Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation

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Technology The platform for the online component is Fronter from Pearson, which brings together all the online course elements into one coherent whole. Figure 1: The course homepage in Fronter The online course environment provides key course tools such as: a. 30 interactive online units b. discussion forums c. an assignment drop box d. a live classroom using Elluminate Live e. an e-portfolio for trainees (PDF and Word based) f. an observations section with a series of videos of experienced teachers and observation tasks for trainees g. community features such as messaging h. full tracking of usage and performance i. trainee tools such as a calendar and glossary. The Cambridge CELTA course online | 115
The rationale behind the blend The key underlying objective when designing the course was to create a programme that played to the strengths of the online medium (providing flexibility and creating opportunities for reflective and collaborative online learning) whilst maintaining the integrity and validity of a very well established qualification and the key interrelationship between theory and practice. Possible models of the course can be found at www.esolcentrenet.org, but in summary, there is a basis of flexibility provided by the parameters of the course structure: ■■ it can be run over any period from ten weeks to a year ■■ the 30 modules can be offered by the individual CELTA centre at a rate of either two, three or four per week, the only stipulation being that the Orientation Module and Units 1– 6 are released before teaching practice begins ■■ teaching practice can be scheduled evenly through the course, or in blocks, the latter allowing centres to ‘reach out to people in areas not near you’ (Swabey et al., 2012). The course web page emphasises: ‘You have the freedom to choose how you work. As long as assignments are completed on time and you contribute to discussion forums and live room discussions, the online format allows you to work at your own pace, when and where you choose.’ (Cambridge ESOL Teaching Qualifications, 2012a) and this is supported by the literature. As Hofmann writes: in ‘a learnercentred program … there are opportunities for participants to learn at their own pace’ (2011: 4) and Thorne comments: there is opportunity to ‘undertake your own development at a time, place and pace to suit you’ (2003: ix). Glazer comments that ‘The asynchronous nature of the blended component of the courses has the salutary effect of expanding the time the students spend on course material’ (2012: 3). Littlejohn and Pegler (2007) refer to the use of online spaces for formation of communities that can interact in exciting new ways. Glazer (2012: 3) extends this: ‘Discussions conducted online encourage reflection and usually reach 100 per cent participation. As a result, the face-to-face time can be used more effectively, with students extending the material beyond what might be achieved in a conventional face-to-face course. The students in a blended course make more and richer connections between what they are learning and what they already know, creating a robust scaffold to organize the information…. Effective blended learning courses require students to interact with each other, the content, and their own thoughts.’ Bonk and Graham (2006) comment that blending learning allows the learner to retain more of what is learned. These points are borne out by the feedback from trainees on the pilot course. Emphasising the value of working independently, one says in an interview postcourse: ‘I work better in the evenings, shut myself away with my computer … for assignments, I’ve gone back to online units, tried to include all tips…’ (Cambridge ESOL: Teaching Qualifications, 2012b) and another: ‘it wasn’t practical to take a month off work, this was the only way my employer would have let me do it, it’s fantastic it exists’ (ibid.). The OCT on their course emphasises the shared nature of the discussion and assignment forums available to trainees: ‘once all trainees see 116 | The Cambridge CELTA course online
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Blended Learning in English Languag
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ISBN 978-0-86355-706-4 © British C
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Part 3 - English for Specific Purpo
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Acknowledgements We would like to t
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To address this deficit I proposed
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Introduction This introductory chap
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an almost identical definition in h
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■■ Learners’ expectations - l
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To achieve a ‘principled approach
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its weakness in speaking.’ Contra
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References Adair-Hauck, B Willingha
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Rossett, A, Douglis, F and Frazee,
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1 A collaborative online reading an
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engaging approach to teaching, wher
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page evaluation strategies, and col
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Conclusion Students received course
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2 Blended learning in English for A
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All in the blend Reports on the app
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level of agreement or disagreement
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Hyland, K and Hyland, F (1992) Go f
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Why blend? The decision to offer th
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to complete during the before, whil
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In addition, there are a number of
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Turgut, Y (2009) ‘EFL learners’
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■■ English for Academic Purpose
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Figure 1: Stages of the incorporati
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Table 3: Schedule for Unit 1 Week U
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Internet - links and WebQuests: Som
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Page 83 and 84: where possible, to bring them toget
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Page 117 and 118: Comments on Part 2 Brian Tomlinson
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Page 125 and 126: Making recommendations My friend An
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Page 143 and 144: 14 A longitudinal case study of the
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Figure 8: Student reaction to probl
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Lund, A (2008) Wikis: a collective
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hazard a guess that it was over con
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the management of the centres would
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There was a steady increase in the
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3. User experience - feedback on th
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Comments on Part 3 Brian Tomlinson
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17 A thinking-based blended learnin
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In each of the above parts, the lea
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Figure 1: Cycle of working with gra
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Model by JP, Form 10 Structure Mode
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Recommendation 2 Ensure that the on
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Sokol, A (2008) Development of Inve
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Moreover, as a result of increased
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In general, the students remarked t
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19 Students’ CALLing: Blended lan
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The students were taken to the comp
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When considering blended learning,
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Introducing Macmillan English Campu
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In both scenarios, the ratio of con
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attending scenario 1 courses. The o
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Comments on Part 4 Brian Tomlinson
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Conclusion Claire Whittaker
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Table 1: Neumeier’s (2005) framew
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Reasons given in the literature for
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Software Author and Chapter New Lea
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Keedwell’s (Chapter 13) blend on
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Table 7: Learning theories, languag
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What will the interactional pattern
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Whittaker (Chapter 16) believed tha
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Summary This chapter draws on the l
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Appendix 1 - Questions for blended
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Contributors Peter Aborisade lectur
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Jody Gilbert taught in post-seconda
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Juanita Pardo-González (BA Hons in
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The British Council is pleased to o
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Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation

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