DEVELOPING PRACTICAL ENGLISH SKILLSIN THE CALL CLASSROOM
Gerry Yokota
Graduate School of Language and Culture

I began using CALL classroom facilities in the fall oflive native English speaker with practice improving their

2003, at first for listening classes, and later gradually

English word processing skills. I rarely sit at thedeveloping course plans for reading, composition, andteacher’s console but rather spend the entire timeoral communication classes as well. Here I will present acirculating

brief survey of the basic techniques I use in each of thesemanipulation to my TA. I work with pairs of students: forareas, and also refer to my recent efforts to incorporate

example, the first student may listen and shadow while

the basic functions of WebCT.

the second student takes dictation, which is shown on thearoundtheroom,leaving

consolecenter display. The two thus cooperate to complete theListening

problem, while the rest of the class can compare their

Although I initially investigated various software

own efforts and observe my corrections. For theproducts that are available, such as Listen to Me, I

bi-weekly quizzes, I adapt news stories on the same topic,

concluded that as a native English speaker it would bebalancing both micro and macro listening problems. The

better for me to adapt my own teaching method tostudents correct these themselves the following week.

maintain as much personal one-to-one contact with theWe also spend follow-up time on diagnosing errors tostudents

asstrengthen weak points, and use the quiz stories for

supplementary tools. Even with such limited usage, I

additional advanced training during the end-of-term

find they enhance the quality of my one-to-one contact

review before the final exam; material that was originallywith individual students remarkably. For first-year

used for micro problems can later do double duty forclasses, I generally use commercial textbooks thatmacro content reading practice. While the selected

present news articles on current events. I proceed inpartners are giving the model response, I can see andtwo-week units. The first week begins with basic training,hear the others all madly tapping away, much more

warming up by listening to the textbook CD andhighly motivated than they would be in a conventional

proceeding to adapt the textbook exercises to naturalclassroom — and not only because they know that I will

one-to-one communication, with a focus not only on

be peering at their dictation efforts (which aremastering the essential vocabulary appearing in theimpressive!) on the screen as I make my way around thetextbook but also developing flexibility, the ability toroom; they palpably perceive the accelerated progresscomprehend key terms in their various grammaticalachieved through the concentrated, cumulative training.

aspossible,using

thecomputers

forms as well as synonyms and antonyms. The second
week is advanced training, largely via dictation andReading and Composition

shadow work, combining reinforcement of vocabulary

The second course plan I developed for the CALL

with focus on a specific task or skill such asclassroom was a reading class. In this class I also

distinguishing between fact and opinion or cause andproceed with two-week units. The first week we begin

effect; this is followed by a quiz. I find the students arewith careful high-volume reading; the second week wepleased to be able to combine practice listening to a realproceed to practice speedreading, after having achievedessential literacy in the given topic. Homework

problem-solving

committees

orsymposiums,

andassignments are designed to help the students master

presentations followed by question-and-answer sessions.

both micro and macro reading skills. They first learn toI do not speak in class the second week. The students do

use Internet resources to gain a sense of common

all the talking, while I record the proceedings. Before

collocations and synonyms for key vocabulary related tomoving on the next unit, I give the students edited

the given topic, and write short sentences based ontranscriptions of each discussion with feedback aboutmodels they have downloaded. They then write

their errors and ways to improve.

summaries, which they peer review themselves using thecenter display to confirm reading comprehension (factualWebCTaccuracy and interpretation) and check for inclusion of

I use WebCT to post the original course schedule and any

all the main ideas; I can also offer editorial guidancelater revisions; to give homework assignments; to informconcerning grammar, style, and abbreviated expressions

students of their quiz grades and of the average classfor concise abstracts. The second week we switch toresults; and to post the correct answers to these quizzes

speedreading, using various short articles with different

for review in preparation for the final exam. For oral

angles on the same topic, and conclude with a quiz. Herecommunication classes, I post all selected readings if aI find the CALL functions especially helpful as theycommercial textbook has not been used, and the edited

enable precise control of word counts and timed

transcripts of all discussions. As the time per person isexercises.

