Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is the general term for the range of processes and activities that employ computers in the teaching and learning of a new language. In the history of CALL we can see the confluence of the latest technology as well as the most widely accepted language theories of the day.
The history of CALL is often divided into three phases:
Structural CALL
Communicative CALL
Integrative CALL
Starting in the ’50s and developing through the ’70s, we have what’s called Structural/Behaviorist CALL by Warschauer. This marked the era of Stimulus and Response. The computer prompts the student with a question (stimulus) and the student gives an answer (response) by filling in the blanks or choosing from a given set of choices.
The methods du jour were the Grammar-Translation and Audiolingual methods. Language was seen as made up of discrete units, and these units were considered to be closely interconnected and interacting according to a predictable and explainable set of rules (grammar). Teachers taught the different rules of grammar and repetitively drilled their classes on different ways the rules can be correctly applied. Computers at this stage were mainly utilized as devices that could present stimuli repetitively in exactly the same manner without ever getting tired. An example of this are the “listen-and-repeat” programs running in language labs at that time. In the ’80s and ’90s came Communicative CALL. The Communicative Approach to language teaching came into being as a reaction to the Grammar-Translation and Audiolingual methods. This time, instead of teaching the language—its rules, syntax, phonemes and morphemes—teachers found ways to provide opportunities for students to actually use the language. They gave students tasks that can only be completed by using language. Communication and interaction were important. And because such technology always comes in service of the language paradigm of the day, computers were used to reflect these ideas. Language drills were increasingly placed in the context of a communicative task—like programs that feature some cartoon character where students help him find his way home. Computer programs were designed to gauge comprehension with drills like paced reading and sentence reconstruction. And developments in computer technology didn’t just affect the “testing” part of CALL. It really made teaching language more vivid. For example, the continued development in computer capabilities has resulted into crisper audio and video. So in addition to the drill formats, students can learn by watching videos of how native speakers actually interact. They can see how language is used in different situations, like in meeting a new person or asking for directions. Computers have given language learners a more vivid idea of what language is beyond the subject-verb agreements and the endless list of vocabulary words to be memorized
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