Community Language LEarning
Community Language Learning (CLL) is an approach that is centered on the student. It is rooted in the importance of creating a classroom community, and for the instructor to establish a comfortable rapport and level of trust with the learners. In this method, students will converse with one another, while the instructor translates the sentences into the new language (L2) to be repeated by the student (Brown & Lee, 2015). As students advance, the instructor facilitates student language discovery and aids in correcting pronunciation. The creation of a supportive and cohesive group, and strong student-teacher relationships is where the success of CLL is based (Mocanu, 2012). Working in groups and pairs, the students discover and share a joy of learning, with the instructor working as a counselor, guide, and support in the learning process (Mocanu, 2012).
Pros:
Cons:
Pros:
- development of a classroom community gives students agency and autonomy
- learners determine topic of study for the conversations
- non-threatening environment allows students to feel comfortable making mistakes while learning
- focus on partner work helps students with conversational skills
- aim to create proficient and fluent speakers
Cons:
- too restrictive to traditional institutional settings
- the instructor can be too removed, which means students may struggle
- very slow start to this learning method
- relies on instructor fluency and accuracy in translation
- negative atmosphere in the group can derail learning for all