Download - Designing Blended English Language Learning Courses Chris Moore

Designing Blended English Language Learning Courses

Chris Moore

Why?

specialistlanguagecourses.com

Begin with the End in Mind

“To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.” Steven Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.


What words do you need to express

yourself?

Describe the key scenarios

you use English in

Who do you use English with?

What kind of texts do you

read in English?

What kind of writing do you

do?

What accents do you need to understand?

Plan Your Journey


Taba’s Model of Curriculum Processes

1. Diagnosis of needs2. Formulation of objectives3. Selection of content4. Organisation of content5. Selection of learning experiences6. Organisation of learning experiences7. Determination of what to evaluate and means to evaluate8. Checking for balance and sequence

Hilda Taba, 1902-1967

Face-to-face Best Practice


“Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.” John Dewey, 1859-1952

“Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.” John Dewey, 1859-1952

Face-to-face Best Practice

Students

• Engaged learners• Analysers • Experimenters• Collaborators• Problem solvers• Dialogue builders• Debaters


Teachers

• Planners• Learning experience

creators and organisers• Facilitators• Listeners, elicitors • Feedback givers• Classroom managers• Experts

Face-to-face ESP Course Challenges

1. Time2. Location3. Technical content4. Specificity5. Cost


Rise of Informal Learning

Unstructured, spontaneous, tangential, immediate, unpredictable, on-demand, mobile first, portable, anytime anywhere learning.Has this become the norm?


Here Comes Everybody


Self-Study: plus ça change,


…plus c'est la même chose?


Key Challenge of..

Anytime, anywhere, but is it any good?


Online Study – Best Practice

Core Methodology • Relevant • Fun• Rewarding• Variety• Multimedia• Quick, eg short reading texts• Instant review & feedback• Recycle and re-contextualise content

And then…• Adaptive • Social/sharing/networking/PLNs/learning communities• Gamified


“In terms of lessons learned, it became apparent during the development process that good online design includes interactive elements on every screen the learner sees.

Whereas traditional book-based programmes can provide explanations and examples followed up by related exercises, online design precludes extended expository material and has very definite real estate limits.”

Beagle & Davies, ‘Blended Learning for the aviation industry: A case study’, 2013

So, Can the Twain Ever Meet?

Face-to-face• Collaborative – pairs, groups• Synchronous• Extensive tasks – eg TBL• Teacher listens and feeds back• Tried and tested • Fixed materials• Not portable• Fixed times• Fixed location


Online Self-study• Work alone - autonomy• Asynchronous• Short activities• Computer says right/wrong• Being tried, being tested• Reiterated, updateable materials• Portable• On-demand• Anywhere you have a connection

Oh East is East and West is West, And never the twain shall meet…- Rudyard Kipling

Where the Twain Meets…Blended Learning

What is Blended Learning? "combining Internet and digital media with established classroom forms that require the physical co-presence of teacher and students."


Why Blend?


Increased access

Increased flexibility

Personalisable

Localisable

Convenience

Variety of input and content

Touch points

Updateable content

Cost-effective

On-demand

Learner autonomy

Experiential learning

Research-based learning

Flipped classroom

Learner expectations

Market reach, wider audience

New forms of collaboration

How to Blend

1. Supplemental• Face-to-face classroom is primary component/driver• Online secondary, eg deepening knowledge, review/recontextualise, prepare for

classroom interaction, personal study – may be optional

2. Replacement• Flexible mix; classroom interaction for collaboration, group problem solving,

teacher-student interaction• Online for extensive reading/video (inc lectures & webinars)/research, reflection,

writing, preparation

3. Emporium • Key learning space is physical/virtual learning resource centre• Online primary component/driver – collaborative focus, learner-driven study,

flexible learning; minimal f2f sessions to present, discuss, feedback


Blended Learning Course Design for ESP


Take a principled approach,not an eclectic one

Blended Learning Design – Some Questions


Learner needs? Learning objectives? Content breakdown? Order of inputs? Lead delivery mode? Pedagogy? Time allocation? Session frequency and duration? Level of student autonomy? Compulsory vs optional?

Location? Interactional patterns? Role of teacher and students? Level of support for students

using BL? Level of support for teachers

using BL? Evaluating effectiveness? Tracking and reporting? Improving the course?

Nursing English Case Study 1


Weekly Training F2F Sessions

Guided online review, study and prep

Needs Analysis,

Goal Setting

Assessment&

Review

Nursing English Case Study 2


Daily F2F Sessions, different options

Assessment

& Review

Bench-mark

Phase 1 Online Course

Needs Analysis, G

oal Setting

Daily Self-Study, Guided, different options

Weekly Webinars for all students

On-demand Online Resources

To Conclude

“effective implementation of technology is not accomplished just as an ‘add-on’ to existing tools, it

must be synergised into the language learning environment with the support of surrounding

educational systems”

(Yang, SC (2001) Integrating computer-mediated tools into the language curriculum.Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 17: 92.)


To continue the conversation


Chris MooreSpecialist Language [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Download - Designing Blended English Language Learning Courses Chris Moore

Top Related