2. Blended Learning: Enhancing Learning Opportunities for Language Learners
Dr Gurleen Ahluwalia
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This paper discusses the advantages of using blended learning approach in making one’s English language lessons engaging, creative and meaningful. In the contemporary age, the importance of learning the language has increased manifold but pedagogy has not been calibrated to meet the growing demands of the students and the market has led to a gap in the teaching-learning process. Hence, to bridge this gap, the researcher suggests the immediate need to blend the traditional teaching methods with that of the modern ones using blended learning approach. This eclectic approach provides a win-win situation for both the teacher and the students as it gives the comfort of teaching in a traditional classroom setting as well as let the students enjoy rides on the high tides of technology. The paper concludes with two ready to use technology enhanced classroom activities that can be blended easily with the other pen and paper language lessons.
Key Words: Blended Learning, Technology-enhanced language learning, English Language Teaching
In this digital era everybody is smitten by a technological bug, especially the young students, who are also referred to as the “Digital Natives”. Thus, the constant flux which rules their lives has made their process of learning, in a traditional set up, a very dull and boring experience. Against this backdrop, the researcher thought of adopting blended learning approach to teach English language skills to her students and to prepare them for their prospective professional skills. Blended learning is an approach to learning in which different learning methods are combined. It is the combination of multiple approaches to pedagogy or teaching. Further, the term has evolved as “a thoughtful integration of classroom face-to- face learning experiences with online learning experiences”(Garrison and Kanuka 97). It includes traditional face-to-face (F2F) classroom interaction and different forms of technology-based learning.
The turn of the century has witnessed a profound impact of technology on education and English Language Teaching (ELT) is not an exception. With the advent of the Internet and its new means of communication facilitating collaboration between groups and individuals all over the world, the time has come to introduce this newness into the language learning courses also.
The Concept of Blended Learning
The term “blended learning” first appeared in around 2000.It is a flexible term, used to describe any and all varieties of teaching where there is integration of both face-to-face and online delivery methods. The practice of blending learning is, therefore, not a new way of teaching, nor is it a single method of learning. So, new are the opportunities offered by the Internet and Web 2.0 tools and the range of components that can be encompassed in the blend surely may give novelty to the teaching of English language. Also, the students are the new millennium learners, who are born and brought up with technology. Within the literature, a variety of attempts to define the term have been made. These include, but are not limited to:
Ø “a learning program where more than one delivery mode is being used with the objective of optimizing the learning outcome and cost of program delivery” (Singh and Reed, 2001, p. 1)
Ø blended learning can be viewed as:
· a combination of modes of web-based technology
· a combination of various pedagogical approaches (e.g.,
constructivism, behaviourism, cognitivism)
· a combination of any form of instructional technology with face-to-face
instructor-led training
· a combination of instructional technology with actual job tasks inorder to create a harmonious effect of learning and working (Driscoll,2002)
Ø blended learning refers to the mix of different:
· “didactical methods (expository presentations, discovery learning,
cooperative learning, etc); and
· delivery formats (personal communication, publishing, broadcasting, etc)." (Kerres and De Witt, 2003, p. 103)
Ø "Blended learning is the thoughtful fusion of face-to-face and online learning experiences. The basic principle is that face-to-face oral communication and
online written communication are optimally integrated such that the strengths of each are blended into a unique learning experience congruent with the
context and intended educational purpose." (Garrison and Vaughan, 2008, p.5)
Theoretical Framework
Recently, the learning theory of constructivism has been proposed as a basis for the instructional design of technology (Lebow 13) and Brooks and Brooks claim it to be a viable theory for language instruction (qtd. in Stepp-Greany 168). This theory posits that students are not passive recipients of knowledge. Instead, they are active participants in the construction of new knowledge that is idiosyncratic and derived from the learner's prior experience. In this theory also, students assume responsibility for their learning, and the teacher is a facilitator rather than a purveyor of knowledge, fulfilling a role similar to that described by Kern (106).
In practical terms, the researcher aims at implementing the most relevant attributes of technology enhanced language learning: authentic materials, hypertextuality, contextualized learning, interaction, temporal scaffolding and autonomy. It should be emphasized, in researcher’s view, that there is a close parallel between the theory of constructivism and the pedagogy of web-based learning which could be summarized as follows (Perez Basanta 112):
Table 01: Look at bottom of the page
Ignacio Estrada said, “If a child cannot learn the way we teach, may be we should teach the way they learn.”
That is what educators have been trying to do through the use of Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL). Molly Lee, Coordinator, Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID), UNESCO, Bangkok once said that UNESCO believes integrating ICT into education can help to bring quality education to everyone, everywhere – a key goal of the Education for All initiative. The citizens of the future must be equipped with sufficient knowledge to keep up with technological advances and demands of the Twenty first Century.
In this regard, with a limited body of research on the use of technology-enhanced language activities in the classroom in India, the researcher embraced the opportunity to introduce some technology oriented activities for her students to be performed in the language laboratory. In the present paper the researcher is going to share some such activities which can be infused in their college curriculum.
