March 1998

March 1998: "The Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach in the Foreign Language Classroom
Anna Uhl Chamot
The Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) is an instructional model for second and foreign language learners (Chamot & O'Malley, 1994). The CALLA model has been successfully implemented in over 30 school districts in the United States in English as a Second Language and bilingual programs, and has recently been suggested as an instructional model for the foreign language classroom. This article provides an overview of CALLA and describes how it can be used by foreign language teachers in meeting two important components of the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning: using the target language to learn new content information and applying learning strategies to the language learning process.
The theoretical framework of CALLA is based on a cognitive model of learning which views effective learners as actively involved in their own learning, capable of understanding their own learning processes, and strategic in their use of prior knowledge to facilitate new learning tasks. In this model, good foreign language learners strive to understand the requirements of a language task and call upon previous experiences (both linguistic and experiential) to help them complete the task successfully. For example, if the language task is to make a short oral report to the class, a learner might draw on his or her previous experiences with giving reports in English (making note cards, rehearsing in front of a mirror, and the like) as well as his or her store of target language expressions, vocabulary, and grammatical structures.
The CALLA Model
CALLA has three major components: lessons focusing on high-priority topics from content subjects such as science, math, social studies, and literature; development of the language need"