KATOLICKI UNIWERSYTET LUBELSKI JANA PAWA II

WYDZIA NAUK HUMANISTYCZNYCH

INSTYTUT FILOLOGII ANGIELSKIEJ

TEACHING LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS IN

THE CALLAN METHOD

Praca licencjacka napisana pod kierunkiem

dr Marcina Klebana

Lublin 2011

Table of Contents
Teaching language functions in the callan method......................................................1
Introduction......................................................................................................................... 3
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Chapter I............................................................................................................................. 5
Historical Background of the Callan Method: The Direct and Audiolingual Methods...........5
1.1 Introduction................................................................................................................... 5
1.2 The Direct Method Overview.....................................................................................5
1.3 The Direct Method Key Features...............................................................................6
1.4 The Direct Method Typical Techniques......................................................................7
1.5 Summary and Comments.............................................................................................7
1.6 The Audiolingual Method Overview............................................................................8
1.7 The Audiolingual Method - Key Features......................................................................9
1.8 The Audiolingual Method Typical Techniques.............................................................9
1.9 Influence of the Direct and Audiolingual Methods on the Callan Method.....................10
Chapter II.......................................................................................................................... 12
The Callan Method........................................................................................................... 12
2.1 Introduction................................................................................................................. 12
2.2 Background................................................................................................................ 12
2.3 Basic concepts and the structure of the lesson and the course..................................13
2.4 The teacher's and student's roles in the process of learning ......................................15
2.5 The materials used in the Callan Method....................................................................16
2.6 The strengths and weaknesses of the Callan Method.................................................16
Chapter III......................................................................................................................... 19
The Practical Part ............................................................................................................ 19
3.1 Study aims.................................................................................................................. 19
3.2 Participants................................................................................................................. 20
3.3 Description of the study..............................................................................................21
3.4 Results and Discussion..............................................................................................22
3.4.1 Stage Exam 4 section..............................................................................................22
3.4.2 Stage Exam 5 section.............................................................................................25
3.4.3 The Discussion........................................................................................................ 33
References Uwaga bdy w formacie referencji................................................................36
Appendices................................................................................37

Introduction
The fundamental aim of modern methodology of foreign language teaching is to
develop learners communicative competence which involves exchanging information,
expressing feelings and emotions in contacts with surrounding people. Another essential
element is enriching students knowledge of the targeted foreign country and its culture,
not to mention developing their competence of how the foreign language that they are
learning works.
Many methods for teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) have been
developed throughout the years. Some of them have been dismissed by scholars and
teachers, while others have become widely used in todays classrooms.
The Callan Method, created in the 1950's by Robin Callan on the basis of his
teaching experience in one of Berlitz schools in Italy gained a lot of popularity in Poland in
the 1990's. Based to a large extent on the principles of the Direct and Audiolingual
Methods, it attracted potential students by promising them constant exposure to verbal
communication conducted in a stress-free environment.
The authors observations and experience of teaching the Callan Method classes
shows that the principles of the method prove successful when it comes to memorizing
lexical items, understanding and responding to teachers questions or writing short
dictations. However, creating long and independent utterances, which is an important
element of communication, presents a real problem to the majority of the Callan Method
students.
This thesis is an effort to improve the performance of students of the Callan Method
by introducing some additional communicative activities which, being in line with the
basic requirements of the Callan Method, will help students enhance their creativity and
independence in the use of English, together with improving their writing and reading
skills.
The thesis is divided into a theoretical part and a practical one.
Chapter One presents the Direct and Audiolingual Methods which played an enormous role
in the development of the Callan Method. The key features and aims of both methods will
be presented with the emphasis on those which were employed by Robin Callan in his
innovative approach to language teaching.
Chapter Two is devoted to the Callan Method . It presents the origins, the aims and
the key features of the method. After that it describes the structure of the lesson conducted
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by the Callan Method, the learning strategies, the ways of checking students progress and
the forms of motivating them. Another important aspect discussed in this chapter is the role
of the teacher, together with the requirements they have to fulfill, and the analysis of the
coursebook and the teaching aids.
Chapter Three discusses those aspects of the Callan Method which are most
appreciated by both students and teachers, but it also examines the areas which are
regarded as drawbacks. The evaluation survey conducted among both groups concerning
the methods strong points and weaknesess provides objective information on which areas
need improving.
The practical part presents three lesson plans of the Callan Method classes written
for three different age groups. Assuming that, on the basis of the survey, after the Callan
Method standard course, students are able to communicate only in highly predictable
situations, I would like to suggest a few amendments to the Callan Method in such a way
that, while retaining its original form, they would expand students communicative skills.
The main techniques of the method will be still the main component of the lesson, but
some additional activities suggested by the author will be included. All these extra
activities are intended to suit the competence level and possible interest range of each age
group. Each plan is accompanied by suggested audio-visual aids and the authors
comments.
This thesis, apart from the aims mentioned above, intends to show that broadening
the range of techniques and strategies in foreign language teaching, no matter what the
method, results in promoting students motivation and thus enhances their competence.
Both can be improved by introducing various forms of work in class which would make
the rigid form of Callan Method classes more authentic. Modern methodology of foreign
language teaching emphasises the notion of autonomy and it adjusts the methods and
techniques of teaching to the needs of concrete students. It is the author's belief that the
Callan Method could be more effective if it took into account the suggestions presented in
this thesis.

Chapter I
Historical Background of the Callan Method: The Direct and
Audiolingual Methods
1.1 Introduction
Chapter One provides information about two methods which had an enormous
impact on the development of the Callan Method: the Direct and Audiolingual Methods.
Both of these undoubtedly can be treated as milestones in the field of foreign language
teaching and they are justifiably regarded as the beginnings of the modern methodology.
This part of this paper will be devoted to discussing the historical conditions which
determined the foundations of both methods, together with their basic aims, characteristic
features and teaching techniques. It then goes on to show which features of both methods
were adopted by Robin Callan and became the core of his method.

1.2 The Direct Method Overview

The Direct Method, established in Germany and France around 1900, was also
known as the Natural Method. Dakowska (2007:23-24) states that in fact it would be very
difficult to put a distinct line between the two as they both rely on a natural ability to learn
a language and they were the reaction to the Grammar Translation Method which had
dominated foreign language teaching for many years. The 19 th century was the time of the
Reform Movement when reformers like Goiun and Sauveur criticised the Grammar
Translation Method and advocated the need to concentrate on the spoken language. This
meant that speaking should be taught first and was of upmost importance and could only at
a later stage be followed by reading. The reformers strongly opposed the idea of teaching
formal grammar and they were aware that language learning was more than memorizing
the rules and acquiring imperfect translation skills. They also called for developing the
knowledge of the foreign country and its culture (Dakowska 2007:22-23).
The Direct Method, which stemmed from this movement and its ideas, was based
on the assumption that the learners of a foreign language should think directly in the target
language. Rather than make students accumulate abstract knowledge about the rules of
grammar, as it was the case of the Grammar Translation Method with translations as a test
of mastering the language, the proponents of the Direct Method recommended that the
target language should be taught in the way children learn their mother tongue. Dakowska
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(2007) notes that children never rely on another language to learn their first language and
that is why the mother tongue is not essential to learn a foreign language. What is more, the
only means of teaching grammar was by inducing the rules of how the language behaves
from the actual language itself. The Direct Method ruled out the use of the printed word for
as long as possible just as first language learners do not use the printed word until they
have a good grasp of speech. Another important feature of this method is that it put a lot of
stress on correct pronunciation and advocated building oral communication skills.