limited in the bi-weekly discussions, the end-of-term
review is a precious opportunity for the students toOral Communication

follow up on ideas they could only discuss briefly theMy oral communication classes also proceed infirst time around, and they seem to find special

two-week units. For a first-year class, I tend to use asatisfaction in having a second chance to express

commercial textbook with general themes such as

themselves more eloquently after improving their speechentertainment,skills as well as after having had time to reflect on theenvironment,health,science,andtechnology news. For a second-year class, I allow theideas that were shared.

students to design their own symposium. For example, ahumanities class may choose the general theme of World

Evaluation Standards

Peace and have discussions on the five specific topics ofEvaluation of listening and reading quizzes, and of theNationalism, Nuclear Proliferation, Racism, Religious

final exams which are comprehensive extensions thereof,Intolerance, and Sexism, selecting articles about current

is largely objective. Evaluation of oral communication

events in various regions of the world related to each ofclass discussions is a bit fuzzier, but is firmly based onthese topics. The first week is input, the second week iseffective use of vocabulary, relevancy of response tooutput. That is to say, the first week is spent doing drills

questions, and task completion (common tasks including

based on the selected reading, similar to those used in a

cultural comparison, analysis of cause and effect,

listening or reading class, but with heightened awarenessproblem identification and ranking of solutions). I

that the ultimate objective of the exercises is to prepare

maintain “Before” and “After” versions of eachto express their opinion about the topic in discussion thediscussion. The “Before” version is the basis offollowing week. The second week is devoted toevaluation; the “After” version is provided as a model for

discussion in various formats, including pairs, small

future discussions, and the students know they willgroups, competitive debate panels or cooperative

gradually be held to higher standards, that they areforgiven certain errors the first time around but arequick access to quality resources, I have found that a

expected not to repeat them.

little innovation in group seating easily helps the students
break free from the lure of the screen, and they basicallyConclusions

keep their chairs turned to face one another during

The CALL classroom has facilitated English language

dedicated discussion time. Meanwhile, the combination

education in all four skills far beyond my initialof high-quality mikes and word processing capability

expectations. I had high expectations for effective resultsenables me to take accurate notes in real time, far morein listening from the start, anticipating that theefficiently than transcribing recorded conversations. I

technology would make repetition, which is essential for

generally find it counterproductive to show the students

listening comprehension but tends to be boring, not only

the “Before” versions of their discussions and dwell on

more efficient but also more pleasant, and thosetheir errors, but I do provide a few “Before” and “After”

expectations were immediately fulfilled. The vast

excerpts, extracted from the original context andmajority of students are fully engaged with each andindependent of any individual speaker, in end-of-term

every problem even when they are not being tapped forreviews (but they know who they are), as a final warning

the model response. I also had relatively highabout common mistakes to avoid. It is immensely

expectations for the effectiveness of CALL technology in

gratifying to see the students develop confidence andreading

pride as they compare the transcripts of their earlier andandcomposition

classes,

andwasnot

disappointed, indeed I have been pleasantly surprised tolater discussions and clearly see their own progress.

find how attentive and focused the students become

For me, the primary value of WebCT lies in its

when sharing model sentences and summaries. A

potential to augment both CALL and conventional classsignificant advantage of the CALL classroom, above andfunctionality by enabling both instructor and students tobeyond simply using the Internet as a reference tool, issystematically monitor individual and course progress. I

that they become more familiar with natural collocations

am a firm believer in the value of systematic continuity

when they are exposed simultaneously to a high volume

in language education, and as I wrote in my introductionof sample sentences selected by peers with similar

to the report on the administration of the TOEFL®-ITP

interests but different individual perspectives, althoughtest here at Osaka University in 2005, I believe our best

caution must be exercised when giving instructions in theand brightest students seek more than a chance touse of search engines to find sample sentences. Moving

practice “free” (which too often translates intoon to the next stage, comparing summaries side by side,“slapdash”) English conversation. And they deserve

as well as collaborating to combine their efforts, it ismore. I hope to continue to develop my effective

easy for the students to see collectively problems such asutilization of both WebCT and CALL facilities to further

the omission of a main idea, the reason for a factual error,

enhance my ability to respond to their needs andor lack of balance — and this collective experience has aaspirations.

decidedly cumulative effect. But my greatest surprisecame in the area of oral communication. Initially, I was
highly skeptical of the potential of the CALL classroom
in this area, suspecting that the machinery would only be
an obstacle to natural communication. But once they
have established confidence as a result of having been
given ample time for preparation, with guidance and