COMMUNITY LANGUAGE LEARNING

1.            Introduction

The decade of 1970s was the decade when the audiolingualism era began to fade out

and the language teachers began to think of some alternatives. It was the decade when

the inspiration of the innovative methods for language teaching began to blossom. It was

the time when psychologists began to admit the existence of the affective and

interpersonal nature of all learning. This means that the importance of factors such as

the cognitive and affective ones in the second language learning has affected the new

teaching methods.

Some people call those new teaching methods as the innovative and revolutionary

methods because they are compared to the Audiolingual and Grammar Translation

methodology that had been used before 1970s. According to Brown (2000:103) there

are five most popular methods of the 1970s, they are Community Language Learning,

Suggestopedia, The Silent Way, Total Physical Response and The Natural Approach.

 

2.            Discussion

Community Language Learning is a humanistic-oriented methodology which has been

getting a lot of attention recently and there are many people who call this methodology

as a humanistic approach to language learning. The term humanistic used here refers to

the mixture of all other emotions and feelings of learners in the teaching-learning

process which includes self-esteem and pride after their accomplishment in their own

efforts and the creation of the cooperation atmosphere in the classroom (Subiyakto,

1988:48). Now it is time to discuss the historical and theoretical background, followed by

the basic principles of Community Language Learning along with the ways to apply it in

real life and concluded by the positive and negative sides of this method.

A. Historical and Theoretical Background

Charles A. Curran was a specialist in the counseling program and a professor in

psychology in Logola University of Chicago, in the United States of America. He came

up with the idea to apply the concept of psychotherapy in the form of counseling to his

students soon after he was inspired by Carl Rogers. According to Brown (2000:103),

Carl Rogers has a way in viewing education that in order to facilitate learning so that

each individual in the group can be valued and prized appropriately, students and

teacher should join together. This is the main reason why Curran created a special

method which is called the Community Language Learning. In this method there are two

roles that should be played in the process of language teaching and learning. The first

role is a counselor, which is played by the teacher and the second role is the clients,

which are played by the students. There are other terms used to refer to the teacher’s

role in this method. Besides using the term counselor, the terms knower, counselor

experts and counselor teachers exist as well.This method is based on several theories.

First of all, it is based on the idea that what is actually learnt by a human being is

generally in his cognitive and affective areas (Subiyakto, 1988). It means that a learner

gets all of the inputs from outside world through his mind, which can be considered as

his cognitive ability and also through his feelings, which can be considered as his

affective ability. Creating a learning atmosphere that facilitates a learner to communicate

and interact with others freely seems to be the best way to maximize a learner’s

cognitive ability as well as his affective ability.The second theoretical base of this

approach is quite similar to the first. According to Pateda (1991:103) who quoted from

Atmodarsono (1984:22) as an effort to learn a second language, Community Language

Learning is based on several factors in a learner’s mind such as attitude, emotion and

motivation. It is clear from this statement that this method is dealing mostly with the

internal factors of a language learner. Pateda (1991:103) also mentions that this method

is based on the interactional theory as well. It means that language can be used by an

individual as a mean to have an active interaction with others in a  community. The next

theoretical premise of this approach is basically directed to achieve the personal needs

of the individuals. It is confirmed by Tarigan (1989:232) that this approach is based on a

particular assumption saying that a person as an individual needs to have an

understanding and assistance from others to go through the process of achieving not

only their personal values but their personal goals as well. Another assumption that has

become the basis of this method is that Curran emphazise that counseling and teaching

should be integrated together (Hamied:1987:143).  It is because according to Curran,

counseling is concerning with the self-insight and self-awareness of an individual that

can stimulate his personal growth, satisfaction and better relationship with others, while

teaching is exclusively concerning with intelectual learning process therefore counseling

and teaching should not be separated.

 

B.      Basic Principles and Application

This part of the paper consists of two main parts, the first part is the basic principles and

the stages in Community Language Learning and the second part is the steps that can

be taken in applying the Community Language Learning in real life.  

1.      Basic Principles

There are five important principles in Community Language Learning according to

Stevick (1976:128-131) as quoted by Pateda (1991). Those principles are:

1.             Language is a behavior of a learner that is directed towards others. The learner

can talk about things that make him interested and things that he has been

experienced before.

2.             A learner can learn a new behavior fast if he is not interupted. Therefore a leaner

as the client must have as many opportunities as possible to practice his language

knowledge without many interverence from the teacher as the counselor.

3.             The counselor should give assistance the clients in using their language all the

time.

