Content and language integrated learning

LET'S WATCH IT

Implication of Classroom Research

         Classroom research opens up the classroom to a broader range of student voices. The traditionally quiet, shy student now has a channel for communicating opinions and ideas to the class as a whole. The class shifts from a teacher-centered to a student-centered classroom, and all students are included.

         The unilateral, unidirectional power relationship encoded in the evaluation/grading system is modified to accept the suggestions and advice of the students. Instructors, however, do not give up authority, just authoritarianism.

         In hearing regularly what their peers are thinking, students are able to overcome the isolated, individual student/teacher relationship of the past. They now can see themselves as part of a group (including the teacher) that is marked not by competition, but by solidarity in a common enterprise of understanding and using the subject matter with competence and confidence.

         The positive effects of classroom research do not occur overnight; they are the result of instructor and student work over a period of time as each learns how to give and take feedback. Nevertheless, classroom research is so powerful and helpful that even the most modest attempt can bring provocative and insightful results.

Motivation and e-learning

Are students motivated by this type of learning?

Course designers must realise that learning styles are different: visual learners, kinaesthetic learners, auditory learners. E-learning courses must cater for all otherwise learners will lose interest.

Reasons for a high drop-out rate
* Learners can feel isolated.
* Difficult navigation within the site.
* Confusing instructions for tasks.
* Irrelevant material for learners' needs.
* Technical breakdowns.


How to keep learners motivated
* Isolation is an important issue.
- Teachers post a Welcome Letter at the beginning of course.
- Material is written in a "chatty", informal way.
- Learners encouraged early on to find out about each other (hobbies, goals, interests).
- Encourage competition between learners (who has written the best essay, who can post the first message).
- Teachers check in regularly, at pre-assigned times (and never fail to do so).
- Learners are encouraged to post their photograph (if they want to - some prefer to remain anonymous).
- Teachers praise frequently.
- Teachers provide and ask for constant feedback.
- Work can be shared.
- Lurkers are contacted by email to find out the reason for non-participation.
* Navigation must be kept simple. Not everyone is technically minded.
* Tasks need to be explained in the simplest terms.
- Models and examples should be given (more than in face-to-face classrooms).
- Continually tell the learners what they have done, what they are doing and what they will do next.
- Make sure they are aware of the objectives of each exercise.
- Give deadlines for submission of tasks.
- Teachers set realistic dates for turn-around of homework (and keep to it)
* To make the course relevant, learners are encouraged to take turns in being responsible for leading a discussion or task. They are given plenty of practice to use new skills.
* Technical breakdowns will occur, they are still a fact of life. Essential that the teacher has a contact telephone number or e-mail address for each learner.


Conclusion

As technology develops, it will become cheaper and will meet the needs of all types of learners. Visual learners were, to some extent, satisfied by the static websites. But what about the others? With new technology, video and audio clips can be used to help the auditory learners. PowerPoint slides or other graphic illustrations can further help the visual learners and kin-aesthetic learners can be given links to other websites and encouraged to be interactive and independent.

Institutes, schools and governments are becoming more aware of this development and there are plans for a pan-European network. E-learning is a fact, it is here and will stay here, continually developing until it is within the reach and pocket of everyone

TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING WORKING WITH ONLINE LEARNING

• Take an online course. Experiencing online learning yourself will make you much more aware of -and empathetic to - difficulties your own online learners may encounter, as well as issues of online group dynamics, the importance of contact with the tutor,and so on.
• Ensure that all design and delivery issues are resolved at the planning stage. Be prepared to spend a lot of time on course preparation and tutoring.
• Find out about your learners' expectations about the online course so that you can deal with and fullfill them.
• Create interactive tasks at the beginning of your online course to introduce the learners to the technicalities of the online environment.(You remember the introductory tasks here in Funiber. They were great)
• Create an online community by providing opportunities for learners to interact with each other and get to know each other socially from the very beginning of the course.
• Create spaces, communication channels and norms for dealing with issues and conflict.This can be done both publicly and privately, and should be available throughout the course.
• Establish norms, protocols or guidelines for group interaction and behavoiur. Provide clear guidelines as to tutor roles, contact times and turnaround time for responding to work and emails.
• Allow for group closure by, for example, celebrating achievements, disseminating products, providing feedback, designing closing activities and providing for post-course contact and development.

