History of CALL

If you are a part of Education Sector you have probably heard about CALL but do you know when did CALL show up, how did it widen its scope and how did it gain present value?


Briefly, CALL stands for Computer Assisted Language Learning and refers to a series of instructions which need to be loaded into the computer to assist language learning/teaching process.


Computers exist since the first half of the 20th century but they were not used for educational purposes until the 1960s. With the emergence of CALL the language teaching/learning process was affected a lot. 


Using computers for linguistic purposes marched forward in time. The phases of CALL use are split into three groups; behavioristic CALL (1960s-1970s), communicative CALL (1980s-1990s), and integrative CALL (1990s-present). 


The first movement of CALL simply consisted of practices and drills associated with programmed instruction. In that period technology didn't make a significant chance in teaching methods. It was just used to make existing practices, like fill in the blanks or multiple choice activities, more efficient. In other words, it was just a replacement of grammar worksheets by computer based worksheets.


With Communicative CALL movement, using computers for linguistic purposes gained a momentum. The most notably was that grammar was tried to be taught implicitly while the content was focused. Language was started to be seen as a means of communication, so mastering the isolated forms of language took a backseat. Students had a chance to reach authentic materials and a wide range of information with the help of Internet and that made learning process more meaningful.

Finally, the last wave of CALL aims to teach all the language skills with an integrated style and that is the most valid form of technology use for linguistic purposes. It helps both teachers and students to reach web-based activities. So, what's changed? The integrated style provides an opportunity to combine the language skills into joint activities. It supports content- task- and project-based instruction. Students have a chance to reach real-life simulations (seeing&hearing are combined). Students have a chance to learn and use a vast majority of technological tools assisting their learning process.

After all, technology is the inseparable part of language teaching. But to get the most out of CALL teachers have to be trained about it. Otherwise, technology can not go beyond supplying grammar worksheets to students.

Image 1, 2, 3