Sharma and Barret (2007) present four key principles to be followed for adopting a blended learning approach in the classroom. These are as follows:
1. Separate the role of the teacher and the role of technology.
2. Teach in a principled way.
3. Use technology to complement and enhance F2F teaching.
4. It’s not so much the program, more what you do with it.
Marsh (2012) recommends four steps for the language teachers which they can use to design their own blended pathway.
“1. Identify the learning outcomes for your classroom lesson.
2. Identify the activities for student to do in class.
3. Identify the activities for students to do online before class.
4. Identify the activities for student to do after class.”
Keeping the above given principles and recommendations in mind, the researcher designed some blended activities for her class. Two of them are as follows:
Sample Activity: Become a Director of your Animated Movie
The web 2.0 tools like Xtranormal or Animaker can be used by the students to create online movies in minutes by turning words into a 3D animated movies.Thus, this technology can support interactive creation of language lessons by using animated characters and avatars to create a greeting, a conversation, a vocabulary building lesson etc. with an online visual process. Users can choose to import their own voice, previously recorded audio clips or select from a text-to-speech built in software system.
Aim: To create subject relevant videos using 3D animated characters
Focus: Speaking Practice, Critical Thinking, Vocabulary Revision
Level: Pre-Intermediate and above
Time: 80 minutes
Sites: https://www.animaker.com/, http://www.xtranormal.com/
Teacher Preparation
- Present a topic using the discussed web 2.0 tool yourself.
- Show students how to use the website for creating their own animated movies.
- Identify the language level of the students and accordingly divide them into groups so that the students of different levels can be accommodated into all the groups.
- Give autonomy to the students to select a theme or a topic for movie making.
Steps for Students
- Brainstorm vocabulary and create conversation on the given topic.
- Encourage them to present the dialogues in their own voices.
- Post your movie on your blog.
Sample Activity: Student’s Blog
Students maintain a record of their practical work or assignments (like book reviews, mock-dialogue, presentations, mock-interview etc.) in the practical files. The researcher suggests recording such works on a blog created and owned by the student rather than on a traditional practical file.
Aim:
To post practical class record on blog
Language Skills:
Writing
Level:
Intermediate and above
Time:
80 minutes
Web-Sites:
http://www.blogspot.com/, http://www.wordpress.com/
Teacher Preparation
· Explain students the advantages of using blogs over practical files.
· Demonstrate how to create a blog and publish posts on it.
· Familiarize them with all the features of a blog.
· Instruct students to update their blogs weekly.
Steps for Students
· Create a blog and personalize it using the template and the features of your choice.
· Give it a suitable title.
Conclusion
This paper dealt with a goal of giving an introduction into various elements of blended learning that can be used by language teachers, both in and outside the classroom, to facilitate independent, engaging and motivational learning. The paper also offered a selection of ready-made and adaptable activities for a language classroom.
References
- Ahluwalia, Gurleen, Dr. Deepti Gupta and Deepak Aggarwal. “The Use of Blogs in English Language Learning: A Study of Student Perceptions”. Profile: Issues in Teachers' Professional Development 13/2 (2011):29-43.
- Ahluwalia, Gurleen and Deepti Gupta. "Impact of Technology-Enhanced Language Learning on the Writing Skills of Engineering Students: A Case Study." Multiculturalism and Technology-Enhanced Language Learning. IGI Global, 2017. 33-56. Web. 8 Feb. 2017. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-1882-2.ch003
- Driscoll, M. Blended Learning: Let’s get beyond the hype. LTI Magazine. (2002). Retrieved March 7, 2011, from http://ltinewsline.com/ltimagazine/article/articledetail.jsp?id=11755
- Dudeney, G. The Internet and the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
- Dudeney, G. and Hockly, N. How to Teach English with Technology. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2007.
- Garrison, R. and Kanuka, H. “Blended learning: Uncovering its transformative potential in higher education”. Internet and Higher Education. 7(2004): 95-105.
- Garrison, R., and Vaughan, N. D. “Blended Learning in Higher Education: Framework, Principles, and Guidelines”. The Jossey-Bass higher and adult education series. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.
- Kerres, M., and De Witt, C. “A Didactical Framework for the Design of Blended Learning
- Arrangements”. Journal of Educational Media, 28/2, (2003).
- Lebow, D. “Constructivist values for instructional systems design: Five principles toward a new mindset.” Educational Technology, Research and Development 41/3 (1993): 4-16.
- Marsh, Debra. Blended Learning: Creating Learning Opportunities for Language Learners. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
- Noytim, Usa. “Weblogs Enhancing EFL Students’ English Language Learning”. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 2/ 2 (2010): 1127-1132.
- Prez Basanta, C. “Using Technology for Pre-service Second Language Teacher Education Through WebCT (Web Course Tools).” International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society 2/5 (2006): 101-118.
- Sharma, Pete and Barney Barrett. Blended Learning. Oxford: Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 2007.
- Singh, H., & Reed, C. A white paper: Achieving success with blended learning. Centra Software. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.114.821&rep=rep1
- Stepp-Greany, J. “Students’ Perceptions on Language Learning in a Technological Environment: Implications for the New Millenium”. Language Learning and Technology 6/1 (2002): 165 – 180.
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