension in listening . Shortly, they (the learners) tend to master the language theoretically rather than practically. However, they are not used to spoke and write about L2. By producing a simple sentence, whether it would be spoken or written, the learners are automatically drilled and motivated to produce better output, even though they may make some mistakes in the first learning. I think how come a learner could produce comprehensible output if they are seldom drilled to apply what they have already learned. Then, when the day of producing something like an essay comes, I’m not quite sure that the output would be as comprehensible as the learner who adopts other approaches. I suggest it (natural approach) has to be combined with the other approaches, like communicative approach, where the learners are automatically get feedback from the guider. So, it enables them to make self – evaluation. 

3.    According to our  experience, the CALL programs always provide input that users can easily to uderstand. They usually (but not always) devide input with different levels. Users can choose what levels that suite for them. The higher levels that learner chooses, the more difficult input that available. That also including listening input, if the levels higher, vocabulary that spell from the system are more difficult too.  

4. I think the feedback from the computer is sufficient for language learners to develop their listening skill. It is because the computers don’t limit the learner to use and make some review themselves. The learners are allowed to develop their autonomy by doing some practices on the materials as many times as they wish. By practicing it times, we think that learner’s listening skill enables to increase.

    As what has been mentioned in the text that Computers can provide immediate, nonjudgmental feedback and additional assistance to learners. They correct learners' errors without giving them embarrassment or anxiety. So, the leaner don’t need to worry on the feedback which is given by the computers.

   Although we ( as the language learner ) may have more chance to make review, sometime we may find that we don’t get the comprehensive feedback from the computers. For example: in listening test ( song / news which is played ), we can only get the correct answer without knowing the right pronunciation based on the phonology rules or with comprehensive extra information. So, it enables us to make such mistakes in another chance.