Using a Community Language Learning Approach in Large Classes in Japanese Universities

This paper examines the effectiveness of the Community Language Learning approach in large English as a Foreign Language classes in Japanese universities, specifically, its effectiveness in developing conversational English skills. The paper describes the experience of teaching freshman and sophomore university students, the majority unaccustomed to having a native speaking English teacher, in a full-year English conversation course (ninety minutes per week) for forty-five hours, using the Community Language Learning (CLL) approach and why and how it was implemented in these large classes. The major conclusions drawn from this study include: students can learn to interact in the target language to a limited degree; students working in small groups help, as well as hinder their own progress; students can generate their own language but lack confidence to use their own efforts effectively in large, non-traditional classes, and student reflection, an essential element in CLL, though difficult, can be obtained from such large classes