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new, but in todays digital age what is new is the range of possible
components in a blend. Blended learning, when well understood
and implemented, has the potential to support deep and meaningful
learning, but simply mixing information technologies with face-toface learning is not sufficient to exploit the full potential of blended
learning. When considering blended learning, there is no single perfect
blend, nor is there a set or simple formula for making a good blend.
This booklet will consider how blended learning can help achieve the
optimal language learning environment. It will examine the criteria
and factors that can help you choose the appropriate blend for
yourstudents.
Blended Learning
Creating Learning Opportunities
for Language Learners
Debra Marsh
Blended Learning
Creating Learning Opportunities
for Language Learners
Debra Marsh
978-1-107-91697-5 Paperback
Table of Contents
Complementarity 6
Support 7
Introduction 1
A Blended Solution for Language Learning 3
Learning independently 12
References 20
Introduction
The majority of foreign language teaching still takes place in the classroom, and
as language teachers, we know from experience that achieving the optimal
conditions as just presented poses a significant challenge in most foreign language teaching situations where students have limited opportunities to actively
engage in using the target language. Surrounded by native language speakers,
students rarely have the opportunity to enter the world of the target language,
despite our best efforts to introduce communicative, authentic language tasks
into out classrooms.
Blended Learning 1
In any one classroom, a teacher can be faced with students who all
have their own individual learning preferences, who come from different backgrounds, and who have different priorities and reasons for learning a language.
Any group of students can often be of mixed ability with different goals or
learning styles. Appropriateness of task can represent a significant challenge in
these circumstances. Teachers know from experience that if a language level in
a task is too easy, some students are unlikely to improve; if the task is too difficult, some students may simply give up. Similarly, tasks that do not address a
students interests or learning style may fail to motivate, which is essential to
language learning.
Time is limited in the classroom, and although teachers are well aware
of the need to provide their students with opportunities to practice the language in different and varied contexts, this is sometimes just not feasible given
timetabling constraints.
As language teachers we understand that to serve the needs of our
learners, we need to create an environment that most closely resembles actual
use of the target language. In attempting to achieve the optimal learning
environment, we have a number of resources and tools available. Recording
devices, video players, newspapers, and language laboratories all provide different and varied access to content. We can employ a variety of activity types
with group work and pair work, collaborative learning and independent learning to engage our learners in communicative language practice. We all try to
address the need for personalized learning through the introduction of selfstudy resources designed for independent study.
In other words, as language teachers, although we may not have been
aware of the term, we have always used a blend of teaching approaches in
order to provide as rich a learning environment as possible for our learners.
Blended learning is therefore not a new concept. What is new is the range of
different learning opportunities and environments made possible today through
the use of technology to support learning and teaching. What is also new is the
expectation of our learners to use technology in and out of the classroom as
part of the learning process.
In the sections that follow, we will consider how blended learning can
help achieve the optimal language learning environment. We will examine the
criteria and factors that will help you choose the appropriate blend for your
students, and we will also consider the different teacher and learner roles that
make for effective blended language learning.
2 Blended Learning
Herein, any reference to blended learning assumes the continued use of face-toface teaching as a basic building block of the learning experience, enriched and
enhanced by the integration of the Internet and other teaching and learning
technologies into studies undertaken both in and out of the classroom. This
integration should happen with the mediation and support of the teacher and,
as with any materials used, should reflect and work toward the learning aims
and needs of all learners.
Blended Learning 5
Finding Your Blend
The concept and practice of blending learning opportunities is not new, but in
todays digital age, what is new is the range of possible components in a blend.
Blended learning, when well understood and implemented, has the potential
to support deep and meaningful learning, but simply mixing information technologies with face-to-face learning is not sufficient to exploit the potential of
blended learning. When considering blended learning, there is no single perfect
blend, nor is there a set or simple formula for making a good blend. There
is, however, a number of important factors essential to achieving an effective blend.
Complementarity
It is important for the different ingredients of the blend to complement each
other. A mismatch between the various components can lead to confusion and
frustration on the part of the students and increased workload for the teacher
who has to attempt to bring the disparate components together to achieve a
coherent learning experience.
The starting point for establishing complementarity is to identify the
learning outcomes, identify your students needs, and identify the different,
potential components available to you. At this point, you should then be able to
identify how best these learning outcomes and needs can be supported by the
different components available to you.
methodologically sound. Students like to use different media. Newer technologies and older media (i.e., CD-ROMs) both have a place in blended language
learning where learners can choose the medium that best suits their needs.
Teachers need to vary the usage of such media to accommodate student needs.
Support
In any blended learning context in which technology supported self-study is
central to the blend, learners will require support in three important ways: academic, affective, and technical.
Academic
In and out of class, students can struggle with the concepts and constructs of
language and of learning. In class, the teacher is on hand to answer questions as
they arise. This can be carried through to the online medium by having forums
for the different activities where students are invited to ask about issues they
find difficult. By doing this in a forum (which supports peer-to-peer and group
interaction) and not via e-mail (which only encourages student-to-teacher
interaction), other members of the class are empowered and encouraged to
respond to their peers questions. This can provide considerable satisfaction
for the person answering the question. As well as helping the questioner on an
immediate level, it also reinforces the idea that the teacher is not the source of
all knowledge and creates a sense of community and peer support in general.