1.3 The Direct Method Key Features

The prominent features of the Direct Method stay in sharp contrast to the GrammarTranslation Method which for many years remain dominant in the field of foreign language
teaching. Verbal communication, which is regarded as the overriding aim in the Direct
Method was the natural reaction to the needs of

rapid development of trade and

technological progress in the first half of the 20th century. At that time the need for the
direct contact between merchants, scientists, scholars or representatives from other
professions became much more important than analytical approach to the structures
governing a foreign language, precise and accurate translation of classical Latin texts or
philosophical disputes. Casual and spontaneous verbal communication became the most
essential language skill which made the memorized grammar rules or vocabulary items out
of context typical for the Grammar Translation Method seem insignificant.
According to Richards and Rodgers (1986:9-10), the key features of the Direct Method are
that classroom instructions should be provided only in the target language, while everyday
vocabulary and sentences are of prime importance. What is more, communication skills are
built up in question-and-answer exchanges between teachers and students in small classes.
In addition, the meaning of words is communicated through mime and gestures, and
grammar is taught inductively. Furthermore, the acquisition of grammar and translating
skills should be avoided because they involve the application of the students native
language. Richards and Rogers (1986:9-10) also note that in the Direct Method, modelling
and practice are used to teach new points and emphasis is placed on developing
pronunciation abilities. Moreover, both speaking and listening skills are taught firstly, with
reading and writing coming later.

1.4 The Direct Method Typical Techniques

Some of the typical teaching techniques developed in the Direct Method put stress
first of all on conversation and listening and avoided the direct teaching of grammar.
Diane Larsen-Freeman (1986:26-27) specifies detailed descriptions of some common
techniques associated with the Direct Method. These are firstly, the Question and Answer
Exercise: The language was practised using guided repetition, students were asked
questions in the target language and they were supposed to answer them in full sentences.
The second technique is Reading aloud: Students read parts of passages, plays or dialogues
out-loud, with the teacher using gestures, realia or other means to facilitate the
understanding of the words and phrases. Another technique is Student self-correction:
Teachers provide opportunities for students to self correct by the means of questions and
rising intonation. Further techniques include Conversation Practice. Here, teachers ask
students questions containing a particular grammar structure which students are supposed
to understand to answer them correctly. Students then interact with other students questions
using only the target language. In addition, Dictation is advocated: Teachers read a passage
aloud several times at various paces with students writing down what they hear. Another
method approved is Writing: Teachers ask their students to write a paragraph either from
memory or using the reading passage in the lesson as an example. What is more, Fill-inthe-blank Exercises are approved: This technique, widely used in Grammar Translation
Method, is applied in the Direct Method with no explicit grammar rules and all the
vocabulary items are provided in the target language. The final technique discussed by
Diane Larsen-Freeman (1986:26-27) is Map Drawing. This is a listening activity in which
the students are given a map with unnamed geographical features. Their teachers
instructions in the target language make it possible for students to label the map. The
students in turn give the instructions to their teachers to find and complete a posted map.
Diane Larsen-Freeman posits that this is supposed to provide practice in both listening and
speaking skills.

1.5 Summary and Comments

The Direct Method became very popular during the first quarter of the 20 th century,
especially in private language schools in Europe. It was regarded as highly effective in
terms of forming learners who were competent in using the target language
communicatively. What is more, it was considered extremely motivating for students, since
the ability to use the target language immediately meant they felt at ease in it right from the
7

beginning. However, H. Douglas Brown (1994:56) points out that (the Direct Method) did
not take well in public education where the constraints of budget, classroom size, time, and
teacher background made such a method difficult to use. Although by the late 1920's, the
Direct Method went into decline, it provided the basis and paved the way for more
communicative, oral based approaches, namely the Audiolingual and the Callan methods.

1.6 The Audiolingual Method Overview

The Audiolingual Method was developed in the United States during the Second
World War as a response to the demand for rapid acquisition of a foreign language by the
military personnel. The objectives of the Army Specialized Training Programme
commissioned by the US government were for students to acquire communicative
competence in a variety of foreign languages. The Audiolingual Method absorbed many of
the features of the Direct Method, but many principles were different and were based on
the conceptions of language and learning from the fields of descriptive linguistics and
behavioural theory. The latter claimed that certain traits of human beings could be
developed through the system of reinforcement: the proper use of the trait results in the
positive feedback, whereas the improper use causes negative feedback. According to this
theory, learning a language is a process of acquiring a set of appropriate language stimulusresponse chains, a mechanical process of habit forming. The firm grounding in linguistic
and psychological theory (Brown 1994:57) added to the methods credibility and had
some impact on the popularity it held over a long period of time.
Just as in the case of the Direct Method, the most important aim of the Audiolingual
Method was to develop communicative competence in learners. Emphasis was put on
using the target language from the start and thus avoiding the use of the mother tongue in
explaining new words or grammar rules. Another similar aspect was that both methods
placed priority on the development of speaking and listening skills, which were seen as the
basis of the language, with reading and writing coming later. Students were expected to
learn the grammar of the new language not by memorizing rules, but by producing the
language accurately by reacting to stimuli. The stimuli were prompts which would induce
the learners production of particular utterances (Lindsay & Night, 2008:18). The most
effective way to achieve this, it was thought, was for students to be exposed to extensive
repetition and a variety of complex drills.
The underlying goal was to instil the linguistic patterns of the language into the
8

minds of the learners in a way that made responses automatic and habitual.

1.7 The Audiolingual Method - Key Features

The main features of the Audiolingual Method include the presentation of the new
material by the means of dialogues and by using repetitive drills to teach structural
patterns. In addition, correct pronunciation is strongly encouraged from the beginning,
while emphasis and dependence is placed on practice techniques: mimicry, memorization
and pattern drills. What is more, the use of the mother tongue both by the teachers and their
students is discouraged, and great effort is made to make students produce error-free
utterances. Moreover, little or no grammar explanation is provided: Grammar is taught
inductively, and structures which are thought to be simpler are taught before more
complicated ones. Furthermore, drills are the main way the new language is practised,
while successful responses are immediately reinforced and much use is made of language
labs and visual aids.

