Introduction
The following is a discussion on the Cognitive Academic Learning Approach, as one of the ways in which teachers especially those who teach language to second language learners should use to make their teaching efficient. This approach makes it possible for the teacher to use mental reasoning as well as reflective thinking to assist the learners in problem solving as well as in creative imagination.
Cognitive Academic Language Learning is therefore the method that was designed to assist English Language Learners to come up with their own learning strategies, which will assist them to comprehend the language more easily. The CALLA approach based on cognitive psychology expounds on the role of cognitive comprehension and information retention.
Ideas behind Cognitive Language Learning Approach
In the earlier days, the teachers assumed that the student’s brains were tabula rasa and that their minds were like empty container, which required refilling. However, Cognitive Academic Learning Approach is based on the tenet that learning or knowledge is not derived from the classroom alone rather it is a result of accumulated experiences inside and outside classroom; therefore the student cannot be a tabula rasa (Chamot, 2001).
Based on the assumption the teacher is therefore required to make the learners understand the new concepts by linking their previous experiences to the new experiences. This learning approach was formulated by the Chamot and Nelly in their attempt to help the students to learn more as well as help the teachers to be more effective than they were in those days (Chamot, 2001).
The following are the main ideas behind CALLA one of them being enabling learners to comprehend foreign and second languages with ease. Information retention is aided by the use of visual tools, which the student can associate with more easily thereby making it easier for the student to understand the language as well as the meaning behind those words. The learners are therefore encouraged to explore topics through a questionnaire approach or a way in which known ideas can be linked to the unknown ideas (Chamot, 2005).
The second component of CALLA is that the four aspects of learning a language that are made up of writing, reading, speaking and listening are incorporated in daily learning (Chamot, 2005). This is going to assist the students in ensuring that they are competent in those four aspects. Learners should be able to read and understand the language for effective learning to take place.
Speaking is very important for passing of information from one person to the other to be easier. Listening involves paying attention in order to grasp all the concepts that are taught so that they can be applied in the day-to-day life (Chamot, 2005).
The third component involves having the English Language Learners engage in activities, which are mentally tasking. These are activities, which will take a chunk of time to be done; it will require the learner to engage their mind in order to comprehend the lessons (Cohen, 1998). Some of these activities include essay writing to express ones judgment on a particular issue as well as activities like reading and criticizing a piece of literature. However, this is dependent on the level or grade in which the learners are.
Limitations of Cognitive Language Learning Approach
However, CALLA just like many other strategies is not perfect in itself; it has various limitations that will be discussed. The main limitation is that this process is controlled by the student and not by the teachers (Cohen, 1998). The learners determine the symbolism as well as the association from which they are going to decipher meanings. This might be confusing to the instructor who may be having different constructions from those of the teacher.
The other limitation is that the teacher must follow all the stages of this approach failure to which they will not experience the desired results. This ties down the teacher procedurally and this may result in boredom on the part of the instructor as it this approach leaves a little room for the instructor.
This method is also not applicable to a huge number of students because each student has his or her level of previous knowledge and experiences that help a lot in shaping what they learn. This difference makes it hard for the instructor to concentrate as well as have a proper ways and means of following the students who may not understand others experiences. This method of teaching is only effective on a smaller number of students (Cohen, 1998).
How to attain effectiveness
As an instructor to attain effectiveness in using cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach, one must work with a smaller group of students. This is critical in enhancing effective learning. To have success using the CALLA approach one must be active and ensure that the lesson plans take into consideration the following major phases (Cummins, 2000).
The first one is that the instructor needs to prepare the lesson well in advance. The preparation includes deciding on the topic, which is going to be taught that day, preparation also involves identifying the vocabularies, or word that the students may not be familiar with as well as preparing the necessary visual aids for that lesson (Cummins, 2000).
The instructor also needs to have some background information concerning the students involved. The information regard their grade, their level of language mastery as well as what they learnt in the past.
The next step is the presentation phase, this is where the instructor goes to class and makes presentation about the new concept or ideas that the students have to learn. The presentation phase may be interactive or non-interactive. However, the most effective presentations are those, which are interactive such that the learners can ask questions as well as comment on what they have learnt (Cummins, 2000).
In making the presentation, the teacher has to look for the best mode of making that presentation. The presentation is done visually, either kinetically or orally. None of these modes is better, however; the effectiveness of these modes is dependent on the materials taught and the student’s level of instruction (Chamot, 2005). Visual method of presentation involves creation of visual aids or graphics to represent a new concept.
For instance, if it is an apple vocabulary you come to class with an apple or a picture of an apple. In oral form of presentation, one has to talk to explain the concept or vocabulary. This methodology of presentation is particularly effective where there is need to have the right pronunciation of words. This is necessary when teaching English Language Learners, especially those who have it as a foreign or second language (Chamot, 2005).
The third mode of presentation is the kinesics presentation. This is where the presentation involves movement and explanation using the non-verbal ques. This methodology is quite effective because it involves demonstration of ideas and concept to the students (Cummins, 2000).
