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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20<br />
Lessons <strong>in</strong> blended learn<strong>in</strong>g:<br />
Implement<strong>in</strong>g an onl<strong>in</strong>e<br />
learn<strong>in</strong>g platform <strong>in</strong> the<br />
adult education sector<br />
Astrid Krake<br />
The sett<strong>in</strong>g<br />
In many classrooms, the days when a pr<strong>in</strong>ted coursebook was the learners’ only aid<br />
are quickly vanish<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> teachers <strong>and</strong> adm<strong>in</strong>istrators alike are faced with questions<br />
of how to <strong>in</strong>tegrate different materials <strong>in</strong>to their classrooms. This is true not only for<br />
language schools with predom<strong>in</strong>antly younger learners: adult education <strong>in</strong>stitutions<br />
such as the German ‘Volkshochschulen’, with their reputation for adher<strong>in</strong>g to more<br />
traditional approaches, are <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>gly look<strong>in</strong>g for ways to <strong>in</strong>corporate onl<strong>in</strong>e<br />
resources <strong>in</strong>to their teach<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
The Munich Volkshochschule (MVHS), the biggest German <strong>in</strong>stitution of its k<strong>in</strong>d, caters<br />
for the needs of approximately 4,000 learners of <strong>English</strong> per term. Their learn<strong>in</strong>g<br />
backgrounds are as manifold as their reasons for learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>English</strong>: while some wish to<br />
<strong>in</strong>crease their employability by improv<strong>in</strong>g their language skills, others are motivated<br />
by more personal reasons such as a relative whose partner speaks only <strong>English</strong> or<br />
the wish to be able to communicate when on holiday. The MVHS course offer<strong>in</strong>g<br />
reflects these different needs: learners can choose between General <strong>English</strong> at<br />
A1 to C2 levels of the Common European Framework for <strong>Language</strong>s, Bus<strong>in</strong>ess<br />
<strong>English</strong> as well as Cambridge exam preparation, with General <strong>English</strong> amount<strong>in</strong>g<br />
to approximately 65 per cent of the courses offered. The needs to cater for <strong>in</strong> this<br />
section are the most extensive. Therefore, learners of General <strong>English</strong> can opt for:<br />
■■ Intensive courses (10 hours/week, one level <strong>in</strong> 5 – 6 weeks).<br />
■■ Twice-a-week offers (6 – 8 hours/week, one level <strong>in</strong> one term).<br />
■■ Fast-track courses (once a week, three hours, one level <strong>in</strong> two terms).<br />
■ ■ ‘Traditional’ courses (once a week, 90 m<strong>in</strong>utes, one level <strong>in</strong> three to four terms).<br />
Assum<strong>in</strong>g that learners who need to progress quickly opt for more <strong>in</strong>tensively-paced<br />
learn<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> know<strong>in</strong>g that professional commitments, bus<strong>in</strong>ess trips, illness or<br />
other reasons can prevent them from com<strong>in</strong>g to class, MVHS sought ways to keep<br />
the attrition rate low <strong>and</strong> to become more attractive to new target groups, among<br />
them younger learners accustomed to be<strong>in</strong>g surrounded by technology <strong>in</strong> their<br />
everyday lives.<br />
Lessons <strong>in</strong> blended learn<strong>in</strong>g | 213