4.             The counselor should give assistance in maintaining useful behavior by using

three suggested techniques, they are (1) give the chance to clients to talk much,

(2) develop the language productivity of the clients and (3) give the counseling and

then make some evaluations.

5.             In preparing the materials, the counselor should choose the easy ones for both

the clients and counselor which are suitable for the level and goal to be

accomplished.

Besides those basic principles above, Curran also has five stages in the learning and

teaching process. Several experts such as Tarigan (1989), Hamied (1987) and Pateda

(1991) have similarities in discussing these five stages while Subiyakto (1988) discusses

the same five stages with different terms and perspectives. The differences and

similarities of the five stages can be seen in the discussion below.

There is a brief explanation made by Hamied (1987) in his book about the five stages of

development in the teaching and learning process of the clients from Curran.   Those

stages are:

1.        The embryonic stage. In this stage therea is a total dependancy of the clients to

their counselor.

2.        The self-assertion stage. In this stage the clients begin to show their independence

and try the language they learn.

3.        The birth stage. In this third stage the clients speak independently although not

perfectly. In this stage they tend to get upset whenever they gets the unwanted

assistance from the knower.

4.        The reversal stage. In this stage the clients feels safe and they are open to take

correction from others, they are now in the position to exchange the role play

periodically with the knower and they begin to elaborate the warmth and

understanding with their counselor.

5.        The independence stage. In this stage interruption from the knower to correct the

clients’ mistakes is not done too often, instead it is only done to enrich and improve

the language style of the clients.

As quoted by Pateda (1991:107) from Dardjowidjojo (1987:186-189), Curran divides the

stages in the language acquisition into five main stages, which are:

1.        The embryonic stage. In this stage the dependancy of the clients to their counselor

is nearly or even exactly 100%. The clients do not feel sure of their abilities when

they face their counselor or other people. The counselor’s role is to lose the clients’

anxiety so that they feel confident to practice the language they are learning.

2.        The self-assertion stage. In this stage the clients feel that they already have the

moral support from their friends. The clients begin to free themselves from the

dependancy to their counselor and start to practice the language they are learning

to their friends by using simple words, phrases and sentences.

3.        The birth stage. In this third stage the clients lower the use of their first language

gradually. Since the clients are moving towards their independence, they still need

some help from their counselor although they do not realize it, the counselor needs

to minimize his assistance wisely.  

4.        The reversal stage. This stage refers to the stage where the clients and the

counselor are now in the level of trusting each other. It means that in this stage the

clients feel that now they have become more active and on the other hand they

need the counselor to correct their mistakes. 

5.        The independence stage. In this stage the client feel that they have master the

materials given by the counselor and they want to elaborate their knowledge by

learning the social and cultural aspects of the language they are learning. 

There are also five other stages mentioned by Tarigan (1989) similar to the ones

mentioned by Pateda (1991) above. Those five stages are:

1.        First stage. The first client builds sentences in his native language based on

whatever he wants to talk about to others in a group. The counselor then translates

the utterances in the target language and asks the first client to repeat the

translation correctly. The translation is recorded. The second client who wants to

respond to the first client says his sentences in his native language and again the

counselor translates them into the target language. This response is also recorded

so in the end of the conversation all data has been recorded. The script of the

recorded data then can be used in the classroom as an input for the analysis and

exercise of the language.

2.        The self-assertive stage. In this stage the clients try to say what they want to say

without the interference and constant assistance from the counselor.

3.        The birth stage.  This is the stage where the clients improve their independence

and freedom from e counselor and speak in the target language without the

translation from the counselor. The counselor gives the translation only when the

clients ask for it.

4.        The teenage stage or reversal stage. In this stage the clients have become strong

enough to take the corrective feedback from other clients or the counselor.

5.        The independent stage. This stage is characterized by the interaction that flows

freely among the clients themselves and the counselor. Here everybody does the

correction work in stylistic areas for each other. In this stage,  the level of trust is high

and the clients do not feel nervous or anxious anymore. 

Subiyakto (1988:48-49) somehow has a different opinion about the five stages existing

in the learning and teaching process constructed by Curran. Those five stages are as

follows:

1.        The stage of birth. In this stage the clients are nurtured in order to have feeling of

“safety” and feeling as “a member of the community”.

2.        The stage of accomplishing independence. In this stage the clients learn more and

more through time and they get more experience. With more knowledge and

experience their ability increase as well and they become more independent from

the counselor.

3.        The stage of speaking freely. In this stage the clients begin to show their identity by

rejecting the unwanted advice and suggestions given by other people.

4.        The stage of accepting the constructive criticism. In this stage the clients have

already had the self-confident and they are ready to take the constructive criticism

from others to improve their ability.

