Here - EnglishAgenda - British Council

More documents

Recommendations

Info

esources available to them. Thus, an inherent limitation of the course is that itrequires instructors with both the language skills and requisite time to maximisethe benefits of the course’s inbuilt tracking and assessment system.As has been discussed, online delivery provides many advantages, but obviouslyalso poses some inherent limitations in language learning. One possible weaknessis that an online interface cannot reproduce the interactions entailed in true twowaycommunications. This once again underlines the importance of the face-to-facecomponent of the design, where a skilled instructor can judge a learner’s capacityto clarify, confirm, and respond to a live interlocutor.A final limitation of the course is the lack of community, which precludes any kindof collaborative learning or collaborative problem-solving. In many computermediatedcourses an online community is developed, with the learners interacting viadiscussion boards and/or email. Equally, in a traditional English language classroom,there is strong focus on interaction and use of the target language. However, theblend of online activity and one-on-one interaction in the BL4 courses is in keepingwith the work context in which the learners use English, and therefore enhances theintended learning outcome. The focus of the BL4 courses is relatively narrow, i.e. toachieve Level 5 or Level 6 on the ICAO rating scale, and learners have not expressedany desire to have increased interaction within their cohort.Lessons learned and adviceIn terms of lessons learned, it became apparent during the development process thatgood online design includes interactive elements on every screen the learner sees.Whereas traditional book-based programmes can provide explanations and examplesfollowed up by related exercises, online design precludes extended expositorymaterial and has very definite real estate limits. Although a supplementary grammarbook was not part of the original design concept, it was decided during the buildingof the courses to develop this print-based material. The extra resource provideslearners with extended explanations of particular grammar points and a range ofexercises to practise and reinforce these.The supplementary grammar materials can be used as an intervention (promptedby the learner and/or the instructor) when a learner is struggling with a particularaspect of language, as identified by course performance. It also means that theinstructor can recommend directly relevant material to supplement the onlinecourse, keeping in mind the need for language educator resources and skills tobe available within client organisations. As noted previously, the course designshould not place unrealistic demands on the capabilities and resources of theclient organisation providing the training.Another lesson pertinent to internet-based courses is that the field of online designis dynamic and both the hardware and software are ever-changing. Therefore, it isimportant to ensure that design decisions, such as using Flash as the programminglanguage for the course, are made with full readiness to move with the evolutionof the technology. This means being responsive to issues such as the Flash/iPadcompatibility problem, proactively seeking workarounds and ensuring that only theA blended learning course for the aviation industry | 145
latest, most secure and flexible programming language is used. The unpredictabilityof internet developments is an occupational hazard, and the only remedy is tomaintain constant responsiveness.ConclusionIn conclusion, this example of a blended learning course may serve as a suitablemodel for other industry-based ESP courses where learners need to develop specificlanguage competencies. The use of online delivery incorporates self-paced learningthat enables flexibility and does not disrupt the learners’ work routines, which is akey concern for the aviation industry. The course provides targeted English languageinput and practice, as well as check activities that are recorded and subsequentlyassessed. Regular tutorials with the course instructor provide formative feedbackand direction for subsequent engagement with the course materials. Althoughsecond-language learning is traditionally undertaken in a wholly face-to-faceenvironment, the BL4 courses aim to achieve specified language developmentusing the possibilities offered by new technologies.ReferencesGarrison, D and Vaughan, N (2008) Blended Learning in Higher Education.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Macdonald, J (2008) Blended Learning and Online Tutoring. Aldershot,Hampshire: Gower.Oliver, R, Herrington, J and Reeves, TC (2006) ‘Creating authentic learningenvironments through blended learning approaches’ in Bonk, C and Graham,C (eds) The Handbook of Blended Learning. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.Wagner, E (2006) ‘On designing interaction experiences for the next generation ofblended learning’ in Bonk, C and Graham, C (eds) The Handbook of Blended Learning.San Francisco: Pfeiffer.146 | A blended learning course for the aviation industry
Page 1 and 2:
Blended Learning in EnglishLanguage
Page 3:
ISBN 978-0-86355-706-4© British Co
Page 6 and 7:
ForewordJohn Knagg obeIn recent yea
Page 8 and 9:
AcknowledgementsWe would like to th
Page 10 and 11:
PrefaceClaire WhittakerWhen I took
Page 13 and 14:
10 |
Page 15 and 16:
Table 1: Taxonomy of terms related
Page 17 and 18:
control and choice); cost effective
Page 19 and 20:
3. components need to be appropriat
Page 21 and 22:
Unfortunately the study does not sp
Page 23 and 24:
Regardless of the variety of sugges
Page 25 and 26:
Hocutt, R (2001) The Second e-Learn
Page 27 and 28:
24 | Introduction
Page 29 and 30:
26 |
Page 31 and 32:
Advanced level students are expecte
Page 33 and 34:
Preliminary student-led discussions
Page 35 and 36:
labs with data projectors provide t
Page 37 and 38:
Ramachandran, S (2004) Integrating
Page 39 and 40:
The coursesThe two EAP courses take
Page 41 and 42:
What we blendBy 1993 we were alread
Page 43 and 44:
discussions going during such disru
Page 45 and 46:
42 | Blended learning in English fo
Page 47 and 48:
Why blend?The decision to offer thi
Page 49 and 50:
to complete during the before, whil
Page 51 and 52:
In addition, there are a number of
Page 53 and 54:
Turgut, Y (2009) ‘EFL learners’
Page 55 and 56:
■■English for Academic Purposes
Page 57 and 58:
Figure 1: Stages of the incorporati
Page 59 and 60:
Table 3: Schedule for Unit 1Week Un
Page 61 and 62:
Internet - links and WebQuests:Some
Page 63 and 64:
ReferencesAllan, M (1985) Teaching
Page 65 and 66:
My advice to intending EAP course d
Page 67 and 68:
64 |
Page 69 and 70:
Designing the blendAs described ear
Page 71 and 72:
So in this way participants move fr
Page 73 and 74:
first-hand experience on which they
Page 75 and 76:
Generating peer-to-peer interaction
Page 77 and 78:
74 | A blended learning teacher dev
Page 79 and 80:
■■■■packages, setting up on
Page 81 and 82:
Clearly there are advantages to hav
Page 83 and 84:
Lessons learnedWhen deciding what p
Page 85 and 86:
ReferencesOsguthorpe, RT and Graham
Page 87 and 88:
The learner and the contextAlthough
Page 89 and 90:
typically involve writing or applyi
Page 91 and 92:
where possible, to bring them toget
Page 93 and 94:
90 | Reversing the blend: From onli
Page 95 and 96:
■■A one-week online simulation
Page 97 and 98: Online phase activitiesBoth asynchr
Page 99 and 100: in the form of a word processed doc
Page 101 and 102: learning facilities is noted repeat
Page 103 and 104: 100 | Blended learning: The IDLTM e
Page 105 and 106: and draw on what they know to name
Page 107 and 108: Figure 3: The homepage in a Module
Page 109 and 110: Figure 5: The projects page carries
Page 111 and 112: ConclusionA blended training course
Page 113 and 114: Appendix 1Extract showing first thr
Page 115 and 116: ■■■■Cambridge ESOL was repo
Page 117 and 118: ■■Including later units on, for
Page 119 and 120: The rationale behind the blendThe k
Page 121 and 122: Figure 2: An example screen from a
Page 123 and 124: environment and to meet the student
Page 125 and 126: ■■■■■■■■Fine-tuning
Page 127 and 128: 124 | The Cambridge CELTA course on
Page 129 and 130: teacher development courses should
Page 131 and 132: 128 | Comments on Part 2
Page 133 and 134: 130 |
Page 135 and 136: Facilities and available technology
Page 137 and 138: pairs and groups on collaborative t
Page 139 and 140: 2006) and are good revision tools (
Page 141 and 142: mobile phones via Bluetooth from my
Page 143 and 144: 140 | Blended learning: podcasts fo
Page 145 and 146: The face-to-face aspect of the cour
Page 147: The course covers listening, speaki
Page 151 and 152: not so much for language improvemen
Page 153: the reader/listener as customer) an
Page 156 and 157: Procter, C (2003) Blended Learning
Page 158 and 159: 14A longitudinal case study ofthe
Page 160 and 161: In the next version (v3) of the cou
Page 162 and 163: of a blend in Collis and Moonen’s
Page 164 and 165: of telecoms engineers, but it was w
Page 166 and 167: 15Using a wiki to enhance thelearni
Page 168 and 169: The ‘history feature’ which can
Page 170 and 171: Figure 4: Student created listening
Page 172 and 173: Teaching methodologyThe blended des
Page 174 and 175: Figure 8: Student reaction to probl
Page 176 and 177: Lund, A (2008) Wikis: a collective
Page 178 and 179: 16A military blendClaire WhittakerI
Page 180 and 181: Figure 1: How the modes complement
Page 182 and 183: sequence during a day. We believed
Page 184 and 185: REWARD (Greenall, 2002) is not expl
Page 186 and 187: Greenall, S (2002) Reward CD-ROM. O
Page 188 and 189: Comments on Part 3Brian TomlinsonOn
Page 190 and 191: Part 4 - English as aForeign Langua
Page 192 and 193: 17A thinking-based blendedlearning
Page 194 and 195: In each of the above parts, the lea
Page 196 and 197: Figure 1: Cycle of working with gra
Page 198 and 199:
Model by JP, Form 10StructureDidWas
Page 200 and 201:
Recommendation 2Ensure that the onl
Page 202 and 203:
Sokol, A (2008) Development of Inve
Page 204 and 205:
18A blended learning approachto sof
Page 206 and 207:
input and answer questions that had
Page 208 and 209:
unenthusiastic. There should theref
Page 210 and 211:
19Students’ CALLing: Blendedlangu
Page 212 and 213:
The students were taken to the comp
Page 214 and 215:
When considering blended learning,
Page 216 and 217:
20Lessons in blended learning:Imple
Page 218 and 219:
had to find a way around the cost o
Page 220 and 221:
In July 2011, teachers and particip
Page 222 and 223:
Sharma, P and Barret, B (2007) Blen
Page 224 and 225:
Comments on Part 4Brian TomlinsonTh
Page 226 and 227:
ConclusionClaire Whittaker
Page 228 and 229:
ConclusionIn this chapter a list of
Page 230 and 231:
Under each of the above headings wi
Page 232 and 233:
What are the limiting factors?Altho
Page 234 and 235:
Table 5: Time spent on each modeBlo
Page 236 and 237:
as being optional, which allows the
Page 238 and 239:
We were fortunate in Bosnia and Her
Page 240 and 241:
changing, as learners’ engagement
Page 242 and 243:
with a willingness to use technolog
Page 244 and 245:
Dudeney, G and Hockly, N (2007) How
Page 246 and 247:
Appendix 1 -Questions for blendedle
Page 248 and 249:
Contributors
Page 250 and 251:
ContributorsPeter Aborisade lecture
Page 252 and 253:
Jody Gilbert taught in post-seconda
Page 254 and 255:
Juanita Pardo-González (BA Hons in
Page 258:
The British Council is pleased to o
show all

Here - EnglishAgenda - British Council

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?