Community Language Learning

Community language learning (CLL) is an approach in which students work together to develop what aspects of a language they would like to learn. The teacher acts as a counselor and a paraphrase, while the learner acts as a collaborator, although sometimes this role can be changed. The Community Language Learning Method takes its principles from the more general Counseling-Learning approach developed by Charles A. Curran. Curran believed that a way to deal with the fears of students is for to teachers to become ‘Language Counselors.’ A language counselor does not mean someone trained in psychology; it means someone who is a skillful under stander of the struggle students’ face as they attempt to internalize another language. The teacher who can ‘understand’ can indicate his acceptance of the student. By understanding students’ fears and being sensitive to them, he can help students overcome their negative feelings and turn them into positive energy to further their learning.