1.8 The Audiolingual Method Typical Techniques

Diane LarsenFreeman (1986:45-47) provides expanded descriptions of some
common techniques closely associated with the Audiolingual Method. These are Repetition
Drill: Students repeat their teachers model utterances as quickly and accurately as
possible. Chain Drill: Students ask and answer each other questions in a circular way
around the classroom. Question-and-answer Drill: Students are expected to answer or ask
questions very quickly. Use of Minimal Pairs: Teachers choose a pair of words that differ
only in one sound; students are supposed to pronounce and differentiate the two words.
Backward build-up Drill: Teachers break down the line of the dialogue into several parts.
The students repeat a part of the sentence and then expand what they are repeating part by
part until they are able to repeat the whole line. Transformation Drill: Teachers provide the
students with a sentence which they are expected to transform into another sentence; for
example, a question into a statement or sentence in Active Voice, into a sentence in Passive
Voice. Substitution Drill: The students repeat the line from the dialogue which their
teachers have given them, substituting the cue (a word or phrase used by their teachers)
into the line in its proper place. Expansion Drill: The main structure is repeated first, then
students have to put cue phrase in its proper place. This facilitates students to produce
longer utterances bit by bit, gradually achieving fluency.
1.9 Summary and Comments
9

The Audiolingual Method made language teaching possible to large groups of learners.
With large classes , drills are especially important as they maximize student participation.
The emphasis is also put on sentence production, control over grammatical structures and
development of speaking skill. The essential part of the method is highly controlled
practice involving extensive repetition aimed at habit forming. and the communicative
activities only come after a long process of rigid drills and exercises. Learners play a
reactive role by responding to stimuli, and thus have little control over the content, pace or
style of learning. They are not encourage to initiate interaction as this may lead to
mistakes.
Just as in the Direct Method the teachers role is central and active. It is the teacher
who dominates the classroom and models the target language, controls the direction and
the pace of learning, monitors and corrects the learners performance. Not surprisingly the
materials in the Audiolingual Method are primarily teacher-oriented so the teachers book
contains the structured sequence of lessons to be followed, and the dialogues, drills, and
other practice activities.

1.9 Influence of the Direct and Audiolingual Methods on the Callan

Method
Both the Direct and Audiolingual Methods had a profound impact on Robin
Callan's method of teaching English as a foreign language. Basically the most important
feature which was incorporated in the Callan Method and comes directly from the two
methods is advocating building oral communication skills. Students learning according to
the rules of the Callan Method are expected to produce the target language immediately
and this is precisely what the rules of the Direct and Audiolingual Methods were. The
Callan Method relies heavily on the theory of language inspired by the behavioural
psychology as it was in the case of the Audiolingual Method. Language, according to this
theory, is a system of rule-governed structures hierarchically arranged. Learning is defined
as a habit formation and the skills are learned more effictively if oral prceeds written. The
activity types preferred by this approach are: dialogues and drills, repetition and
memorization, pattern practice. The learner is directed by skilled training techniques to
produce correct responses. The teacher then, just as in both discussed methods, has a
central role, provides a model, controls the direction and the pace. Just as the Direct
Method ruled out the use of the printed word for as long as possible the Callan Method is
10

governed by the rule that the student is supposed to listen to the teacher's questions and
answer them and look into the book only for checking dictations or do the reading passages
but never read the questions from the book if the teacher asks them.
In the Callan Method the new material is presented in the form of qeuestion-answer
technique , very much similar to the dialogue form in the Audiolingual Method. Similarly,
there is dependence on the memorization of set phrases, ' overlearning' caused by constant
repetition, so vital in the Audiolingual Method,which also is an important element of the
Callan Method. Other important common points include attaching great importance to
pronunciation as the teacher in the Callan Method classes is supposed to correct his
students on the spot and he demands all the time correct utterences. Thus, successful
responses are immediately reinforced and there is great effort to get students to produce
error-free utterances. However, one of the features taken from the Direct and Audiolingual
Methods which seem to be rather negative and will be discussed in the next chapter is a
tendency to manipulate the language and disregard the content. The problems that it
presents are obvious. Students very often find the questions nd answers in the Callan
Method artificial, and they actually cannot use them in everyday situations.

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Chapter II
The Callan Method
2.1 Introduction
This chapter focuses on the Callan Method, which evolved around the Direct and
Audiolingual Methods discussed in the previous chapter. First the origins and the
background of the method will be examined. It will be followed by the presentation of the
basic concepts of the method, teaching aids and materials and the lesson structure with the
emphasis on the teachers and students roles in the process of learning. The chapter will
also concentrate on the strengths and weaknesses of using this method as a way of teaching
English as a foreign language.

2.2 Background
Robin Callan created his method on the basis of his teaching experience in Italy in
1950s. He went there to teach English in one of the Berlitz schools and underwent a twoday training course after which he taught English to a group of Italians for over six months.
During this period he realised that that the Berlitz method did not reach the goals it
promised to its students and he also found out that other methods did not work out well
with Italian students. His reflections lead him to the conclusion that a more effective
method of teaching English to foreigners should be developed. At first he intended to write
a coursebook for teaching English using the Direct Method but then he decided that he
would open his own school where he would practise and develop his own method. He
opened his school in Salerno, Milan and finally set up an office at 62 Oxford Street with
the intention of training teachers and sending themto language schools abroad. Eventually
the office turned into a school that a few years later moved to 139 Oford Street where it
exists to the present day attracting a considerable number of students every year. It took
Robin Callan another fifteen years to complete the works on his method. During this time
on the request of the Duke of Edinburgh the mehod was evaluated and inspected by David
Hicks, a member of the English Speaking Union and then by Professor David Morgan, the
Inspector of Schools on behalf of the British Council who provided a very favourable
report on the Callan Method. Robin Callan published his method in a book which provided
instructions for both teachers and students and it stated that an average student can learn
English in a quarter of a normal time ( which
12became Callan's motto) , however , this can

be achieved only when the teacehr is guided by established rules.

The Callan Method quickly became popular in Britain and in many European
countries. It gained popularity in Poland in 1990s and it continues to attract many students
at all levels.

2.3 Basic concepts and the structure of the lesson and the course
The most important slogan of the Callan Method and its advertising slogan
is:'English in a quarter of time'.Most of Polish schools adopted this slogan as Uczymy
angielskiego cztery razy szybciej'. According to the brochure distributed by the biggest
Callan Method school in London it takes the average beginner student, studying 3 hours a
week, at the average private shool throughout the world , about 350 hours (the equivalent
of four academic years) to reach the level the Cambridge Preliminary exam. The authors of
the brochure (sadly, unsigned) claim that an average Callan Method student is able to reach
that level in a mere 80 hours (the equivalent of one academic year) and, surprisingly , the
Method gets him to the Cambridge First Certificate in 160 hours (two academic years)
compared to the 700 hours (eight academic years) taken by other methods.
Since the numbers given might look impossible, the Callan Method schools give
every student a written guarantee that, if they fail the Cambridge exams , or any other
exams at the same level, in the number of hours the school predicts, they will give them
free lessons until they are successful. Moreover, schools using the Callan Method maintain
that 95 per cent of their students pass the Cambridge First Certificate compared with 70 per
cent result achieved by schools using other methods.
The essence of the Callan Method is top speed of speaking. The teacher asks
students a series of questions which students must answer correctly. During the lesson the
teacher speaks very quickly all the time. According to the Method the teacher is supposed
to say 200-240 words a minute which is more than is uttered in an average conversation
when the number ranges from 150 to 180 words. This means that the average Callan
Method student hears about 12 600 words an hour which is about four times more than in a
traditional class. Each question is asked twice and the teacher points to a person who is
expected to answer it. Even if the student cannot answer the quesrion because he does not
understand it or he does not know the answer to it the teacher has to prompt the student by
giving him the first words of the answer or even the whole answer with the student
repeating it word for word. If , on the other hand, the student understands the answer and
starts answering immediately the teacher nevertheless echoes this answer. Every single
13

