Computer-assisted language learning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Computer-assisted language learning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "CALL originates from CAI (Computer-Accelerated Instruction), a term that was first viewed as an aid for teachers. The philosophy of CALL puts a strong emphasis on student-centered lessons that allow the learners to learn on their own using structured and/or unstructured interactive lessons. These lessons carry 2 important features: bidirectional (interactive) learning and individualized learning. CALL is not a method. It is a tool that helps teachers to facilitate language learning process. CALL can be used to reinforce what has been learned in the classrooms. It can also be used as remedial to help learners with limited language proficiency.
The design of CALL lessons generally takes into consideration principles of language pedagogy, which may be derived from learning theories (behaviorist, cognitive, and constructivist) and second language learning such as Krashen's Monitor Theory.
Others may call CALL an approach to teaching and learning foreign languages whereby the computer and computer-based resources such as the Internet are used to present, reinforce and assess material to be learned. CALL can be made independent of the Internet. It can stand alone for example in a CDROM format. Depending on its design and objectives, it may include a substantial interactive element especially when CALL is integrated in web-based format. It may include the search for and the investigation of applications in language teaching and learning. [1] Except for self-study software, CALL is meant to supplement face-to-face language instruction, not replace it.[2]

What Level of English Proficiency Do Elementary School Teachers Need to Attain to Teach EFL? Case Studies from Korea, Taiwan, and Japan

What Level of English Proficiency Do Elementary School Teachers Need to Attain to Teach EFL? Case Studies from Korea, Taiwan, and Japan: "Responding to the growing need to foster communicative abilities in English, many Asian countries where English is taught as a foreign language have recently introduced English at the elementary school level. However, the majority of elementary school teachers in such countries might not be adequately prepared to teach English; improving their English proficiency and teaching skills has thus become a matter of concern. The present study focuses on teachers' English proficiency, which has been recognized as an important qualification for successful English teaching. Elementary school teachers from Korea, Taiwan, and Japan were asked to self-evaluate their English proficiencies as well as to specify the minimum level of proficiency that they felt was needed to teach English at the elementary school level. The teachers evaluated their proficiencies in productive skills (speaking and writing) as weaker than those in receptive skills (listening and reading). Teachers in each of the three countries perceived substantial gaps between their English proficiency and the minimum level needed to teach. The widest gaps were in productive domains in general and in oral grammar in particular. Some of the implications for teacher education are discussed. The following are appended: (1) The Goals of English Learning at the Elementary School Level; and (2) Foreign Language Oral Skills Evaluation Matrix, FLOSEM (Padilla, Sung, & Aninao, 1997). (Contains 3 tables, 7 figures, and 2 footnotes.)"