Affective
Interaction in the classroom provides an excellent medium to support students
who might be struggling with the coursework or feel a bit lost, especially when
working at home alone. The use of student blogs and learner progress reporting
available with many learning management systems provides the teacher with
a good overview of who is falling behind or feeling isolated. It also offers the
opportunity to provide support on these levels without drawing attention to
it in class, particularly with quieter students who often get overlooked in the
busy classroom. Web 2.0 tools, that is, tools that promote the communicative use of technology (e.g., forums and blogs), are vital in supporting the
learner community.
Technical
Whenever technology is involved and this is the case in any learning environment things can go wrong. Technical support in vital, and teachers and
students need this support in order to feel comfortable in what is a new and
challenging experience.
Blended Learning 7
The Teachers Role in the Blend
The teachers role has always been central to providing a structured and engaging teaching and learning environment. The classroom/face-to-face teaching
component remains central to blended language learning, and the role of the
teacher in the blended learning environment remains indispensable. Technology
can only achieve so much, and the teacher has to be the motivating, organizing force to the integration of students online and classroom learning. Many
features of the teachers role remain unchanged in the blended learning environment. The teacher continues to encourage and motivate, guide and monitor
progress, give feedback, boost confidence, and maintain motivation.
Blended Learning 9
J Help students design their first study plan. Let them know how
many hours of study are required per week and encourage
them to identify the times when they will be able do part or all
of that study.
their computer screen outside of the classroom. You will need to find ways to
create a friendly, social online environment, which is essential for successful
online learning.
Hints and tips
J Encourage your students to complete a profile online so they
can get to know each other quickly.
Blended Learning 11
The Students Role in the Blend
It is often overlooked that students need time to adapt to and develop in a new
learning environment. Supporting students through this transition is crucial.
Learning independently
The online component of blended learning allows students to learn when and
where they want. It offers students the complete flexibility to choose the time
they study with no constraints of fixed classroom hours. However, this does
mean that students will need to get used to working independently, making
their own decisions, and taking responsibility for their own learning. In the
early stages of the course, some students will need help and guidance as to when
12 Blended Learning
and how to make these decisions. It is important that students understand that
this flexibility does not mean they can leave all the online work until the last
minute (i.e., the week before their exam).
Hints and tips
J Build in class and online discussion time to provide
this support.
Blended Learning 13
14 Blended Learning
The number of different ways to blend learning opportunities and environments are potentially limitless, and many different factors need to be considered
in order to achieve a blend that is appropriate to the needs of our students. We,
of course, need to consider the identified learning outcomes for our lessons and
program of learning, but then we also need to take into account the constraints
presented by timetabling and the number of classroom hours per week our
students are expected to attend. In addition, we need to calculate the number
of hours of independent study they are expected to do per week, and how much
time, we as teachers, have to monitor and support online learning.
Consequently, there is no one-size-fits-all blended pathway. However,
there are a number of key steps, as outlined below, that teachers can follow.
These simple steps provide a solid foundation upon which to develop a pathway
suited to the needs of your students.
Blended Learning 15
16 Blended Learning
J Conduct a survey with your students to find out the topics that
interest them.
Blended Learning 17
18 Blended Learning
LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Identify the learning outcomes for your classroom lesson.
FOCUS ON COMMUNICATION
IN CLASS
2. Identify the activities for student to do in class.
Students are prepared online to actively participate in personalized
pair- and group-work activities in class.
Student-to-student interaction is maximized in the classroom.
Blended Learning 19
References
Brodsky, M. May 2003. E-learning trends, today and beyond. Learning and
Training Innovations.
Chapelle, C. Computer Applications in Second Language Acquisition. New
York: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Cheers, C. and P. Towndrow. 2002. Blended language learning. Learners
Together. Accessed January 2012. http://www.learnerstogether.net/
PDF/Blended-Language-Learning.pdf.
Egbert, J. and E. Hanson-Smith. Call Environments: Research, Practice, and
Critical Issues. Alexandria, VA: TESOL, 1999.
Harvey, L. (20042011). Analytic quality glossary, Quality
Research International. Accessed January 2012. http://www.
qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/.
Hinkelman, D. 2005. Blended learning: Issues driving an end to laboratorybased CALL. JALT Hokkaido Journal 9: 1731. Accessed January 2012.
http://www.jalthokkaido.net/jh_journal/2005/Hinkelman.pdf.
Jones, L. The Student Centered Classroom. New York: Cambridge University
Press, 2007. Also available at http://www.cambridge.org/other_files/
downloads/esl/booklets/Jones-Student-Centered.pdf.
Neumeier , P. 2005. A closer look at blended learning parameters for
designing a blended learning environment for language teaching and
learning. ReCALL 17: 16378.
Oliver, M. and K. Trigwell. 2005. Can blended learning be redeemed?
E-Learning 2, no. 1: 1726. Accessed January 2012. http://www.
luispitta.com/mie/Blended_Learning_2005.pdf.
Pena-Sanchez, R. and R. C. Hicks. 2006. Faculty perceptions of
communications channels: A survey. International Journal of Innovation
and Learning 3, no. 1: 4562.
Rinar, I. 2009. Blended language learning, IBS Newsletter Porocevale.
Accessed January 2012. http://www.ibsporocevalec.si/
naslovnica/118-blended-language-learning.
20 Blended Learning
Blended Learning 21
Blended Learning
Creating Learning Opportunities
for Language Learners
Debra Marsh