mistakes the student makes is corrected on the spot. The teacher has to speak all the time
without making any pauses, for example:
'Do you speak English well? No, I don't speak English well but I speak it well enough.
Are you tall enough to touch the ceiling? No, I'm not tall enouhg to touch the ceiling'
As can be seen from the above example students are forced to give answers only in
the long form, they must not use any short forms as , according to the Method , in this way
they are encouraged to speak as much as possible and they practise their pronunciation all
the time.
Each 'question and answer' pattern is repeated at least three times in order to
exercise and practise the vocabulary items or the grammar structures. The students have to
be concentrated all the time both because of the high speed at which the questions are
asked and also because the teacher asks the students at random. The student even if he only
listens to other student's answers still learns by listening, according to the Method.
The first of the two 50-minute long lessons is usually devoted to revising the
material from the previous lessons. The number of revisions and the moment of passing on
to the new material depends on the teacher's assessement of how strong the group is.
During this part each question is asked only once , while during the next part each question
and answer is repeated at least three times and every new question is asked to different
students. The second lesson is sometimes broken to give the dictation which students check
themselves and then give the number of mistakes to the teacher. Another moment when the
usual procedure changes is when the students do the reading part, that is they open their
books and read, one by one , the questions and answers from the book. But even then the
teacher is supposed to repeat the sentences read out loud but the students and correct their
mistakes. The interesting thing is that there is no homework given to the students because ,
according to the Callan Method , there are enough revisions for the students to master the
language items and memorize all the words and structures.
The whole course is divided into 12 stages , each of them introducing and
practising in the form of question-answer pattern 250 words. After each stage students take
an exam which is divided into three parts :40 Yes/No questions , 40 words read out loud by
the teacher with the students putting down the meaning in their mother-tongue, and the
dictation. The pattern of the exam remains the same after ech stage . The maximum
number of marks a studnet can get is 100, 40 marks for the first and the second part and 20
14

for the dictation.

2.4 The teacher's and student's roles in the process of learning

The teacher' role in the Callan Method is central and of upmost importance. Apart
from unnatural speed of asking questions which is , especially at the beginning, a
considerable effort he cannot on any occasion allow himself to have a break or simply
have a moment of thought. The teacher has to stand all the time during the lesson and even
the instructions of where and how his book should be placed are carefully described in the
teacher's handbook provided for him. The only brief moments when he can be silent is
when the students check their dictations for mistakes. Otherwise he is expected to speak
constantly from the very moment he enters the classroom. Even when the student is
answering or reading correctly , the teacher should say every other word to keep the rest of
the students awake and their attention centred on him. As the Handbook puts it ' He is the
star performer and shoul make the students aware of his presence the whole time'.
Apart from the fast pace of speaking which the teacher has to pay attention to he
also is excpected to be aware of other aspects of the lesson. While asking the questions he
also has to accompany some of them with actions, especially on revision. Whenever there
is such a possibility the teacher has to pretend to perform the action (like cutting bread, for
example, or lifting his book when he is asking the question with the word 'rise' in it) or
when he introduces the nouns he points to the objects in the class ( a wall, a picture, a
ceiling). The teacher in the Callan Method has to be energetic, friendly and is supposed to
move all the time in order to keep the interest of his students. Another interesting point is
that under no circumstances can the teacher use the blackboard as it is a waste of time. He
can only use Demonstration Charts in order to facilitate the meaning of some words.
The student in the Callan Method is expected to be attentive all the time in the
course of the lesson and try to the best of his abilities to answer the teacher's questions.
Even if he does not understand the question he should repeat word for word the answer
provided for him by the teacher. He is alowed to ask question only related to the Callan
Method itself, and even these are welcomed outside the clasroom after the lesson, certainly
not during it. The student should not try to give his own interpretation of the version in the
book or to change the word order. Everything he says has to be exactly as it is in the book.
Not a single word should be change as it would be the violation of the Method.

15

2.5 The materials used in the Callan Method

The Callan Method schools use books created only for this method, and they have
been published for restricted use only in an unchanged form since 1963. This means that
thay cannot be purchased in any bookshop in any country. The Student's and the Teacher's
books are very similar to each other as they contain the same set of questions and answers.
Each book is divided into two stages. The only differences between the two are the size
and that the Teacher's book has the test at the end of each stage. The book itself is very
simple and unattractive visually when compared to typical coursebooks used in other
schools. It does not contain any pictures , there is only the question-answer pattern ,
interrupted by new words given in bold type, accompanied by their Polish equivalents and
dictations after one, or sometimes two lessons. The material that accompanies this most
essential element of the Callan Method course is the Chart Book containing Demonstration
Cards with pictures or numbers which illustrate few chosen vocabulary items from the
book. Just as the Stuedent's or the Teacher's Books the charts have not changed since the
early 1960s.

2.6 The strengths and weaknesses of the Callan Method

As it was pointed earlier the Callan Method aims at teaching English at a very
quick pace , uncomparable to any other method, using a simple question-answer technique.
No accompanying materials are used except for the Chart Book and even this is used
sporadically. The students is supposed to answer the teacher's questions word for word
while the teacher has to impose the fast pace constantly and not let even a single break
come up during the lesson. The fact that the Callan Method relies on the dynamic, fastpaced repetition is very valuable as it is important to revise vocaulary items no matter what
the method. The Latin proverb 'Repetitio est mater studiorum' is still true nowadays and
can be applied not only to language learning. It is especially important for low achievers or
students who simply do not have time to study at home as one of the Method's rule says
not to give homework. Moreover, the high speed of the lesson is extremely appropriate for
beginners who are likely to translate and think in their mother tongue . There is no time for
that in the Callan Method. Another important positive aspect is the efficient organisation of
the lesson. Both the teacher and the student know what the lesson looks like from the very
first second , so no single minute is wasted on unnecessary things distracting students from
learning. Also, a student feels safe when he is accompanied by the teacher who provides
16

him with the answer so it is easier for many shy people to overcome the barrier of speaking
in a foreign language. The friendly atmosphere between the teacher and the students is also
not to be disregarded as it always facilitates the learning process. Last but not least , the
written guarantee given by the Callan Method schools is an important and very tempting
factor.
There are , however, some points which a lot of Callan Method students are
dissatisfied with. One of them is that through intensive repetition and memorization of
language patterns and forms both students and teachers can see immediate effects at first
but students realize after some time that they are unable to produce any new or
spontaneous utterances . They would like to have more freedom in creating their own
sentences. Besides, the explanation of some grammar points in the Callan Method books
seems to be overcomplicated, and not much of a use in everyday situations. For example:
'What's the difference between 'still' and 'yet'?
The difference between 'still' and 'yet' is that we use 'still' for something that is in progress
at the moment , whilst we use 'yet' for something that has not begun or happened. Still
we use in positive sentences, whilst 'yet' we generally use in interrogative and negative
sentences.
Such longish explanations of the grammar points are very hard to memorize, let
alone they will never be used in real life. Even if the students are able to repeat the long
and complicated answers of the grammar questions they do not have an opportunity to use
them in life-like situations. The lack of independent and creative utterances and the
grammar rules introduced in a complicated way without practising them in everyday
situations are definitely the main drawbacks of the Callan Method.
Although the Callan Method has both its enthusiasts and opponents in the field of
English language teaching and despite its obvious drawbacks it nevertheless continues to
attract many students in Poland. Its main slogan 'English in the quarter of the time' is
powerful enough to appeal to those who are eager to master the English language. The
slogan might be treated as a catch-phrase but breaking the barriers in speaking (especially
among adults) and feeling at ease while speaking in a foreign language is undoubtedly a
great value of the Callan Method. This psychological aspect connected with the high speed
of conducting the lesson , which creates the atmosphere of very quick language
acquisition, makes it appealing for those who appreciate both the effectiveness and the
17

