BILC Professional Seminar 2014 Fostering Language Learning over

BILC Professional Seminar 2014 Fostering Language Learning over a Distance: A Blended-Learning Course for Students of Public Administration Dr Sabine Baltes-Ellermann Deputy Head of Section “Concepts, Teaching Materials and Tests” 16 October 2014 1

The Federal Office of Languages 2

The Federal Office of Languages The Combined Language Courses • two-week courses in class • several-week self-study phases alternating with Self-study phase 1 Classroom-based phase 1 Self-study phase 2 Classroom-based phase 2 Self-study phase 3 Classroom-based phase 3 and final test 3

The Challenges 4

The Challenges Diversity of students: • • • Federal Ministry of the Interior Federal Office of Administration Federal Office for Agriculture and Food Federal Office for Migration and Refugees German Patent and Trade Mark Office etc. 5

The Challenges Diversity of placement test results 6

The Challenges • When and where can the students be expected to learn on their own? • Which skills can we realistically hope to foster over the self-study period? • What resources can we give them (access to)? • How much assistance will they probably require? • How can we keep up their motivation over such a long stretch of time? 7

The Challenges “Autonomous learners understand the purpose of their learning programme, explicitly accept responsibility for their learning, share in the setting of learning goals, take initiatives in planning and executing learning activities, and regularly review their learning and evaluate its effectiveness. ” David Little, „Autonomy and Self-Access in Second Language Learning, “ Neues Lernen – Selbstgesteuert – Autonom: Standpunkte zur Sprach- und Kulturvermittlung, ed. Michael Müller-Verweyen (München: Goethe. Institut, 1997), p. 42. 8

The Concept 9

Self-Study Materials 10

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The Concept FAQs: • Where am I supposed to begin? • How should I organize my way through the self-study material? • How long should I study English each day? • What kind of exercises should I do in what order? • What are the best ways to learn vocabulary? • How can I effectively train reading comprehension / listening comprehension? • etc. 13

The Concept Reading comprehension Listening comprehension Vocabulary Grammar 14

The Concept Reading comprehension Listening comprehension Vocabulary Grammar Answer Key 15

The Concept Reading comprehension Listening comprehension Vocabulary Grammar Answer Key Writing Speaking ? ? ? 16

The Concept Reading comprehension Listening comprehension Vocabulary Grammar Answer Key Writing Speaking Teacher/Tutor 17

The Concept Reading comprehension Listening comprehension Vocabulary Grammar Answer Key Writing Speaking Teacher/Tutor 18

Moodle to the Rescue 19

Moodle to the Rescue “Distance learning courses are not just a matter of providing courseware, but are complex in totality, involving interaction, guidance, feedback, support, the development of a learning environment and relationships within that environment. ” Phil Benson, Teaching and Researching Autonomy, 2 nd ed. (Harlow: Pearson, 2011), p. 135, quoting Cynthia White, Language Learning in Distance Education (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 396. 20

Moodle to the Rescue “LMSs range from systems for managing training and educational records to software for distributing online or blended / hybrid college courses over the Internet with features for online collaboration. ” http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Learning_management_system. Retrieved 1 September 2014. 21

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Feedback 30

Where do we go from here? 31

Thank you for your attention! www. bundessprachenamt. de 32