[ELTWeekly Volume 6, Issue 15 | June 9, 2014 | ISSN 0975-3036]
The Cambridge English blog has published an article on engaging students in online activities.
Motivating students doesn’t suddenly become easier when learning gains an online component. In this week’s webinar, Cambridge trainer and blended learning expert Deirdre Cijffers offered some advice on how to improve students’ engagement levels when they’re involved in blended learning.
You can find all of Deirdre’s advice in the webinar recording below, but we’ve picked out five of her top suggestions as a taster…
- To get students motivated right from the very start of the semester, take some time to find out their interests and reasons for learning English. This not only prompts them to be more self-aware in their learning, but it also allows you to tweak the content of your lessons to match those interests, and so make lessons more engaging for them. Even if you can’t change the actual content of the session, you may be able to change the perspective from which you approach the topic.
- It’s important to keep learning goals in mind throughout the semester. When you begin a new unit, look at the learning goals with your class, and then make sure to review them at the end: that will give students a sense of their short-term progress, building their confidence.