WEEK 3: Reflections on using CALL in EFL Teaching

In her article, Lindsay Miller points out that it’s been traditionally assumed that listening was something that could just be “picked up”. Although it’s true that teenagers in general are more likely to “pick up” the language from songs, TV series and movies and, thus, to outperform adults when it comes down to listening comprehension, I agree with her on the fact that listening needs to be “taught”. In this way, planning pre- while- and post-listening tasks carefully is essential. Activating students’ schemata (prior knowledge on a certain topic), pre-teaching necessary vocabulary, having students listen with a purpose are some of the crucial steps to be taken into account. Besides, integration of skills is vital, so engaging students in extended discussion on what they heard integrates listening and speaking. Needless to say, reading and writing can and should follow as well, but they are not our focus in this task.

Regarding strategies, I’d like to add that adults, who are in general more prone to experience frustration when they do not understand, need to be told that they are not expected to understand every word, and that they should focus on understanding either the main ideas (gist) or the specific details that are being asked for. This reduces their anxiety.

Regarding the use of the Internet and computer software, I’d like to point out that in our country the government has been implementing the “OLP” (one laptop per child) project for the last few years. This project has given the chance to all the younger learners attending public elementary schools to own a laptop, for free, and use it in class. Wireless internet connection is provided at the school. After the initial challenge that making the most of this extraordinary benefit posed for educators, this tool has become a fantastic resource for both Spanish and English teachers. Without a doubt, what Lindsay Miller says about younger learners developing their computer skills along with their language skills is absolutely true in this case. The OLP project is now on the second stage and students in public high schools have started to have access to these laptops as well.

Undoubtedly, the use of CALL in EFL Teaching opens up a fantastic world of resources that enable teachers to facilitate the learning process and the successful development of the macro skills. Aside from the Internet, most textbooks nowadays include a CD-ROM, which students can access any day at any time, with multimedia files that are programmed to use text, images, audio and video to provide interactivity. In short, the table is set for us to help digital native learners enjoy the feast.

Margarita