The development of CALL

CALL has been developed since 1960, which is half century ago. However, over the last 30years, the development of CALL has gradually increased. The development can be categorized in terms of three distinct phases, which are Behavioristic (1950-1970), Communicative (1970-1990) and Integrative (1990 until Present).

The first phase of CALL emphasizes on drill and practice. It is believed that repeated exposure is beneficial to learner. The second phase of CALL focuses on using forms. It teaches grammar implicitly and it allows and encourages students to generate original utterances. The third phase of CALL integrates the teaching of language skills into tasks and projects to provide direction and coherence. Multimedia and internet were introduced in this phase. With the introduction of multimedia, more authentic learning environment using different media was created. Language skills are easily integrated through multimedia. Besides, students have a high degree of control over their learning through hypermedia. It facilitates a principal focus on the content without sacrificing a secondary focus on language form. By using multimedia, it enables reading, writing, speaking and listening to be combined in a single activity. In addition, internet also plays important roles in Integrative CALL and brings the greatest impact on language teaching. It provides authentic synchronous and asynchronous communication channels. Students can search through millions of files around the world within minutes and they also can use the Web to publish their texts or multimedia materials.

To sum up,

Principal objective of Behavioristic CALL is ACCURACY.

Principal objective of Communicative CALL is FLUENCY.

Principal objective of Integrative CALL is AGENCY.

There are a few learning theories that related to CALL. The first theory is Behaviorism Theory, which applies the concept of programmed learning. It reinforces students after each series of steps. The second theory is Constructivism Theory. It encourages students to actively participate in task. Students also construct new knowledge based on experience and learn other skills by making intelligent guesses. The third theory is Sociocultural theory, which states that learning is a process of becoming part of a desired community and learning that community’s rules of behavior. Through CALL, students have the autonomy on their own learning and computer provide opportunity for them to be less dependent on the teacher.