After presentation the other phase which follows is the practice phase, the practice may involve pronunciation of new vocabularies, practice on writing of new words, storytelling or answering of questions. The purpose of these sessions on practice is to enable the students to gain knowledge from one another and expand their language knowledge through interaction with one another (Chamot & O’Malley, 1994).
The next phase is the evaluation phase, which involves having the student check their level of performance. This gives the student a chance to assess what they have learnt. On the other hand, it gives the instructor a chance to evaluate whether the methodology and the mode of teaching have effectiveness or not (Chamot & O’Malley, 1994).
The last aspect of effective lesson planning is the application part. This part involves having the students apply what they have learnt to real life situation for instance if it is new vocabulary, they learn how applicable it is in real life. This gives an opportunity to the students to think outside the class, and relate their previous knowledge with the newly acquired knowledge (Chamot, 2005).
Concerning the application aspect of CALLA methodology one has to look into the role of contextual instruction and look into the materials used in the contextual instruction. This contextual instruction assist the student to correlate the new ideas with the environment or the context in which they are in. the teacher has to understand the student’s context to enable them to apply six new concepts to their context (Chamot, 2005).
One of the materials or approach that is very effective in contextual instruction is having the students in groups to discuss the application of the new concept in their small groups. This gives each learner an opportunity to understand the context. The other is developing questions for the students to assist them concerning their context.
These questions should be personal as research shows that it is easier for one to concentrate on something, which is personal concerning family, friends, and one’s physical or mental health. For example, how many siblings are in your family? This will certainly take the students mind to their family and they will understand it better because they know their family well.
When using the cognitive language learning approach one has to look into the aspect and the role of reflective thinking because; this is indeed very fundamental to ascertain that the methodology is going to have the desired results. The reflective thinking as a means of learning is necessary in stimulating the learners mind to develop associations of certain aspects of language with specific real life experiences. This aims at bringing out the best from the students all the time and they cannot forget it in future.
To develop this reflection the instructor must develop evaluative questions not only to evaluate the student’s learning capability but also to evaluate how well the students can use their mind to create such associations within their context. The instructor should have a questionnaire to assist the student to obtain the desired reflections and conclusions. The questions should be prepared in advance and handed over to the students at the right time (Chamot, 2005).
The teacher must also emphasize kinesics demonstrations in the presentations to ensure that students associate the actions with certain experience. Students who have learned through these methods have slowly managed to communicate effectively using the non-verbal communication that is also an important aspect of language especially in communicating emotions.
This is because; certain experiences of language are incomprehensible about the mind unless demonstrated. The teacher has to demonstrate things like anger and happiness kinetically for the concept to have cognizance from the new learners. This approach therefore reinforces the aspect of learning.
In conclusion, the Cognitive Academic Language Learning is effective in getting the student develop language proficiency as they learn most effectively. It assists the student to be more active and enthusiastic in the learning process. It ensures that the enthusiastic students study before the lesson in order to participate during the lesson. Apart from that, the students become reflective in their thinking and they easily identify situations in their context that relate to what they have learnt.
This approach has done a lot to change the traditional learning methodology, as it is one of the ways, which instructors have accepted to teach language to new learners. The earlier concept of having the students as empty containers who did not have anything to contribute in the learning process is slowly wearing off.
The aspect of engaging learners has made the classroom to be livelier than any other time in history. However, the instructors must work hard to shed off the earlier mentality of having know it all mindset thus dominating the classroom activities and leaving no room for the students to participate. This made the classroom to be very boring and less effective because the students were not motivated to work hard.
One must also admit that this approach will take time before it is absorbed in other disciplines other than language. Although science has demonstrations, participative learning is significance to excellence in retaining the information learnt in the classroom. The conservatism against this approach is especially from teachers who feel that it ignore their knowledge, other instructors feel that the time availed in the lessons is not enough to do all those recommended activities.
Other critiques of this approach have also pointed that some learners are slow in their thinking and take a long time to correlate and apply concepts and they thereby require additional assistance from the instructors. Taking all these factors into consideration the effective teacher must look for extra time to handle all these aspects of language learning. For instance, the presentations when done during the normal lesson time are more effective.
However, discussions as well as reflective thinking are more tasking and require more time than presentation. This means that they need to have more time like prep time or any other time, which is appropriate for discussion. Some application questions require completion at home as homework.
The teachers also have to find new methods of applying their methodologies because; this method tasks them with the responsibility of stimulating thinking from the students. The teachers have to be very creative if they are going to have an advantage in their teaching.
References
Chamot, A. (2001). The role of learning strategies in second language acquisition: Learner contributions to language learning. England: Longman.
Chamot, A. (2005). The cognitive academic language learning approach (CALLA): An update. In P.A. Richard-Amato & M.A. Snow (Eds.), Academic success for English language learners: Strategies for K-12 mainstream teachers (pp. 87-101). White Plains: Longman.
Chamot, A. & O’Malley, M. (1994). The CALLA handbook: Implementing the cognitive academic language learning approach. White Plains: Addison Wesley Longman.
Cohen, D. (1998). Strategies in learning and using a second language. London: Longman.
Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power, and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. England: Multilingual Matters.