Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation

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sequence during a day. We believed that the learners would value the face-toface mode more highly than the other modes (based on their feedback and our knowledge of their previous learning experiences). Therefore time spent on the face-to-face mode needed to outweigh or at least balance the amount of time spent on the other two modes. We also believed that an equal amount of time needed to be spent in the computer and self-study mode as we considered them to be as beneficial as each other, and partly because of logistics in terms of space and student rotation between the modes. Lastly, we considered the optimal length of the sessions in each mode, which we felt varied according to learners’ level. Based on this rationale, combined with the fact that the face-to-face mode was the ‘lead mode’, we devised the timetables for the four levels as seen in Table 2. Table 2: Timetables for the four levels Elementary and Pre-intermediate Intermediate and Upper-intermediate Duration of session Mode Duration of session Mode 60 minutes Class 90 minutes Class 60 minutes Computer/self-study 45 minutes Computer 60 minutes Class 45 minutes Self-study 60 minutes Self-study/computer 60 minutes Class 60 minutes Class 30 minutes Computer 30 minutes Self-study Designing for a suite of courses In our context a high percentage of the learners worked their way through the levels often from elementary to graduate from upper-intermediate. With these learners in mind the content and design of the course altered in an effort to realise their increased abilities as language learners, to cater for their needs, to maintain their interest, and to fulfil our course aims, as in Figure 2. Figure 2: Course changes in terms of design and content Content Elementary Upper-intermediate Greater emphasis on military content Greater learner autonomy Greater skills focus Design Elementary Upper-intermediate Increased time spent in self-study and computer modes Longer classroom sessions Additional CD-ROMS and internet access in the larger centres A military blend | 179
There was a steady increase in the amount of class time spent covering military English from elementary to upper-intermediate, accompanied by a decrease in the amount of time dedicated to general English (see Figure 3). Moreover, at higher levels there was less class time and more computer and self-study time as the belief was that students at these levels were capable of a higher degree of autonomy, especially if they had attended the preceding courses which should have prepared them in some way for it. Despite these changes there was still a high degree of ‘horizontal integration’ where there is ‘some continuity in learning tools across programs and courses as [this] is clearly advantageous from the student’s point of view’ (Levy and Stockwell, 2006: 30). Figure 3: Hours per week spent in the modes 25 20 15 10 5 0 Methodology 180 | A military blend Self-study Computer Class – Military English Class – General English Elementary Pre-intermediate Intermediate Upper intermediate One of blended learning’s strengths is the methodological variety that the different modes can provide. In our blend the general English coursebooks supported the largely communicative approach to language teaching and learning that we advocated with elements of task-based and problem-based learning being provided by the military English coursebooks. Problem-based learning is a relatively new methodology to ELT and it allows ‘students to work together in order to find solutions to real world problems’ (Boyle and Mellor-Clarke, 2006: 3) which are situated in their professional field and to which there are no fixed solutions. Self-study promoted a type of autonomous learning where the primary objective was that learners were ‘engaged in self-directed work’ Littlewood (1996: 433). However, a criticism may be levelled at the design of this mode as the choice of materials was prescribed apart from the ‘free choice’ session on Fridays. This in essence restricted the learners’ level of autonomy, if autonomy is defined as ‘the ability to take charge of one’s own learning’ (Holec cited in Benson, 2006: 22). A number of relatively simple changes could be made to the design to amend this, such as increasing the number of tasks within each self-study strand and by including more ‘free-choice’ strands.
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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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My advice to intending EAP course d
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5 A blended learning teacher develo
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The face-to-face element Because of
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ookmarking because social bookmarki
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and instructional design of the onl
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Encourage learner autonomy and refl
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packages, setting up online account
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Clearly there are advantages to hav
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Lessons learned When deciding what
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References Osguthorpe, RT and Graha
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The learner and the context Althoug
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typically involve writing or applyi
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where possible, to bring them toget
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8 Blended learning: The IDLTM exper
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learning and characteristics, and k
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There is a fourth activity type in
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their own style of learning. At the
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Garrison, D and Vaughan, ND (2007)
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variety of teaching contexts (e.g.
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Figure 3: The homepage in a Module
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Figure 5: The projects page carries
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adding things in response to feedba
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Appendix 1 Extract showing first th
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■■ Cambridge ESOL was reporting
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■■ Including later units on, fo
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The rationale behind the blend The
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Figure 2: An example screen from a
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environment and to meet the student
Page 115 and 116: ■■ Fine-tuning of online course
Page 117 and 118: Comments on Part 2 Brian Tomlinson
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Page 121 and 122: 11 Blended learning: Podcasts for t
Page 123 and 124: to the content (see below). Additio
Page 125 and 126: Making recommendations My friend An
Page 127 and 128: Sustainability Blended learning oft
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Page 131 and 132: The face-to-face aspect of the cour
Page 133 and 134: The course covers listening, speaki
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Page 137 and 138: not so much for language improvemen
Page 139 and 140: the reader/listener as customer) an
Page 141 and 142: 2. ‘Technology is only important
Page 143 and 144: 14 A longitudinal case study of the
Page 145 and 146: In the next version (v3) of the cou
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Page 157 and 158: Teaching methodology The blended de
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Page 161 and 162: Lund, A (2008) Wikis: a collective
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Page 173 and 174: 17 A thinking-based blended learnin
Page 175 and 176: In each of the above parts, the lea
Page 177 and 178: Figure 1: Cycle of working with gra
Page 179 and 180: Model by JP, Form 10 Structure Mode
Page 181 and 182: Recommendation 2 Ensure that the on
Page 183 and 184: Sokol, A (2008) Development of Inve
Page 185 and 186: Moreover, as a result of increased
Page 187 and 188: In general, the students remarked t
Page 189 and 190: 19 Students’ CALLing: Blended lan
Page 191 and 192: The students were taken to the comp
Page 193 and 194: When considering blended learning,
Page 195 and 196: Introducing Macmillan English Campu
Page 197 and 198: In both scenarios, the ratio of con
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Page 203 and 204: Conclusion Claire Whittaker
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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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