The method that revolutionised the English learning system

The Callan Method is a direct method for learning English. The method refrains from using the learners’ native language and uses only the target language. The teaching focuses on the development of oral skills. This means students don’t translate before speaking, they learn to think and speak directly in a new language.

The method consists of the three aspects

Listening and speaking

The foundation of this aspect is based on a question-answer pattern which teaches the concepts and the vocabulary through pantomiming, real-life objects and other visual materials allowing students to speak, without translating, at a high speed and fluency.

Revision and assimilation

This aspect is important to polish what students have learnt and to correct phonetic or usage errors made in words or constructions. The student repeats and memorises the content and thus improves pronunciation and fluency. Revision and assimilation are important to train the student to answer automatically and without thinking in English.

Reading and writing

Reading comprehension and spelling skills are strengthened by practising reading exercises and dictations.

What’s in the lesson?

Introduction of new vocabulary

when incorporating new concepts the teacher starts with pronunciation, explains the meaning of the words and then places them in the context of the question. In this way, words can be learnt without being translated or written.

Guided conversation

students are encouraged to speak throughout the lesson from minute one.

Shared reading

students are now able to read the words they have already learnt in class in a natural way, improving phonetics and intonation.

Dictation

in this section students use the vocabulary learnt in class and practise their written English skills.

The history of the method

The Callan Method was created by Robin T.K. Callan in the 60´s. He grew up in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, and went to Italy to work as an English teacher in Salerno. He enjoyed teaching but he realised that the method teachers were expected to use to teach their lessons was inefficient and boring. So he developed his own way of teaching based on a Direct Approach method. This means that students don’t translate before speaking but think and speak directly in the new language.
It took the author 10 years to write the Callan Method in its original form. During that time he opened his own school in order to test the development of his work. By 1969, he had opened over 10 other schools in Italy and even one in England. In the author’s view, the Callan Method was meant to be a major breakthrough in the arena of teaching languages. The following extract describes the superiority of the Callan Method over other existing methods of teaching English:
“At a superficial glance the Callan Method might look similar to other methods, in the same way as a car of today looks similar to a car of the 19th century: it has four wheels, an engine, a brake, an accelerator etc. The difference is, however, that a car of today can travel comfortably at 80 miles an hour, whilst a car of the 19th century could hardly exceed a walking pace”. (The Callan Method, 1995:33-4).

The method that revolutionised the English learning system

The Callan Method is a direct method for learning English. The method refrains from using the learners’ native language and uses only the target language. The teaching focuses on the development of oral skills. This means students don’t translate before speaking, they learn to think and speak directly in a new language.

The method consists of the three aspects

Listening and speaking

The foundation of this aspect is based on a question-answer pattern which teaches the concepts and the vocabulary through pantomiming, real-life objects and other visual materials allowing students to speak, without translating, at a high speed and fluency.

Revision and assimilation

This aspect is important to polish what students have learnt and to correct phonetic or usage errors made in words or constructions. The student repeats and memorises the content and thus improves pronunciation and fluency. Revision and assimilation are important to train the student to answer automatically and without thinking in English.

Reading and writing

Reading comprehension and spelling skills are strengthened by practising reading exercises and dictations.

What’s in the lesson?

Introduction of new vocabulary

when incorporating new concepts the teacher starts with pronunciation, explains the meaning of the words and then places them in the context of the question. In this way, words can be learnt without being translated or written.

Guided conversation

students are encouraged to speak throughout the lesson from minute one.

Shared reading

students are now able to read the words they have already learnt in class in a natural way, improving phonetics and intonation.

Dictation

in this section students use the vocabulary learnt in class and practise their written English skills.

The history of the method

The Callan Method was created by Robin T.K. Callan in the 60´s. He grew up in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, and went to Italy to work as an English teacher in Salerno. He enjoyed teaching but he realised that the method teachers were expected to use to teach their lessons was inefficient and boring. So he developed his own way of teaching based on a Direct Approach method. This means that students don’t translate before speaking but think and speak directly in the new language.
It took the author 10 years to write the Callan Method in its original form. During that time he opened his own school in order to test the development of his work. By 1969, he had opened over 10 other schools in Italy and even one in England. In the author’s view, the Callan Method was meant to be a major breakthrough in the arena of teaching languages. The following extract describes the superiority of the Callan Method over other existing methods of teaching English:
“At a superficial glance the Callan Method might look similar to other methods, in the same way as a car of today looks similar to a car of the 19th century: it has four wheels, an engine, a brake, an accelerator etc. The difference is, however, that a car of today can travel comfortably at 80 miles an hour, whilst a car of the 19th century could hardly exceed a walking pace”. (The Callan Method, 1995:33-4).