Job Discussion Forums

[sandyhoney2]

Just a question - someone on this forum mentioned this method and I have since been investigating it. There are a few schools in Istanbul that use Callan. Are there any TEFL'ers on Callan, and if so, what do they think?

I am not speaking from any kind of experience, just curiousity. But it sounds to me like a trained monkey could do Callan and that it puts limits on teachers' creativity. But then again, the whole point is for the students to learn properly and quickly, isn't it? I mean, the students don't show up to admire our handicrafts and to play hangman...

The schools I found were Dilge, Actif English, and some brain school. Any teachers on this forum from any of these schools?

[31]

No, but I had an interview for the Sandwich Method which is similar. You had to sign a contract which contained amongst other things a phrase like you accept that the Sandwich Method is the best method to learn English. They are all audio-lingual method at a time when the audio-lingual method has been discredited and the very idea of method has been disredited. It lingers on.

[dmb]

A friend of mine went along for an interview, well he was just curious. He was shown a video of the Callan method. It was basically the teacher talking and talking talking and.......... They like to think of their 'method' as submersion. The students are a sponge and eventually soak language up. So I think you are right about the lack of creativity.
they claim students will learn X times faster and at a fraction of the course. If this is true then why doesnt the whole world do it? I have little info but from what i have heard I am duboius. However if a poster works there and I am wrong then feel free to inform/educate me.

[sandyhoney2]

Thanks guys - here's a link that lists the schools in Istanbul that do Callan.

http://www.callan.co.uk/newlist_schs/turkish_schools.htm

[Hector_Lector]

Why do we use the Callan Method?

From our knowledge and experience of the Callan Method, we can assure you that it is the quickest and the most reliable method of teaching English. The Method was founded in 1960 and has since proved itself to be infallible. Due to the unique nature of the Callan Method, you will speak for the entire lesson - this is very important, as the only way to learn to speak a language is to speak it.

Download a brochure (pdf / 809kb)



What is the Callan Method?

It is a direct method created specifically to enhance your comprehension and speaking abilities in a pleasant but intensive atmosphere. The question-answer format of the lesson ensures that you are actively involved in hearing and using the language to a maximum. The teacher keeps the lesson moving swiftly in order that you learn to understand English at its natural spoken speed.



Free trial lessons:

We offer three days of trial lessons � which you only pay for if you sign on. We do not offer trial lessons during July and August.



Level test:

On your first day we will test your level of English and assign you to the appropriate class. From then on, we will assess your progress and closely monitor your speed of learning.



The guarantee:

Each student studying with the Callan Method receives a written guarantee stating the number of hours he needs to pass the Cambridge examinations. If after the predicted number of hours he is unsuccessful, he will be given free lessons until he succeeds.

The student is guaranteed to reach a certain level in a specified number of lessons, and never pays for more lessons than he is guaranteed.



Speed is essential:

A language is normally spoken at 180 words per minute.
The Callan teacher speaks to the student at about 240 words per minute in order to make it easy for the student to understand English outside the classroom Due to the unique nature of the Callan Method, the students speak for the entire lesson.



Conditioned reflex:

Learning a language, like learning to type or play the piano, is principally a question of developing a quick reflex.



Do not think:

A language reflex comes from the mouth and not the brain. The student must learn to speak and understand without thinking.



Mechanical repetition:

A quick reflex can only be developed by mechanical repetition.



The 1,000 most common words:

Book One of the Method contains the 1,000 of the most commonly used words in English, words like "come, go, black, white, quickly, slowly"; words that are used many times each day.



These words must be used quickly:

The student must be able to use these 1,000 words without thinking. They form the basis of the language.



The more you repeat, the quicker you finish:

If the student repeats everything many times, he will finish his studies much more quickly.



Expect to do a complete revision:

The student must expect to do a complete revision every now and again. Revision is essential to achieve the best results.



The same result with any teacher:

Naturally the student prefers certain teachers, the School however guarantees the student the same result with any teacher, even if the student has a number of different teachers and changes his classes many times.



Dictations:

The dictations in the Callan Method consist of unconnected sentences, which cover all the recently learned vocabulary.



Callan Method Certificate:

At the end of the course, each student obtains a Callan Method Certificate, stating the level of English he has reached.





(Mr Monkey School of English)

[sandyhoney2]

Thanks Hector - I already had that info. But for people that didn't know, thanks.

What I had really wanted was input from teachers currently using Callan, but it seems as though Callan teachers are either few and far between, or they eschew Dave's for some reason, as I have never seen a poster claiming to use Callan.

