ELT+Technique+1+by+Mahmut+KARACA

Computer Assisted Language Learning

In these days, the use of computers and the internet is becoming more and more popular and common in almost every area of life. They are the trending necessities in our times together with second language knowledge.

The current philosophy of CALL puts a strong emphasis on student-centered materials that allow learners to work on their own. Such materials may be structured or unstructured, but they normally embody two important features: interactive learning and individualized learning. Teachers are in assistant role to students. This technique is more appropriate for **__adult learners__** because young learners may deal with something else instead of lesson. CALL is essentially a tool that helps teachers to facilitate the language learning process. It can be used to reinforce what has been already been learned in the classroom or as a remedial tool to help learners who require additional support. In a traditional classroom setting which is teacher-centered, restricted to some sources such as textbooks, photocopies and other published books, students may have difficulty in handling peer pressure and may hesitate to make comments or ask something to the instructor due to the pressure in the environment. Students may be shy and think that their peers may judge them by their answers and comments. They may feel uncomfortable to interact with the teacher. These conditions may affect student success negatively. As students vary in personality, background and learning styles such as introversion vs. extroversion, left-brained vs right brained and visual vs audial, a large variety of input is required. While traditional classrooms are lack of this variety in terms of input, students in CALL classrooms can do researches, ask questions, find answers to their questions, get feedback and self-correct themselves independently and self-confidently in a relaxed environment thanks to the internet and computers.

Consequently, I believe that this technique is very helpful for students and teachers, and it is getting more and more important in these days. Thanks to internet, all students can access many resources and all these materials are accessible whenever they want. Internet enables English learners to access useful language resources and communicate directly with native English speakers. Students can learn listening, speaking, reading and writing English interactively via real-world situations. So I believe every teacher should try to use this technique in his or her classes.