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Virtual Blended Learning: principles and practice

Pete SharmaDirector

EAP Lecturer

Teacher Trainer

Author

Aim

to explore how the principles

of Virtual Blending can help

teachers moving online

• Set scene

• Virtual Blending

• Practical ideas

• Reflections

Overview

•Blended Learning

•From classroom to online

Part one: Set scene

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Do you run BL courses?

•Y

•N

•?

1.1 Blended LearningKey concept in ELT

ELT Journal, Volume 64, Issue 4, October 2010

Definition 2

Definition 3

Combination of

f2f + online

Combination of

methodologies

Combination of

technologies

Multiple definitions

“The best of both worlds!”

Why blend?

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Classroom +

Virtual reality

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Flexible not one fixed

thing but many

depending on context

Dynamic – components constantly changing

Challenges

“The BL course failed to satisfy anyone’s

learning style.”

“the course was a mish-mash of different components, but with no underlying unifying philosophy”

“there may be little or no integration between the

two tracks….”

Dual

track

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Success with Blended Learning

Attitude

Training

Appropriacy

Robust technology

Same time same place

Same time different

place

Different time

different place

Same place

different time

Time and place

1 Appropriacy

Classroom

ForumE-mail

Four Key factors

Discussion

Critical thinking

Class work

“Self study”

2 Integration

3 Attitude

4 Training

Teachers and students

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1.2 From classroom to online

Scrivener

Distance learningClassroom teaching

Salmon

HarmerHockly

Challenges

Online

Theory, research and practiceClassroom Online

Move furniture

Both

Teacher motivates

Instructions ‘Netiquette’

Stating lesson aims

Having a warm-up / filler

non-tech activities Headset

Webcam

Classroom Online

Differently

Pair work and small group work – breakout rooms

Communication includes facial expression & gesture- difficult

Signalling turn-taking –difficult

Synchronous teaching

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Asynchronous delivery

•LMS / apps

•Flipped EAP course

Part two: Virtual Blending

Asynchronous

2.1 LMS / apps Lockstep

Targeted

Open access

Flexibility

Flexibility Differentiation

Personalisation Choice

Encouraging autonomy

Virtual Blended Differentiation

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Fun! Motivation! Engagement!

Navio

The power of data

2.2 Flipped EAP course

Presentation

Guided practice

Output – task MS Teams

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Message

Screen shot

Grammar

Part three: Practical ideas U S I N G ‘ M E S S A G E S ’ F O R G R A M M A R I S S U E S

U S I N G S C R E E N S H OT S

1 I don’t remember having see this word before

2 I have seen this word before, but I don’t know what it means

3 I have seen this word before and I think it means ________________(synonym or translation)

4 I know this word, it means ________________ (synonym or translation)

5 I can use this word in a sentence, for example ________________________

Not every word progresses through each phase on the continuum

Partial to precise

knowledge

Show words

Decide on number

Vocabulary EthogenicQuasi-

experimental

Ontological

Axiology

Syllogism Algorithm Affordance

Idiographic Phenomenology Empirical

Adaptive learning

Spaced repetition

‘forgetting curve’

Speaking

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Lion

‘Out of class’

Strategy work

Choice

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“I’m going to play the tape

twice….”

Listening

Normalisation (Bax)

The in-class technology didn’t work!

The students just listened on their Smartphones or tablet

Pre-lesson

Vocabulary input

Content input

Prepare discussion

Online lesson

Discussion

Reading

Text A

Text B

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Pronunciation Blended – long historyMove online – quick for manyVirtual blend vs online / distance

Context is all – LMS / Flipped EAP course

Virtual blend – build on principlesappropriacy / integration / attitude / training

Benefits – differentiation / choice time & place

Reflections

Hybrid learning

“an instructional approach that combines face-to-face (f2f) and online learning. Each class session and learning activity is offered in-person and synchronously online” (Educause 2020). This is also known as Hybrid-Flexible (Hy-Flex) and co-modality learning. Concurrent teaching

Acknowledgement:

Beth Alexander

Speaking

Voice recognition

Siri

Smart home

assistants

“Alexa…..”

A.I.Key takeaways

BL is the principled combination of modes

Principles of Virtual blending can help in online

Know your role and the role of technology

“The teacher will always be at the heart of the learning

experience”

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