Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation

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an answer, individual trainees don’t need to ask … there was peer teaching going on’ (ibid.). On a face-to-face CELTA, peer support is, of course, also channelled through the closeness of a teaching practice group, and following the pilot online course, one of the TPTs noted ‘the TP groups supported each other as much as any TP group would’ (Cambridge ESOL Teaching Qualifications, 2012b). This point is echoed by a trainee on the course: ‘the TP group bonded quickly’, though she noted the frustration of limited contact time. While there is an obvious risk that some trainees may not contribute sufficiently to the forums to develop as teachers, the OCT can readily ‘track’ each participant in terms of which units they have accessed and their activity on forums, and provide appropriate support encouragement via email and TPTs to any falling behind accordingly. Communication between the OCT and TPTs is vital to maintain a connection between theory and practice and one of the TPTs on the pilot course says: ‘we were aware with where they were in input and referred to that, we channelled their queries through the online course tutor … and got the online tutor’s emails’ (ibid.). Additionally, as the OCT asserts: ‘the tutor can send a trainee struggling with classroom management back to that unit’ (Paton and Rea, 2012) and ‘they noticed things they hadn’t before, so we can target their needs more than on the face to face’ (Cambridge ESOL Teaching Qualifications, 2012b). Furthermore, centres have the option of conducting mid-course tutorials face-to-face as would customarily happen. The online units and collaborative tasks The online course units and collaborative tasks replace what in a normal face-to-face CELTA would be the input sessions. A total of 30 units were created (one of which allows trainees to choose an elective specialism) and each unit combines: ■■ input ■■ video and audio segments ■■ a variety of self-study activities with feedback or commentaries ■■ collaborative tasks (discussion forum) ■■ exposure to English as a foreign language (EFL) published materials ■■ additional useful online resources and reading. The Cambridge CELTA course online | 117
Figure 2: An example screen from a unit There were special challenges in moving this element of the course online. For trainees the face-to-face sessions do not just provide key input on methodology but are also a key source of loop-input experiential learning, as trainees are themselves taught whilst reflecting upon the experience and observing the techniques used by the tutor. We set out to replicate this experience online by designing online learning activities and materials that give the trainee an authentic learning experience whilst still modelling good teaching practice. It is useful to apply to trainers the point Sharma and Barrett make about the teacher: ‘positive learning outcomes are most apparent when clear roles are assigned to the teacher and to the technology’ (2007: 7). Garrison and Vaughan (2011) assert the need for learners to feel freedom of self expression in the virtual learning environment without negative consequences. As Sharma (2006: 59) writes: ‘The technology should not “lead’’’ and it is essential that human attributes such as empathy, patience and a sense of humour which are vital in ELT are evident in online components of the course. They can be found in the way the TPTs, who have a greater degree of communication with trainees on day one than is standard on many face-to-face courses, manage observation and feedback, both group and written. These attributes also emerge in the virtual learning environment, firstly, in the way that the model lessons that form part of early input sessions show the teacher dealing with real students and real classroom management issues. As the OCT from the pilot course says: ‘It’s really useful for trainees to see a lesson where a teacher’s struggling to get the meaning across, using, for example, concept questions, students aren’t immediately responding and seeing that that’s ok and real teaching can be a bit messy’ (Paton and Rea, 2012). 118 | 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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References Allan, M (1985) Teaching
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Page 61 and 62: 5 A blended learning teacher develo
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Page 73 and 74: Clearly there are advantages to hav
Page 75 and 76: Lessons learned When deciding what
Page 77 and 78: References Osguthorpe, RT and Graha
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Page 81 and 82: typically involve writing or applyi
Page 83 and 84: where possible, to bring them toget
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Page 89 and 90: There is a fourth activity type in
Page 91 and 92: their own style of learning. At the
Page 93 and 94: Garrison, D and Vaughan, ND (2007)
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Page 117 and 118: Comments on Part 2 Brian Tomlinson
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Page 121 and 122: 11 Blended learning: Podcasts for t
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Page 125 and 126: Making recommendations My friend An
Page 127 and 128: Sustainability Blended learning oft
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Page 143 and 144: 14 A longitudinal case study of the
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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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