Community language learning

Community language learning (CLL) is a language-teaching approach in which students work together to develop what aspects of a language they would like to learn. It is based on the Counselling-approach in which the teacher acts as a counselor and a paraphraser, while the learner is seen as a client and collaborator. Community language learning (CLL) is a language-teaching approach in which students work together to develop what aspects of a language they would like to learn. It is based on the Counselling-approach in which the teacher acts as a counselor and a paraphraser, while the learner is seen as a client and collaborator. The CLL emphasizes the sense of community in the learning group, encourages interaction as a vehicle for learning, and considers as a priority the students' feelings and the recognition of struggles in language acquisition. There is no syllabus or textbook to follow, and it is the students themselves who determine the content of the lesson by means of meaningful conversations in which they discuss real messages. Notably, it incorporates translation, transcription, and recording techniques. The CLL approach was developed by Charles Arthur Curran, a Jesuit priest, professor of psychology at Loyola University Chicago, and counseling specialist. This method refers to two roles: that of the know-er (teacher) and student (learner). Also the method draws on the counseling metaphor and refers to these respective roles as a counselor and a client.According to Curran, a counselor helps a client understand his or her own problems better by 'capturing the essence of the clients concern ... relating affect to cognition...'; in effect, understanding the client and responding in a detached yet considerate manner. To restate, the counselor blends what the client feels and what he is learning in order to make the experience a meaningful one.Often, this supportive role requires greater energy expenditure than an 'average' teacher.