What the BLENDED LEARNING method of studying English is and and who it is for
If you’re an extremely busy person but would still like to study English, you've probably already given up on traditional bricks-and-mortar schools. Perhaps you’ve even tried a few private teachers and it didn’t work. Especially if your teacher is very good and hard-working, he or she will be unlikely to offer you a bunch of slots for rescheduling.
If you’re currently facing these issues, well, you are going through the same as most of my students. Therefore, blended learning could be perfect for you.
The whole idea behind blended learning is that students get an opportunity to learn even when they can’t physically come to class. The idea is to provide them with what I like to call a semi-interactive course. These consist of all classes being videoconferences scheduled for fixed slots, but the teacher may convert them into video lessons if a student can’t make it, reschedule in advance or find a suitable slot to make up for an absence. They are themed according to the level and profile of the student and feature material that will be useful to them in real life. What I try to do with my students is to develop their autonomy to study, maximize conversation tasks in class and keep a regularity in their studies, which is extremely important if you want to learn a second language.
Here’s how it works:
In the process of learning/teaching, we always have input and output. Input is everything the student received, whereas the output is what the student produces. If I teach, say, the verb to be, the student will learn new words, structures, listen to people using it. That’s input. The output slot would be when the student tries to introduce himself and others. What video lessons do is allow the less interactive bits (the input) to be provided outside the classroom. That means if you watch all the videos, revise the grammar and study the vocabulary, you actually get to have much more conversation with the teacher.
Here’s two practical examples:
The Best Cup of Coffee
Objetivo: treinar o ouvido para entender o sotaque americano, adquirir vocabulário, ter uma discussão sobre pequenos gestos na aula seguinte
Task 1: No subtitles to assess the student’s ability to understand spoken English
Task 2: With subtitles to practice vocabulary
Task 3: Writing task about the student’s opinion
Follow-up com a teacher na aula seguinte: discutir os erros e o que foi difícil no video e ter uma conversa sobre o tema.
Complete the landing card (nível A1-B1)
Goal: completing a landing card and anticipating possible problems with the process.
Follow-up: This student had plans to go to Thailand on holiday. Because this was an class about how to fill out the arrival card we managed to skip that part in class and only revisei her work. This enabled us to do more conversation and practice the necessary skills to interact with people in a simple yet polite way in case she had problems.
Let’s talk about blended learning today! Schedule a free 30 minute consultation here