Here - EnglishAgenda - British Council

■■■■the creative grammar module, where learners develop and test their own modelsof grammarthe text module, where learners develop their language and thinking skills throughvarious text-based communicative tasks.The modules are presented to learners through simple tutorials that demonstratethe structure of learning and the philosophy behind it (Staluns and Sokol, 2008). Thelanguage learning methodology underlying the modules originates from the ‘ThinkingApproach’ to language teaching and learning (Sokol, 2008; Sokol et al., 2008). Theapproach is aimed at helping learners develop their thinking skills and dispositions inthe process of learning a language, thus making the learning process more effective,as learners are dealing with both language and thinking syllabi in an integratedway. The design of the modules is underpinned by the thinking syllabus, e.g. focuson planning and evaluation of own learning, open ended tasks to texts, learnerdevelopment of grammar rules, etc.Learners can connect to the modules at any time. All their work is saved in the learnerportfolios, which perform both formative and summative roles. The former is achievedas a result of the feedback obtained both from the system and the teacher, whilethe latter becomes possible when the learner has selected some of his/her learningoutcomes for sharing with the wider community for assessment. Although the workwith the modules is asynchronous, teachers can monitor both the process and theresults of each learner through accessing their portfolios and leaving comments.Due to mainly technological reasons, the creative grammar module was the one usedmost widely during the period the study reports. Therefore, it is this module that willbe dealt with in this publication. Structurally it comprises seven parts, each aimed ata specific function, as illustrated in the table below.Part Name Function1 Define present knowledge Help learners see how much they already know in a giventheme and help make a decision about the necessity offurther learning.2 Clarify structures Help learners come up with a list of structures used in agiven theme.3 Formulate learning goals Help learners analyse examples of using structures found inPart 2 (Bank 1) and formulate the learning goal(s) connectedwith further work with the system of grammar tasks.4 Develop a draft model Help learners develop a draft model connected with goalsformulated in Part 3.5 Test and improve the model Help learners transform their preliminary grammar modelto a working model that is sufficient to cope with the goalsformulated in Part 3.6 Put the model into practice Provide learners with contexts for language productionpractice based on their working models.7 Evaluate and planfurther learningHelp learners analyse the process and products of their workwith the system of tasks offered in Parts 1– 6 and as a resultdevelop plans for further learning.190 | A thinking-based blended learning course