ESL Classroom
Building the Blocks of English
Steven Donahue puts E-Blocks®
to the test in the ESL classroom
Sometimes, we language teachers, forget the obvious:
if we teach in step-by-step blocks that students can follow; the magi-
cal quantum leaps in acquisition will happen from that very compre-
hensible input. And so, E-Blocks is a product which literally uses
blocks that students place on an interactive panel in order to learn at
their own pace. The attractive blocks, connected by a cable, are
placed on a panel and displayed on a computer. For instance, the
word H-A-T may be scrambled as T-H-A, with a cartoon pilot flying
the words on a banner over a mountain peak.
In using the blocks, the students place them, based on context
clues from the computer, until they unscramble the words. Cartoon
like rewards for correct answers are instantly displayed — usually to
joyous cheers - as the blocks are amenable to group learning, almost
by default. E-Blocks, with their plethora of activities make it easier for
students of all skill levels to interact with engaging multimedia soft-
ware — without dependence on a laborious keyboard. The attractive,
palm-sized blocks labeled with letters and symbols are easily placed
in the panel’s pockets. Children rapidly identify letters, spell words,
and build sentences by placing these blocks. All the while, they are
engrossed in watching for hints from the simultaneous display on the
computer screen.
Real Teachers; Real Feedback
One Florida kindergarten teacher who teaches mainly ELL students
reported: “E-Blocks, are just great! I started using the E-blocks in my
class and the kids love them. Moreover, they are very excited and
motivated to use them. I have been trying the 0 level with my ESOL
students, and I can tell they just love the system. The colorful blocks,
interactive graphics, relevant motion on the computer screen helps
them to quickly learn phonics, alphabet, blends, and vocabulary.“
And all teachers who have used them seem to agree that E-
Blocks enable children to experience language learning through a
multitude senses: listening, kinesthetic, discussions among students,
motor skills. But the learning is serious; it is reinforced through instan-
taneous feedback in a fun and relaxed way. The blocks provide a
wide variety of content too, which encourages gradual, context-
based learning.
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Another Florida ESOL teacher said: “The students’ attention spans
have dramatically increased. Perhaps more importantly, they can
work as a team to solve learning problems that are typical of second
language students. However, what I liked best was the ability to track
the progress of all the students all the time because the program
keeps a record of what the kids did well or where they went wrong.
So it is an extremely useful tool inside the class.”
Research-Grounded
The teachers’ intimations are also buttressed by solid research. In
a 2004 study, learners from the two groups were exposed to 30 vocab-
ulary flash cards from the Cambridge Young Learners curriculum.
Comparing the two groups, the learners in the first group (the E-
Blocks group) recognized around 40 percent more words than the
learners from the second group. Similar comparisons have shown
that E-Blocks groups have increased phonemic awareness, vocabu-
lary acquisition, and retention of the English alphabet.
Multiple Advantages
In summary, E-Blocks are an innovative method for teaching
English as a Second Language and ideal for initial literacy exposure.
The blocks are based on the well-known premise that children learn
by doing — and doing cooperative learning. And certainly, the E-
Blocks approach provides unlimited hands-on interaction between
children (ages 5 to 10) and the subject matter — English.
It is rare, and delightful, to find a product such as E-Blocks which
addresses all of the following features in a single product. It is a fun-
filled learning tool that children demonstrably love to interact with,
which also assists with:
■ Phonemic awareness
■ Constructivist activities
■ Associations between hearing, reading and doing
■ Social and Emotional development
■ Multiple sensory learning
Steven Donahue is features editor for Language Magazine.
May 2006