apparent advantage of the Method. Taking into consideration the strengths of the Callan
Method discussed in the previous chapter but also the demands for introducing some
necessary changes including the elements of communicative approach I would like to
suggest introducing some elements which , while retaining the Method's basic rules, would
also bring in some creativeness into the learning using the Callan Method.
My suggested exercises and activities will be based on the Callan Method but they
will also put much more stress on students' creativeness and will let them learn how to
react in the situations unfamiliar to them . Those activities and exercises are in accordance
with the survey done among the students of one of the Callan Method schools. Those extra
activities obviously require changing the roles of both the student and the teacher as the
teacher will become only a monitoring agent, also giving corrections and advice. At the
same time the student's own involvement will be strengthened. I hope that the additional
elements introduced to the Callan Method lessons will be beneficial for the students giving
them more opportunities to speak creatively.

18

Chapter III
The Practical Part
3.1 Study aims
The purpose of this study is to check and measure if enriching the Callan Method
by adding certain grammar exercises and communicative activities based on the grammar
previously explained can help students to improve their language skills and motivate them
into further learning.
There has been a group of twelve adult learners aged between 25 and 40 years old
with one student who is over 50. Unlikely other groups taught by means of the Callan
Method in which a large number of students resign after a few months of learning for
several reasons the group has shared a very significant interest in learning so far.
Additionally, the group consists of almost the same students learning together from
the beginning of the course which can be considered as an exception as compared with
other Callan Method groups. That is why their low motivation and less satisfactory exam
results that have been observed recently can lead to the assumption that including some
additional grammar exercises with its explanation in students native language followed by
communicative activities based on the explained material may facilitate the process of
learning.
Moreover, during the experiment which lasted for from September 2010 until
January 2011 other questions appeared : The course book provides a lot of grammar
questions preceded by their explanation in English and since the beginning and the end of
each single lesson called ask him a question requires interaction between students, so,
maybe doing something additional in the course is not necessary and will turn out to be a
waste of the teachers time? Maybe the students will not be interested in activities which
are not in the book, so that can be viewed as not necessary and irrelevant to the
curriculum.
The final aim will be an attempt to answer the following question: Can additional
grammar exercises preceded by explanation in the students mother tongue and followed
by relevant communicative activities , based on friendly atmosphere and cooperation lead
to better acquisition of English which could be measured by satisfactory results during the
tests?
19

3.2 Participants
There was one group of adult students taking part in this experiment. The group
consists of twelve participants aged between 25 and 40 with one student 50 years old.
There are eight women and four men. They attend English classes twice a week in two 50minute long sessions. The lessons begin at 6 p.m. and finish at 7.30 p.m.
The group was established according to the students declarations that they had
never studied English before. However, during the first month of the course it turned out
that three of the students were actually false beginners and soon became the best students
in the group.
There are five students, three women and two men who, according to Nunans
(1991) categorization of the L2 learners, share the features of analytical and
communicative learners. They like studying grammar, finding their own mistakes and
asking the teacher for explanation certain grammar points during the breaks, when it is the
only time when they are allowed to do so. The students are really keen on speaking, they
enjoy the part of the lesson ask him a question. What is more, they are capable of creating
quite interesting and sophisticated questions.
There are three very week students in the group. As their level of English is much
lower than the rest of the class, they do not like grammar questions and parts of the
lessons devoted to reading which show their problems with understanding even simple
sentences. However they quite like answering the questions and writing the dictations ,
probably because they can prepare themselves to those activities beforehand.
Although the group could be considered as a strong and highly motivated, after a
few months of the course it has nevertheless been observed that the level of motivation has
decreased. The same observation was shared by other teachers conducting the lessons with
the group. What is more, the students lower motivation, disappointment began to lead to
the higher rate of absences which in turn resulted in less satisfactory exam results.
The group course book at present is The Callan Method Book 3 published by
Orchard Publishing Ltd. It is the continuation of Books 1 and 2 courses which were
successfully completed by the students.
According to the author of the Method using the book can guarantee an excellent
result with virtually every student . It involves no homework, it is easy, interesting and
pleasant to use. It is suitable for students of all ages and for all purposes of study. It
requires no equipment , not even a blackboard or other books and can be used for any size
of class. (Teachers Book 3 , 2003)
20

The Method states that at this level an average student has already mastered
approximately 1200 words in the form of question-answer technique.

3.3 Description of the study

The study has been based on the presumption that if we want to measure the
influence of something there need to be certain aspects considered. The relevance of this
study depends on how well different stages are prepared and conducted.
The whole experiment took three months, from September 2010 to January 2011. In
September the group was taught according to the rules of the Method and was subject to
the usual procedures proposed there. During the period the group dynamics was observed
and the results of that initial observations are described further in the chapter.
Next, the group was exposed to the questionnaire which aimed at determining the
students attitudes towards learning by means of the Callan Method. After that the group
underwent Stage Exam 4 (See: Appendix 1), whose results, together with the comments,
are presented.
During the whole period of the research the group was exposed to two stage exam
tests and the scores of both of them: Stage Exam 4 and Stage Exam 5 were taken into
consideration in this study as the most significant to measure the process of acquiring new
knowledge by the group. All of them were proposed by the authors of the Teachers Book (
Teachers Book 3, 2003) and were the same in form. Stage Exam 4 (See: Appendix 1) was
conducted at the end of September while Stage Exam 5 (See: Appendix 2) took place at the
end of January. During this period students involvement in the lessons was observed with
the aim of checking if there was a relation between my work on improving students
acquisition and performance within the group and the results of the tests which the group
was exposed to.
Stage Exam 4 section is devoted to describing the results of the questionnaire the
students underwent at the beginning of the experiment which are discussed and the
conclusions are taken into consideration while presenting the students achievements in
Stage Exam 4.
Stage Exam 5 section presents the teachers work on introducing certain grammar
exercises preceded by sufficient explanation of the grammar rules and followed by some
communicative activities which aimed at putting theory into practice. The section finishes
with the results of the survey carried out among the students after they were exposed to the
additional exercises and activities.
21

3.4 Results and Discussion

This section seems by far the most essential part of the whole project as it deals
with the realisation of the objectives and the summary of the study stage. It consists of two
parts : Stage Exam 4 and Stage Exam 5 sections mentioned previously.
Another step leading to the completion of the research is the comparison of the
results of the students questionnaires and the scores of the exams. The study section is
finished by the description of the students and teachers personal feelings concerning the
usefulness of enriching the Callan Method with additional grammar and communicative
activities.

3.4.1 Stage Exam 4 section

This section was spread through September 2010 and finished at the beginning of
October. During that period the group was taught on the basis of The Callan Book 2 , stage
4. At the end of the stage the students were exposed to the questionnaire which aimed at
determining the attitudes towards learning by means of the Callan Method. It should be
remembered at this point that the questionnaire was given to a group of adult students not
only attending the classes for almost two years but also paying for their education and
aware of their language needs. That is why it was decided to prepare the questionnaire in
the students native language in order to receive the most viable and extensive answers.
The Students questionnaire
1. Do you take part in the lessons willingly? If not, why?
2. Which elements of the lesson do you like the most?
3. Which elements of the lesson you dont like and why?
4. What would like to change ?
The answers and comments provided by the students led to several conclusions.