I had read over Callan material, such as the stuff Hector posted, and found the claims to be somewhat far-fetched.

Anyhow, the lack of response from Callan supporters of teachers is response enough.

[Frizzie Lizzie]

I had a friend who used it at a school in eastern Czech Republic, and he left traumatised after 2 months - not quite sure whether it was the method or the village he was teaching in (population - 10,000)

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

repost from the General Discussion Forum:


I've been using Callan for a year and a half.

imo - It can be a useful tool, especially for beginners, and especially if taught by someone who knows what he/she's doing. On the plus side; The Callan Method gives students a predictable routine & structure, encourages long answers in both the negative and the positive, teaches a lot of vocab in a very short time, and is one of the few methods I know of that actually requires each student to write in every lesson. (in the form of a one paragraph dictation beginning at the end of Stage 1 onwards)

As other posters have mentioned above, it's generally too rigid for upper level students, but even then, it can be a good 'additional resource' when it comes to the goal of increasing a student's vocabulary.



For me, a teacher walking into the classroom is a bit like

a warrior going into battle.




Just as the warrior must choose the best weapon to defeat the enemy, so must a good teacher choose the best resource and/or method to reach & motivate his/her students to learn. The enemies in the classroom are boredom & apathy. To combat these mortal foes, most teachers (I think?) will agree that experimentation with slightly different approaches, texts & methods is the best medicine.

Whether it's Headway, New Interchange, The Callan Method, your own lesson plan, listening to the Beetles, or Hangman & Bingo --- they all have a place & useful purpose in the classroom, imho.

Callan is most definitely not the answer to every student's needs, but it can be a useful tool in the arsenal. In the hands of an experienced teacher who knows how to 'tweak' the method for maximum effect, it can even be fun.

I've had some very positive results with it in Stages 1 to 4. To be more specific; students of mine who successfully complete any 2 stages of Callan can generally expect an increase of roughly 100 points on their TOEIC scores.

That's nothing to sneeze at; these TOEIC results have been documented by an HR manager at one of the 5-star hotels where we use it. Having said that, I would not want to rely strictly on Callan (or on any single method or text) for the reasons already discussed above.

Here's a link to the original thread:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=24488&highlight=callan+method

[sandyhoney2]

Thanks Kent,

I knew there would be a discussion on Callan in here somewhere. Much appreciated.

[jimmybutton39]

I have taught the Callan method for about 2 years in london. The post by that guy with the gun in his text is very accurate.

Whats more I really enjoyed most of the lessons and most of the students who were studying enjoyed the lessons and wanted to study with the Callan method, i.e. they had chosen it against other methods. I often had a whale of a time, and it was a much better way to make friends with ALL the students in the class than normal esl style, as every student msut answer questions. I would even say that I enjoy teaching the callan method more than normal lessons, as it requires no preparation and you are always involved.

Some of the questions are laughably out of date or wierd (lots of emphasis on death!) but I enjoyed that too (e.g. Would you prefer to be shot or poisoned? ... What is the difference between a beautiful and an attractive woman?)

As you might guess, whether you enjoy teaching callan or not depends mostly on your personality; if you are easy going and get satisfaction from getting to know your students it is fun, but if you really rely on professionalism to make you feel good and are not up to making a fool of yourself from time to time then you will probably hate it.

Yes, it is repetetive, but it works for many people and you will enjoy teaching it if you relax. Also teaching it for 2 years does not drive you mad, though you do tend to repeat yourself, repeat yourself. YES OR NO??

[Ebenezer]

One doesn't need to be a genius to know that if the student is interested, dedicated, talented any method whatsoever can work and when it's not the case, no method will be good enough. One doesn't need to be a genius, either, to know that yes, the "Callan sellers"s claims are way far-fetched. I worked with this method for a short period and based on this short experience and on my experience as a teacher, I'll have to agree that it's no more than a useful tool in the hands of an experienced teacher and a joke in the hands of someone who has no idea about teaching. The truth of the matter is that there are no miracles in learning a foreign language you either study hard, make an effort or just forget about it! And besides, people have different skills, one student will learn English in a month while his twin brother will learn it in ten years... come on, let's stop deceiving ourselves! Callan Method, rain method, beach method, sandwinch method, pizza method, Berlitz method, my dead granmother's method all boil down to one single truth: $$$$$$$$$$!!!!! Am I right??

[Baba Alex]