Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation
Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation
Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation
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15<br />
Us<strong>in</strong>g a wiki to enhance the<br />
learn<strong>in</strong>g experience on a<br />
bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>English</strong> course<br />
Louise Ingham<br />
Introduction to teach<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> learn<strong>in</strong>g<br />
context <strong>and</strong> brief course overview<br />
The context was a part-time adult Cambridge Prelim<strong>in</strong>ary Bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>English</strong> class at<br />
<strong>in</strong>termediate level which took place <strong>in</strong> a further education college <strong>in</strong> Warr<strong>in</strong>gton <strong>in</strong><br />
Engl<strong>and</strong>. The cohort consisted of ten female learners of mixed nationalities, aged<br />
19 – 35, dom<strong>in</strong>ated by European cultures. All were work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the UK but some were<br />
here for a limited time. The course began <strong>in</strong> September 2010 <strong>and</strong> had established<br />
a supportive atmosphere before the blend was <strong>in</strong>troduced <strong>in</strong> March 2011. Learners<br />
needed to improve their knowledge <strong>and</strong> use of bus<strong>in</strong>ess vocabulary <strong>and</strong> their<br />
accuracy <strong>and</strong> fluency with <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> bus<strong>in</strong>ess contexts, to prepare for an exam.<br />
Reason for employ<strong>in</strong>g a blended approach<br />
The course was restricted <strong>in</strong> the number of contact hours <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> content. Add<strong>in</strong>g a<br />
wiki to create a blended course would compensate for these limitations, allow<strong>in</strong>g more:<br />
■■ flexibility of time, place, pace <strong>and</strong> material<br />
■■ responsiveness to learner needs<br />
■■ opportunities for skill development <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g digital literacy<br />
■■ practice <strong>and</strong> feedback<br />
■■ collaboration<br />
■■ student-centred approaches.<br />
These benefits are possible because wikis are <strong>in</strong>teractive <strong>and</strong> offer flexible spaces<br />
which can be accessed <strong>and</strong> edited by any user at any time via the <strong>in</strong>ternet. A wiki is a<br />
type of website where users can add <strong>and</strong> remove content, ‘Wikipedia’ be<strong>in</strong>g a famous<br />
example where users can create or update the <strong>in</strong>formation <strong>in</strong>cluded on any topic. All<br />
wiki users have writer status <strong>and</strong> can easily add text, photo, hyperl<strong>in</strong>k or video that<br />
they want to share, so the teacher is no longer <strong>in</strong> control of the course content if a<br />
wiki is <strong>in</strong>corporated. The balance of power may shift because any user can view <strong>and</strong><br />
edit the contributions of others so peers as well as the teacher can correct mistakes<br />
or give feedback.<br />
Us<strong>in</strong>g a wiki to enhance the learn<strong>in</strong>g experience on a bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>English</strong> course | 163