Although the majority of the students (ten out of twelve) claimed that they
attended the classes willingly they produced quite a few comments on their
feelings towards learning by means of the Callan Method at this stage, that is, as
mentioned before, after almost two years.
First of all, they complained about predictability of each single lesson which
began to cause boredom mainly due to too many repetitions of the previous
22

material. Seven out of twelve students admitted, however, that they were aware of
the fact that repetitions are the core element of the Method.
What is more, the next demotivating factor was the grammar issues. Ten out of
twelve students claimed them to be more and more incomprehensible. It should be
mentioned here that all the grammar points are introduced by providing the
students with the rules which are repeated in the question-answer form.
Moreover, unlike stages 1, 2 and 3 , stages four and five introduce a lot of
grammar material such as tenses, which can be difficult for the students.
Finally, all of the students emphasised the lack of creativeness as the most
discouraging element of their learning process. It appeared that they were getting
frustrated by being forced to repeating certain phrases without a possibility to
express their own feelings. One of the students even compared himself to a parrot
producing ready-made utterances without giving them much thought.

As far as the second question is concerned the majority of students (nine out of
twelve) indicated Ask him a question and open questions as the most enjoyable
and useful elements of the lesson. They claimed that they like to be given a chance
to speak freely and express their thoughts and opinions.

The answers to the third question led to the conclusion that the grammar questions
appeared to be the most demotivating elements of the lesson. As mentioned before
the more difficult and complicated the grammar material was the less
comprehensible it became, which in turn resulted in decreasing the level of
motivation.
Apart from the above mentioned problem, several students pointed to reading and
dictation as elements not important and irrelevant to their learning. They described
reading part as dull and repetitive since they had to read previously taught
questions and answers together with the teacher who set the pace (usually at high
level) and corrects the pronunciation to fast. The students found the dictations
irrelevant mainly because they were artificial and the sentences were put together
at random.

The comments and opinions expressed in the answers to the fourth question as it
was meant summed up the students language needs. The changes suggested by the
students concerned giving the students more freedom while answering questions,
not only at the ask him a question stage but also during the lesson. They wanted
to exchange some of the questions, e.g. If you dropped from the top of a very high
23

building would you kill yourself? to more practical and useful in everyday
situations.
Bearing in mind that students had already expressed their dissatisfaction with the
way they were exposed to certain aspects of grammar rules, it was not surprising
that they expected a different approach to this issue. Seven out of twelve students
proposed explaining the grammar rules in Polish and introducing some grammar
exercises while five students suggested using grammar in a situational context.
Apart from the extensive information gathered from the students answers there was
also a lot of additional information about their opinion on some aspects of the Method. It
appeared that the students liked teachers punctuality, the pace of the lesson and nice and
friendly atmosphere at school. As for the exams they respected the rules (e.g.no cheating,
each exam can be retaken only once) and the necessity of changing the group due to the
learners very good or very bad performance. The students were satisfied with the way
their achievements were monitored by the head teacher.
The students also provided quite a lot of information about the teachers. They liked
their positive attitude towards learners, their professionalism and the appearance (a suit and
a tie) . It seemed that being taught by many teachers wasnt a problem for majority of the
students, they even appreciated teachers speaking with different accents. What is more , the
students enjoyed having to stay alert during the lesson as according to the Method the
teacher chose students at random to answer his questions.
At the beginning of October the group was exposed to Exam 4. As stated before the
exam was proposed by the authors of the Teachers Book corresponding the course book
the students were learning from. It covered all the linguistic material which should have
been acquired after completing Stage 4 from the course book.
Just like the previous exams Exam4 consisted of three parts. The maximum score of
the whole paper was 100 marks and the passing grade was 60 marks. Part One was devoted
to Yes/No questions, which were the combination of grammar and lexical items from the
Stage 4. Part Two was aimed to check the students knowledge of vocabulary and in Part
Three expected to write a dictation on the basis of the material covered in Stage 4.
The mean score of the group gained in Stage Exam 4 was 57,70% which in
comparison to Stage Exam 1 (74,28%) Stage Exam 2 (69,90%) and Stage Exam 3
(67,43%) indicated that the students performance was deteriorating. As for the students
24

impressions after the test they marked the grammar part as the most difficult in comparison
to vocabulary and writing which were described as quite easy. That view is well congruent
with the answers and comments the students provided to the questionnaire.

3.4.2 Stage Exam 5 section

This stage was spread from October 2010 to January 2011 and was devoted to
introduction of certain grammar and communicative activities in order to help the students
to improve their skills. It finished with Exam 5
According to the curriculum of Stage 5 the most important grammar structures to be
covered during this period were the Present Perfect and the Future Simple tenses, which
were to be introduced according to the suggestions from the Teachers Book, i.d. by the
teachers reading the rules, later by the students individual repetitions in the questionanswer form. That seemed not to be enough to reinforce the students awareness of
grammar and enable them to answer the exam questions correctly. It must be emphasized
at this point that the grammar and vocabulary questions repeated during the course differ
from those which the students are exposed to during the exam.
Bearing in mind this fact it has been decided to introduce some grammar exercises
based on the two tenses mentioned before which were preceded by extensive explanation
of the rules in Polish and followed by several communicative activities coherent with the
discussed material. Additionally, because of the need to revise several vocabulary items
which could be difficult for the students to memorize those items were under consideration
while preparing the exercises.
All the students agreed willingly to take part in the experiment.
The first step leading to completing the study aims was preparing four lessons which
were not conducted according to the rules of the Callan Method. Each lesson took place
right after the regular Callan Method class and was meant to be the extension of the
material. Lesson 1 was devoted to the explanation of the rules of the Present Perfect tense
and putting theory into practice, Lesson 2 consisted of communicative activities revising
the material from the Lesson 1. Similarly, Lesson 3 aimed at explaining and practicing the
usage of the Future Simple tense with Lesson 4 dealing with communicative activities
based on the material previously taught.

25

Lesson 1
After extensive explanation of the rules of the Present Perfect tense done in Polish
with the usage of the whiteboard, which is unacceptable during a typical Callan Method
lesson, the students were allowed to ask questions so as to facilitate the understanding of
the discussed grammar issue.
Next, the students were given handouts with exercises on the Present Perfect tense
which they were expected to do individually or in pairs within the time limit. They were
encouraged to cooperate and use English as frequently as possible during the work with the
teacher monitoring their progress. At the end of each task there was a feedback session
during which the correctness of the exercise was checked and the students were allowed to
ask the teacher for further explanation.
Exercise 1 (Pair work)
You are writing a letter to a friend and giving news about people you both know.
Use the words given to make sentences and put the verb in the Present Perfect form.
Example: Phil (find) a new job. Phil has found a new job.
Dear Chris,
Lots of things have happened since I last wrote to you.
1.

Charles (go) to Brazil. Charles..................................................

2.

Jack and Jill (decide) to get married. Jack and Jill..

3.

Susan (have) a baby boy. Susan..

4.

Monica (give up) smoking. Monica

5.

