THE POWER OF CALL The Process of Language Teaching and Learning Activity

Submitted as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for ICT in Language Learning LECTURER: Hartoyo, M.A., Ph.D.

Rani Dewi Yulyani 1208066007 1st Semester

ENGLISH EDUCATION POSTGRADUATE PROGRAM UNIVERSITY OF PROF. HAMKA 2013

THE POWER OF CALL The Process of Language Teaching and Learning Activity

Introduction

The method of teaching becomes priority aspect in the process of teaching and learning activity. The teacher as a facilitator has to provide the effective teaching method. It becomes the great deal in making progress for the achievement that the teacher wants to achieve. Meanwhile, the teacher usually delivers material in giving presentation without any specific method and media, so it makes teacher as the main focus or we call as the teacher center. This method is not effective especially in learning language. The students may not focus on the teacher explanation, while the explanation little bit boring to hear. The students usually want to know the things that are explained with the real things, for example if the teacher explains about fruit, it will be better to give them the real figure about fruit. Some media is needed in presenting the material effectively, such as laptop, LCD, and even speaker. However, in the language learning some materials more effective if it is shown directly by showed the students the real situation. The skills that can be achieved are reading, writing, listening, and even speaking skill. On this paper the writer tries to give the overview about one of the way in delivering material by using CALL, especially in the language study.

Definition of CALL

CALL or Computer-Assisted Language Learning as it is defined by Michael Levy (1997) the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning. It can be inferred that CALL is a tool of computer that can be used in language teaching and learning. Computer Assisted Learning is stated also by Hartoyo (2012), the development of information and Communication Technology, applied in the learning process. It can be inferred that Computer Assisted Language Learning is the technology that can be used in the language teaching and learning process to look for information, convey, or learn the applications. However, the achievement of CALL has been known twentieth century, so it is no doubt that CALL improvements are one of the significant matters in the teaching and learning process, Keith Cameron (1999) explains that CALL is one of the success stories of the end of the twentieth century.

The Power of Call: The Process of Language Teaching and Learning Activity

There are language skills that have to be mastered by pupil, writing, speaking, Listening, and reading. Those skills are important to be learned by students who learn language. However, the skills that have to be mastered by students is specific especially non-native English speaker; for example, they cannot be thought reading skill while they cannot read properly (produce each word with good pronunciation), or they cannot be thought writing skill without having familiar with each word that they have to write. The specific materials also is needed to introduce language, when junior high students have to be able produce expressions in English, the primary

students have to know words in English; as an example, they have to know and can pronounce well the name of fruit, living things, animals, etc. It is also different between the needs of vocational student and senior high student. When the vocational students learn on how to express the sentences based on their field, the senior high students learn more generally. Here are the explanation of how CALL takes part in the process of teaching and learning a language. The power of CALL is emphasized by Martha C. Pennington (1996), she states that: The power of CALL in language learning and language teaching is to introduce new types of input, from both a quantitative and a qualitative perspective. The added quantity of input leads to a richer language learning environment, while the unique quality of CALL input means different possibilities for accessing and developing information. CALL makes for better quality of input well in being more focused and more individualized than many other learning media. Based on the explanation above, it can be inferred that CALL provides more learning materials which can be learned by he/she based on its purpose. Further information is explained by Pennington (1996); CALL modes of teaching and learning can increase the variety or diversity of learning opportunities and the quality of the learning experience in making input of more varied kinds learnable and accessible to each individual learner. Qualitatively different learning modes in CALL may increase the effectiveness of instruction for some individuals or populations of learners. In short, CALL promotes a better learning or teaching process. It is explained that how effective CALL for students in the language learning, more explanation about the quantitative and qualitative learning that is provided. Phinney (1996) and Pennington (in press) state the most important in the use of CALL; Phinney states that language learners are led to produce more language, i.e., more comprehensible input for each other and potentially of better quality as well. Pennington states, as a consequence of the amount and variety of types of input made accessible by the machine, students often increase their risk-taking behavior and experimentation with learning and with language.

In conclusion, CALL is the effective application for students to learn language. While students can learn by themselves, there is no need to afraid of making mistakes in learning, in doing exercises or even tasks that are provided.

The Computer Assisted Language Learning.