The importance of soft skills

What are soft skills? Soft skills refer to a very diverse range of abilities such as:

• Self-awareness
• Analytical thinking

• Leadership skills
• Team-building skills
• Flexibility
• Ability to communicate effectively
• Creativity
• Problem-solving skills
• Listening skills
• Diplomacy
• Change-readiness

Many people often refer to 'soft skills' as 'people skills' or 'emotional intelligence'. Hard skills are the technical abilities required to do a job or perform a task: essentially they are acquired through training and education programs.

Importance of Soft Skills

According to psychologist Daniel Coleman, a combination of competencies that contribute to a person's ability to manage his or herself and relate to other people-matters twice as much as IQ or technical skills in job success.

Results of a recent studies on the importance of soft skills indicated that the single most important soft skill for a job candidate to possess was interpersonal skills, followed by written or verbal communication skills and the ability to work under pressure.

A constantly changing work environment - due to technology, customer-driven markets, an information-based economy and globalisation that are currently impacting on the structure of the workplace and leading to an increased reliance on, and demand for, soft skills.

Soft skills are not a replacement for hard- or technical-skills. They are, in many instances, complementary, and serve to unlock the potential for highly effective performance in people qualified with the requisite hard skills.

COURSE DESIGN FOR ONLINE LEARNING: CONSIDERATIONS

If you are thinking of trying out elements of online learning or are invloved in online learning projects, the following questions will help you to clarify your doubts.

Delivery mode

• Is the course purely online, or does it include blended learning? If blended, exactly what percentage of the course takes place face-to-face, and how often do learners meet?
• What elements of the course content are delivered online, and what elements are delivered face-to-face?
• How exactly are the online components of the course deliivered? By email and chat? In VLE? Via an ad hoc collection of online tools like Skype, email and Yahoo ?
• Can a CD-ROM provide a useful means of delivering digital content for elements that are difficult to download, for example video content?
• Is the method of delivery suited to the content ? In other words, if an online course promises to teach and practice pronunciation, but the delivery mode is via email, it is unlikely to work.
• What elements of the course will take place synchronously, that is, in real time, and what elements asynchronously, that is not in real time? What synchronous and asynchronous tools will be used?
• Does the course content and delivery mode reflect the learners' needs?

Task design and materials

• What materials will be used for the course content? Will they be tailor-made content and activities, or will existing resources on the Internet be used?
• What issues of copyright need to be taken into account, if you are using existing activities, graphics and wbsites available on the internet?
• Is content attractively presented and varied, for example with graphics and animation? Is there a range of media used- audio, video, text- and a range of tools-forums, text/audio chat, email, voice mail?
• Are different task types provided? For example, are all the grammar exercises drag-and-drop or are various actiity types available?
•  Do task types appeal to a variety of learner styles?
• Are there plenty of opportunities for interaction between learners, and between learners and tutors, built into the tasks and overall course design?

Learners

• Are the learners computer literate, or will they need training to use the online tools? If training is needed, how will this be provided?
• To what extent are the learners prepared for ans suitable for e-learning? How will their course expectations be dealt with?
• Will the course be individual self-study, or will learners work through the course material at the same time in small groups? What is the maximum size for a group?
• If the course is 100 percent online and group-based, how and when will group formation and socialising activities be integrated? How will learners be amdeto feel part of an online learning group?
• How much tutor support, ans access to tutors, will learners be given?

Teacher/Tutors

• Are the tutors experienced in e-learning, as well as computer literate, or will they need training to deliver the course ? if training is needed, how will this be provided?
• To what extent will tutors be involved in course design, or will they simply deliver the course?
• What is the ratio of learners to tutors, and how many hours a week are tutors expected to work online component of a course?
• How much support are tutors given and by whom?

Assessment and evaluation

• How will the success or otherwise of the course itself be evaluated?
• Will the course be evaluated as it is running(known as formative assessment) or only at the end (summative assessment)
• How will learners' coursewrk be assessed and graded?
• How will tutors' performance be evaluated?