George (pass) his driving test. George

(based on Murphy R.:English Grammar in Use, Cambridge, 1992)

Exercise 2 (pair work)
Read the situation and then write a suitable sentence. Use the verb given.
Example : Tom is looking for his key. He cant find it. (lose)
He has lost his key.
1. David was here 10 minutes ago. Now he is in bed. (go)
He
2. Yesterday Robert was playing basketball. Today his leg is in plaster.
(break)
Robert ..
26

3. Mary smoked a lot. Now she doesnt. (stop)

Mary .
4. Viola was pregnant. She has a beautiful baby now. (have)
Viola
5. The light in the living-room was off. Now it is on. (turn on)
James ..

Exercise 3
Put the sentences in the negative
Example
I have heard of George Washington many times.
I havent heard of George Washington many times.
1. My parents have lived in Chelm for a long time.
They
2. Peter has had a driving license since 2001.
He .
3. I have seen Avatar this week.
I .
4. My boyfriend has gone to London.
He ..
5. Andy has lost his wallet.
He ...
Exercise 4
Ask your friend questions beginning with Have you ever..?
Example
(Liverpool) Have you ever been to Liverpool?
1. you/ever/lose/your ID card?
2. you/ever/try/sky-jumping?
3. you/ever/be/to Tunisia?
4. you/speak/to a famous person?
5. you/drive/a Porsche?
Exercise 5 Make questions according to the given pattern.
Example
27

John has gone to France. Where has John gone?

1. Mark and Lis have been married for 5 years. How long.?
2. The Wilsons have bought a cottage in Cornwall. What..?
3. J.K.Rowling

has

written

ten

books.

How

many

..?
4. I

have

been

to

England

seven

times.

How

many

times.?
5. Mark

has

met

Linda

today.

Who

..?
Lesson 2
This lesson was devoted to practicing the Present Perfect Tense through
communicative activities. The students worked in pairs or groups creating short dialogues
on the basis of the clues provided by the teacher. The students were supposed to use
English as much as possible and they were encouraged to use some elements of drama like
miming, gestures etc.
Activity 1
Students practice the Present perfect and Past Simple Tenses with question prompts, such
as Have you ever (See: Appendix ). The teacher copies and cuts out one sheet per group
three or four students. Before he makes copies he personalizes the activity by writing two
questions relevant to students everyday life, for example Have you ever eaten anything at
your local restaurant? together with some follow-up questions Which one? When ? Who
with ?What? . The students are then going to do a survey. They must move around asking
the question on their card to all the other students in their group. If somebody answers
Yes, I have, then they ask the second question. The students are reminded that they must
put the verb into the past participle form. The activity ends with the feedback session.
Activity 2
Students ask each other questions about experiences and try to find out if their partner is
telling the truth or not. (See: Appendix ) Students are put in pairs and they are given the
sheets A and B with questions. Students are supposed not to see each others questions.
Then they are given some time to complete the questions with the past participle and check
answers. The teacher demonstrates the activity by getting one student to ask him one of
28

their questions, for example Have you ever won a cup or a medal? The teacher answers
Yes, I have. Then the student continues asking more questions with the teacher answering
with the truth or invented details. Finally, the teacher asks the students to guess if his story
was true or not. Students take turns to ask and answer. They should write T (true) and F
(false) after each answer. When students have finished, they compare their sheets and see
whether they guessed right. The teacher then gets feedback from some of the pairs.
Lesson 3
Similarly to Lesson 1 the students were provided with the explanation of the rules
of the Future Simple tense done in their mother tongue and they were allowed to air any
doubts or problems with understanding the issue. Afterwards they were given the handouts
with the grammar exercises they were supposed to do in pairs trying to stick to the time
limit given by the teacher. Each exercise was completed with the feedback session in order
to check the answers and let the students ask the teacher for some further explanation.
Exercise 1
Complete the sentences with will/wont and these verbs. Use contractions.
snow not pass

win

rain

take

can

be(2) not finish

need

not like

1. -Do you think it..?

-No, it isnt cold enough. But I think it
2. Come on. You late for school.
3. -We .. the painting today.
-Youre right. It . dark in half an hour.
4. You need to do more work or you . Your exams.
5. You . play again in six weeks, but you to
be careful.
6. They . this new Steven Spielberg film . Its a complete
disaster.
7. We . the 6.30 train.
8. Im sure they the football match tonight.
Exercise 2
Match the sentences.
1. Its cold in here.

A Ill help you to do it.

2. Im thirsty.

B Shall I make you a sandwich?

29

3. I have a headache.

C Shall I carry one for you?

4. This exercise is hard.

D Ill lend you some money.

5. Im hungry

E Ill send it by e-mail now.

6. I left my wallet at home.

F Shall I shut the window?

7. I need that photo urgently.

G Shall I turn off the music?

8. These bags are very heavy.

H Ill get you a glass of water.

Exercise 3
Read the sentences 1-12 and match them to predictions a-l. Complete the predictions with
will/wont . Use the verbs in brackets.
1. Theres a new drinks machine in the office.
2. Shes going to live in France for a year.
3. I broke one of my mums best glasses.
4. Were going to get tickets for the concert tonight.
5. The teacher isnt going to be here tomorrow.
6. My brother is going to sell his flat in London.
7. Im going to stop smoking.
8. Shes going to buy another mobile phone.
9. My son has a degree in Computer Science.
10. Im going on a walking holiday in Scotland.
11. Im taking my driving test tomorrow.
12. Im going to see Terminator5 tonight.

a. They very expensive. (be)

b. Dont worry. You .. (pass)
c. She .. probably . it, just like the other two .
(lose)
d. She . speaking French fluently. (come back)
e. You it. Its very violent.
f. The coffee .. very good.
g. You much healthier. (feel)
h. She .. furious. (be)
30

i. Im sure he .. a good job. (get)

j. He a lot of money for it. (get)
k. It every day . (rain)
l. Great! So we the exam! (not have)
Lesson 4
The aim of Lesson 4 was to get the students to use the Future Simple tense in
communicative activities. They worked in pairs and were exposed to tasks in which they
had to use the target language in dialogues created on the basis of the clues provided by the
teacher. Again, just like in Lesson 2 the use of drama elements like miming or gestures was
welcome.
Activity 1
Students practice making positive and negative predictions. They are given one
copy of the exercise per pair (See: Appendix ) The teacher goes through sentences 1-10 in
You say section and the responses. For example:
We are having a party in the garden. Im sure youll have a great time / Itll rain.
The teacher divides students in pairs into A and B. Students A are to read the situations
(miming and gestures here are much welcome) and students B react giving the optimistic
responses. When exercise is finished the rules change. This time students B read the same
situations and students A react giving the negative response. The teacher monitors students
work and helps them if necessary. They are encouraged to use as much English as possible.
In the feedback session the whole group decides which answers, positive or negative,
sound more natural.
Activity 2
The aim of the activity is to practice offers and promises. The students are given
one copy of the activity per pair which is cut into A and B (See: Appendix ). Students A
and B should not see each others sheets. The teacher demonstrates the activity by taking
the part of student A. He reads out the first sentence , for example Ive got a terrible
headache.