5.        The stage of improving the language style and knowledge of the normal linguistic

forms. The clients begin to improve their language style in order to make it suitable

for certain situation and also more satisfying for themselves. 

2.      Application

There are several simple steps of Community Language Learning method that can be

applied in real life. Those simple steps are taken from Brown (2000:104), and they are

shown as follows:

1.             The group of clients are seated in a circle with the counselor on the outside of the

circle. Thos clients first of all have to establish an interpersonal relationship and

trust in their native language. The clients may consist of complete beginners in the

foreign language.

2.             When one of the clients wants to say something to the group or to an individual,

he say it in the native language.

3.             The counselor translates the utterance back to the client in the target language.

4.             The client repeats the translation as accurately as possible.

5.             When another client responds in his native language, again the counselor

translates his utterance in the target language. This is done over and over again

with other clients who wants to speak.

6.             If possible the conversation is taped for later listening, and at the end of each

session the clients try to get information about the new language.

7.             The counselor may take a more directive role and explain certain linguistic

explanation rules.

The simple steps of Community Language Learning method that can be conducted in

real life taken from Brown (2000:104) above can be developed further as shown in the

work of Subiyakto (1988:49-50) below:

1.             The group of students are limited from 5 to 10 people in order to get a more

effective teaching process. The students are asked to choose a topic based on the

general agreement among them. Once they are ready, they record their sentences

or utterances one by one.

2.             After taping for 20 minutes, the teacher stops the activity and ask the students to

listen carefully and play the recorded sentences or utterances of the students.

3.             After listening to the tape, the teacher stops the tape to give a chance to the

students to make some suggestions to improve the recorded sentences or

utterances.

4.             On the next meeting, the students are asked to listen to the record once again

and write down the transcription of the record together.

5.             After reading the transcription written by the students, the teacher can determine

which language structures that should be learnt more thoroughly.

6.             By using the sentences made by the students, the teacher can give the

instruction to change a form of sentence into another form of sentence, for

example from statements into questions.

There are also several complete stages of development shown by Charles A Curran

which are in accordance with the stages mentioned before (Tarigan, 1989:239-241).

Those complete stages are as follows:

1.             The first stage. This is the stage where the clients still depend on the counselor

almost entirely.

a.       The client expresses what he wants to say only to the counselor in the native

language. Every member of the group listens to what he says but they are not

involved in it.

b.       The counselor reflects the client’s ideas back to him in the target language, in

a simple way by using phrases that consist of five or six words.

c.       The clients expresses his ideas in the target language and he will get the

assistance from the counselor when he makes a mistake or does not feel sure

about a word or a phrase.

2.             The second stage.

a.       The client expresses what he wants to say only to the counselor in the native

language.

b.       The counselor walks around the group and begins to speak directly to the

group in the target language.

c.       The counselor only give assistance to the client when he does not feel sure

about a word or a phrase. It is a sign of trust and positive expectation.

 3.             The third stage.

a.       The client speaks directly to the group in the target language. This is a sign

that the group has acquired the ability to comprehend simple phrases.

b.       The counselor only give assistance to the client when he does not feel sure

about a word or a phrase.

4.             The fourth stage.

a.       The client now speaks more freely by using more complicated structures and

expressions in the target language.

b.       The counselor interferes directly especially in correcting complicated

expressions to make sure that the clients get satisfying improvement.

5.             The fifth stages.

a.       The client now speaks more freely by using more complicated structures and

expressions in the target language.

b.       The counselor interferes not only to correct the client’s mistakes but also to

give idioms and more beautiful construction.

c.       In this stage, the clients may become the counselor for groups that are still in

early stages of the first, second and the third.

According to Stevick (1976:126) as quoted by Pateda (1991:104-105), there are two

main phases in applying the method of Community Language Learning. The two main

phases are the investment phase and the reflection phase. The description can be seen

in the following:

1.             The investment phase. This phase refers to the effort of involving the clients with

the social interaction with others, for example the need to talk to someone else in a

certain community. It consists of five stages as shown below:

a.       Stage 1. The client utters short sentences in his native language. The

counselor stands behind him, and translates the client’s utterances to target

language. When the clien makes a mistake, the counselor corrects him.

b.       Stage 2. The client begins to utter the previous utterances that were used in

his native language by using the target language.

c.       Stage 3. The client directly utters new sentences or utterances in the target

language. He only uses his native language when other clients need him to. In

this stage, making mistake is something that is inevitable.

d.       Stage 4. The client utters his utterances or sentences in the target language

and he feels free from anxiety.

e.       Stage 5. The clients are capable of using words and sentences in the target

langauge, the counselor gives additional vocabulary and guides them in using

the basic structure.

