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Designing Blended English Language Learning Courses
Chris Moore
Why?
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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.
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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
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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
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“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
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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
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Rise of Informal Learning
Unstructured, spontaneous, tangential, immediate, unpredictable, on-demand, mobile first, portable, anytime anywhere learning.Has this become the norm?
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Here Comes Everybody
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Self-Study: plus ça change,
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…plus c'est la même chose?
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Key Challenge of..
Anytime, anywhere, but is it any good?
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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
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“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
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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."
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Why Blend?
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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
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Blended Learning Course Design for ESP
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Take a principled approach,not an eclectic one
Blended Learning Design – Some Questions
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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
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Weekly Training F2F Sessions
Guided online review, study and prep
Needs Analysis,
Goal Setting
Assessment&
Review
Nursing English Case Study 2
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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.)
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To continue the conversation
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Chris MooreSpecialist Language [email protected]