And tells student B to respond using Ill or Shall I plus the verb. If the Bs

response is not correct he encourages the student to try again. When the exercise is finished
the students
are asked to repeat the activity responding from memory.
31

At the end of January the group was exposed to Exam 5 (See: Appendix ). As stated
before the exam was proposed by the authors of the Teachers Book corresponding the
course book the students were learning from. It covered all the linguistic material which
should have been acquired after completing Stage 5 from the course book and enriched by
the additional grammar and communicative activities prepared by the teacher.
Just like the previous exams Exam 5 consisted of three parts. The maximum score of the
whole paper was 100 marks and the passing grade was 60 marks. Part One was devoted to
Yes/No questions, which were the combination of grammar and lexical items from the
Stage 5. Part Two was aimed to check the students knowledge of vocabulary and in Part
Three the students were expected to write a dictation on the basis of the material covered in
Stage 5.
The mean score of the group gained in Stage Exam 5 was 64% which in
comparison to Stage Exam 4 (57,70%) indicated that the students performance was
improving. The majority of students (10 out of twelve) answered correctly those grammar
questions which were similar in form to the phrases which appeared in additional
exercises. As for the students impressions after the test they considered the grammar part
as less difficult in comparison to the grammar part in Exam 4; vocabulary and writing parts
were described as quite easy. That view is well in line with the answers and comments the
students provided in the questionnaire given at the end of the experiment.
The questionnaire consisted of three questions:
1. Did you enjoy the additional exercises and activities?
2. Did you find them helpful in your learning process?
3. Would you like to break the rules of the Callan Method and include similar
activities in the next stages of the course?

In answer to the first question all of the students expressed a very positive attitude
towards taking part in additional activities and exercises. Eight out of twelve
students that it was a nice change comparing to the lesson entirely based on the
course book, six out of the students mentioned movement as the most enjoyable
part of the communicative activities (It should be reminded here that according to
the Callan Method students are sitting still in the circle and each lesson takes fifty
minutes), ten students liked speaking English most of the time in real life
situations.

32

In answer to question 2 ten out twelve students stated that explaining the grammar
rules in Polish facilitated the understanding of the grammar much better than
before. According to them the grammar exercises provided by the teacher were of
great help. What is more, the students claimed that they learned certain phrases
from communicative activities faster and more effectively as they und such phrases
useful in real life situations.

As for the last question in which the students were to decide if they wanted to
break the rules of the Method all of them were in favour of participating in
communicative and grammar activities as frequently as possible.

All of these answers can be assumed as very rewarding for both: the Callan Method and
the teacher

3.4.3 The Discussion

The main objectives of this thesis was to check and measure if introducing certain
additional grammar exercises preceded by explanation in the students mother tongue and
followed by relevant communicative activities , based on friendly atmosphere and
cooperation can lead to better acquisition

of English which could be measured by

satisfactory results during the tests. Concentrating on the final objective by means of the
mean scores of the tests undertaken by the students at the beginning and at the end of the
experiment it can be stated that the students improved their performance by 6.3 %. The
result, although not as extremely satisfying as it could be, showed that the students
benefited from it. Focusing on the skills which were tested during the exams, additional
grammar and communicative activities helped the students not only to develop
communication but also grammar and vocabulary.
Finally, there was one more question which appeared during the study. It was
connected with the fact that the course book provides a lot of grammar questions preceded
by their explanation in English and since the beginning and the end of each single lesson
called ask him a question requires interaction between students, so, maybe doing
something additional in the course is not necessary and will turn out to be a waste of the
teachers time? Maybe the students will not be interested in activities which are not in the
book, so that can be viewed as not necessary and irrelevant to the curriculum. According
to my observations including some additional grammar and communicative activities
proved to be very beneficial for the students as it broke the monotony of the conventional
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Callan Method classes. Moreover, it seems that even the most attractive method becomes
less and less attractive after two years of studying more and more difficult material. Such
lessons provided the kind of necessary spice , something new, enjoyable and beneficial
which appealed to all kinds of learners.
To conclude, the project can be referred as an successful attempt to improve the
Callan Method and helped the students to acquire English not only better but also in an
interesting and enjoyable way.

Conclusions
Having started thinking about the topic of my thesis I knew it had to deal with the
field of my interest and my experience in teaching English using the Callan Method. The
choice of the subject resulted from my observations of the classes taught by the means of
this method.
Forming the objectives I was not sure how they, along with the already established ,
strict rules of the Callan Method, could be applied in practice. However, I was also aware
that the students, having completed 4 stages of the course, started to be less and less
involved in the process of learning, which could be observed both from the results of the
Exam 4 and also from my observations and students comments expressed in the survey
conducted after they have taken Exam 4. The Callan Method proved suitable, efficient and
successful at the very beginning of the course when the students made progress very
quickly and they enjoyed being exposed constantly to the target language.
The student complained about complex and complicated grammar questions which
did not facilitate the process of learning and the predictability of each lesson was becoming
boring rather than comforting as it was at the beginning of the course. They were also
dissatisfied with some of the questions which were very abstract and thus could not be
used in real life situations. On the whole the students seemed to lack both the explanation
of the grammar issues in an understandable way and some real life-like situations in which
they would be supposed to react off-handedly.
Bearing all above remarks in mind I decided to implement some of the elements of
the communicative approach in the experimental group of adults in order to fulfil the
students expectations and to raise their motivation and get them more involved in the
learning process and consequently improve their foreign language competence. Since the
results of the survey conducted after Exam 4 showed the necessity for the better
explanation and practice of the grammar rules I decided to introduce some additional
34

exercises preceded by thorough explanation of a given grammar issue in Polish. The

ultimate aim, however, was to expose the students to the real life situations in minidialogues, which they would find more practical.
The results of the Exam 5 and the short survey done after the exam seem to support
the idea of enriching the Callan Method with additional exercises and activities which
would incorporate communicative approach. The students reacted positively to the changes
and expressed their willingness to participate in similar activities in the next stages of the
course.

35

References Uwaga bdy w formacie referencji

Allwright, R.L. (1984) The Importance of Interaction in Classroom Language Learning.
Applied Linguistics. 5(2), 156-171
Bell, D., M. (2007) Do teachers think that methods are dead? ELT Journal Volume 61/2
April 2007 Oxford University Press, 135-143
Brown, H.D. (2000) Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Addison Wesley
Longman
Brown, H., D. (2002) English Language Teaching in the post-method era: toward better
diagnosis, treatment, and assessment. In J.C. Richards and W.A. Rennandya (eds.)
Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice Cambridge
University Press, 9-18
Dakowska, M. (2007) Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Warszawa: PWN
Harmer, J. (2001) The Practice of English Language Teaching. Pearson Education Limited
Iwasyszyn, M. (2003) Retro-methodology nostalgia. The Callanization of Poland. The
Teacher 03/2003, 37-38.
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2001) The joy of watching others learn. An interview with Diane
Larsen-Freeman by William P.Ancker. English Teaching Forum 39/4 ,2-9
Nuan, D. (1989) Designing tasks for the communicative classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press
Prabhu, N.,S. (1990) There Is No Best Method-Why? TESOL Quarterly, Vol.24,No.2,
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Richards, J., C., Renandya, W., A. (2002) Methodology in Language Learning
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Ur, P. (1996) A course in Language Teaching. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.

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Appendices

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Appendix 1

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Appendix 2

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Appendix 3

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Appendix 4

Appendix 5
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Appendix 6

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