2.             The reflection phase. This phase refers to the effort of doing some introspection

to see whether the clients have acquired and mastered the material and problems

in the language learning. It consists of three steps as shown beow:

a.       Step 1. The client expresses his experience in his own words. The counselor

listens to what he says and he can say if he agrees or not to what the client

says.

b.       Step 2. The client’s  utterances are played back with no pause.

c.       Step 3. The client’s utterances are played back sentence by sentence. It is

also possible for those utterances to be written down on the whiteboard and

the clients copy them. Then every clients translates the sentences in the target

language.

C.      Strengths and Weaknesses

Just like any other methods in language teaching the Community Language Learning

method also has some strengths and weaknesses. Those strength and weaknesses are

summarized as follows:

1.      Strengths of Community Language Learning

1.             Since this method is a student-oriented method it can help students become

independent in doing their activities in the classroom.

2.             Having a strong cooperation with other students in learning a target language can

help create a healthy atmosphere, reduce the low self-esteem of the slow learners

and increase the self-confident.

3.             The students learn to communicate and use the cognitive knowledge from the

very beginning in order to practice the rules of the target language before they

formulate their individual sentences or utterances.

4.             This method offers certain insights to teachers by reminding them to lower the

learners’ anxiety, to create as much supportive group as possible in the classroom,

to allow students to initiate language, and to show learners the autonomous

learning as a preparation to face the day when the teacher is no longer around to

guide them.

5.             Eventhough this method allows students to move according to their own speed,

the fast learners may push and help the slow ones. 

6.             This method allows students to identify themselves to language they are learning.

7.             This method allows students to have the freedom and inisiative as much as they

want that makes this method as a unique and fascinating learning experience.

2.      Weaknesses of Community Language Learning

1.             In the beginning when the teacher uses a tape recorder as an audio instrument

and the students build their own sentences and utterances, the process can only

go well if the students have a certain knowledg about the structure and vocabulary

of the target language. If the teacher keeps on giving the translation of the

students’ sentences, the presentation in the classroom tend to be “translation

presentation”.

2.             The  presentation of this method in the classroom is process-based and not

content-based which makes it difficult to build the outline of this method.

3.             The possible fixed material to be used in all classrooms may be the instructions

given about the structure of the target language.

4.             The recording process can create difficulties to those who are not familiar to the it

and may waste valuable time in doing it.

5.             The new role of the teacher may cause a certain feeling of frustation to those who

do not get the teacher-student relationship that they expected before.

6.             The evaluation test to see the progress that students have may be more

complicated to be done than in ordinary classroom that does not use this method.

7.             The success of this method depends largely on the translation expertise of the

counselor. The counselor must not make any mistakes in doing the translation

because if certain aspects of language are mistranslated there could be a less

effective understanding of the target language.

3.            Conclusion

Community Language Learning is a method which is basically concerning with the

internal aspects of the learners of a new language. In this method, in understanding

what the learners need in the classroom, the teacher must have a high sensitivity to be

able to identify the time when the clients need help in communicating their ideas and the

time when they need to do it on their own.  Since the teacher has a role as a translator to

guide the learners on the early stages of this method, the teacher must have a good

command of the target language so that he can make necessary correction to the

mistakes that the clients do.

For those who are interested to apply this interesting method in their classrooms here in

our country, it may be a little difficult since this method not only takes more time and

energy but it also depends on the diversity of the culture and language as well as the

clients themselves.  Inspite of that, the role-play in the classroom offered by this method

still can be applied in our country, the teacher may take the part as a counselor and the

students as the clients. As long as the teacher is less active than the learners the use of

this method will give a great advantage and a brand new wonderful learning experience

to both the learners and the teacher.

REFERENCES

Brown, H. Douglas. 2000. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching,  New York:

Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

Hamied, Fuad Abdul. 1987. Proses Belajar Mengajar Bahasa, Jakarta: Proyek

Pengembangan lembaga Pendidikan Tenaga Kependidikan.

Pateda, Mansoer. 1991. Linguistik Terapan, Flores: Nusa Indah.

Subiyakto-N, Sri Utari. 1988. Metodologi Pengajaran Bahasa, Jakarta: Proyek

Pengembangan lembaga Pendidikan Tenaga Kependidikan.

Tarigan, Henry Guntur. 1989. Metodologi Pengajaran Bahasa, Jakarta: Proyek

Pengembangan lembaga Pendidikan Tenaga Kependidikan.