It is explained above how CALL becomes as an important part in language learning. The goal of the language learning that the students want to achieve is based on the competence of language learning that should be mastered. This section the writer tries to emphasize the effectiveness of CALL in some competence, such as reading and speaking skill. The first explanation is reading skill. The writer provides the definition of reading comprehension that is stated by Savage and Mooney, the process of acquiring or deriving meaning and understanding from printed language; involves cognitive functioning related to what one reads. It can be drawn the line that reading comprehension is about interpreting of what have read. Specifically it is explained by Wyatt (1989); Revolutionary applications extended only to annotation (i.e., hypertext), modeling of productive reading strategies, and interactions with branching plot and adventure/simulation programs. David Clarke gives the further information about the discussion; Reading skills computer-based program, the University of East Anglia has been developed Venturereader as a title. It gives two essential methods, both by text or competence; on the other hand, it consists of a network of related programs centred on the development of reading skills and vocabulary acquisition. Moreover, the Venturereader programme aims to provide the learner with an extensive environment of linked reading-based activities, allowing the learner to explore the whole network in any way which seems most appropriate and interesting. Clark, D.F (1986)

The second is about CALL in speaking skill. It is emphasized by Price (1992), explained by Pennington and Esling (1996), The video system, The computer can easily be programmed to analyze all pauses of more than one second in terms of the length of the pauses and the amount of speech between each one, giving such measures as mean and standard deviation, with the possibility also comparing these in different parts of a discourse to find out the consistency or variability. The computer might also analyze such features as voice quality (long-term average/maximum number of length in terms of syllables and/ or beats or average/maximum number of words between pauses. Pennington (1992b). On the book of which presented by Bhatnagars (2010), there is a subtitle about the selflearning through the use of technology which explains about what should be pointed on the use of multimedia, as it is explained that it should be interactive, activity based and should particularly cover the development of all the requires skills, speaking is one of the skill that should be in. Levy and Stockwell (2006) Speaking is a kill that has usually been regarded as a difficult one to teach through the computer. However, they explain more about its advantageous; As far as CALL is concerned, it is advantageous to consider speaking and the computer in three ways: tasks that require the learners to speak, tasks that peripherally assist the skills required for speaking through focusing on other skills, and tasks that require the computer to recognize and respond to language input. When practice section is an important part for learners for more aware about the materials, the assignment section also takes an important role in the process of learning. The Contents are provided becomes a stimulus for learners, there is no exception even in knowing the development of speaking student skill. In summary, CALL takes a great part for the development of education; teacher and students take part on the use of it also, as it is important in the process of teaching and learning activity, especially language learning. The development of it still becomes the needs for the education field.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bhatnagar, Nitin and Mamta Bhatnagar. Communicative English for Engineers and Professionals. India: Dorling Kindersley. 2010. Cameron, Keith. CALL: Media, Design, and Applications. Edited by Keith Cameron. Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger, 1999. Clarke, David. Computer-Assisted Reading: What does the Machine Really Contribute?. In Computer Assisted Language Learning: Design Considerations in Writing Call Software, With Particular Reference to Extended Materials. Cited by Keith Cameron. Oxford: Intelect Limited. 1989 Cobb, Tom and Vance Stevens. A Principled Consideration of Computers and Reading in a Second Language. In The Power of CALL: Language Skill Areas, edited by Martha C. Pennington. USA: Athelstan. 1996. Hartoyo. ICT in Language Learning. Semarang: Pelita Insani, 2012

Levy, Michael. Computer-Assisted Language Learning Context and Conceptualization. New York: Oxford. 1997. Levy, Mike and Glenn Stockwell. CALL Dimensions: Options and Issues in Computer-Assisted Language Learning. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 2006. Pennington, C. Martha. The Power of CALL: The Power of the Computer in Language Education. Edited by Martha C. Pennington. USA: Athelstan. 1996. Pennington, C. Martha and John H. Esling. Computer-Assisted Development of Spoken Language Skills. In The Power of CALL: Language Skill Areas The Power of the Computer in Language Education, edited by Martha C. Pennington. USA: Athelstan. 1996. Savage, F. John and Jean F. Mooney. Teaching Reading to Children with Special Needs. Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon Inc. 1979.