| 56 - Reviews |
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Blended Learning by Pete Sharma and Barney Barrett Macmillan 2007 978-0-230-02083-2 Blended Learning is the term originally coined in the world of corporate vocational training to describe the integration of the new opportunities for instruction offered by modern technology with traditional teaching methodologies. Pete Sharma and Barney Barrett’s Blended Learning examines what benefit this blend of modern technology with traditional pedagogy can provide for ELT practice. For them, the blend explicitly includes face-to-face classroom teaching, but can also involve distance learning or new approaches to out-of-classroom learning, such as involving students in working on CALL activities or web-quests at home and submitting their work by email, or developing autonomy through computer-based independent work. Aimed at the less technicallyaccomplished teacher, but with plenty of fresh ideas for those who embrace the use of technology and regularly blend it into their teaching practice, Sharma and Barrett’s text is refreshingly jargon-free, written in straightforward language and includes clear explanations. The book is full of practical suggestions and examples that can easily be integrated into teaching methods. It introduces technologies which may be new to many readers, but also takes a new look at more familiar techniques, such as the discussion in Chapter 5 on using standard office software. No assumptions are made about the reader’s technical literacy, and there are sections giving basic instructions about how to use word processors and how to get started on the internet. After an introduction, each subsequent chapter deals with a different technique or technology – using the web to source authentic materials; using published ELT materials; use of electronic dictionaries; how to use proprietary office software such as Word or PowerPoint as a teaching aid; interactive whiteboards; portable devices; and computermediated communication (basically, this is email, chat and forums). Each chapter follows a similar pattern, opening with a description of the technology or technique, moving on to detail opportunities and issues, then describing practical activities, and often ending with a case study. It is the detailed practical activities, which describe each stage of setting up and running a teaching activity, and which are aimed at a wide range of learner levels and teaching contexts, which many teachers will find especially appealing about the book. Where necessary, photocopiable worksheets are included at the back. The case studies make interesting reading and indicate that while Sharma and Barrett may be technophiles, they do not seem to have an agenda to push technology for its own sake, with at least one study – on interactive whiteboards – describing a situation where a high-tech installation was put in for marketing rather than pedagogical reasons, and where teachers’ reservations – in this case, about not taking traditional whiteboards out of classrooms – were not taken into account in the decision-making process. Sharma and Barrett end their useful and constructive text by considering the future. They speculate confidently, and reasonably, that the trend for ‘ubiquity’ – computers, portable devices, and high tech generally being present in every area of life – will continue, but point out that the actual natures of future technologies are impossible to guess. One thing which it is possible to predict, however, is that with the rapid proliferation of technology, this edition of Sharma and Barrett’s book will be out of date quickly, and it is to be hoped that Macmillan will bring out regular updates. Right now, though, this edition of Blended Learning provides an excellent overview of the state of the art, has no real competitors, and should be a recommended buy for teachers and planners wanting to know more about what new technologies can offer. Viv Midlane Broadbottom, UK The Flatmates bbclearningenglish.com A worthy winner of one of the British Council Innovation Awards this year, The Flatmates is a free, online, interactive soap for students of English, which is just one part of the BBC’s huge Learning English website. Billed as ‘the everyday story of four friends, a flat and a cat’, it offers a weekly episode, at the end of which students can vote to decide what happens next in the story. And vote they do – in their thousands. Once students have read and listened to each week’s episode and decided what they want to happen next, they can take a quiz to find out if they have understood the language point exemplified in the story. They get feedback on their responses, which steers them towards the correct answers. Having done this, they can write something about the ‘topic of the week’. Examples of recent topics are Do you like to play sports or just watch them? And What is your ideal date? They can then see their comments published online and read what other students from around the world think, too. There is an archive of old episodes, which is useful if you have only just discovered this site or if you have missed any parts of the story. There is also a helpful section for teachers, with ideas for using The Flatmates in class, downloadable lesson plans with teachers’ notes, student worksheets and answer keys, and downloadable posters and cartoon strips. Success with BEC Preliminary level by Rolf Cook, Mara Pedretti and Helen Stephenson 978-1-902741-80-2 Vantage level by John Hughes 978-1-902741-88-8 Higher level by Paul Dummett with Colin Benn 978-1-902741-87-1 Summertown Publishing 2008 It is always impressive when a publisher manages to launch three levels of a course simultaneously. Summertown have achieved this with their new Success with BEC series, offering a complete preparation course for the three levels of the BEC (Business English Certificate) exam. Each Student’s Book contains 12 modules, divided into Business Topic lessons, which teach vocabulary from BEC topic areas, Business Skills lessons, which focus on communication skills, and Exam Spotlight lessons, which present information about the exam, develop exam skills and provide exam practice. The core lessons all include exam-type activities and tips for exam success, together with explicit presentation of grammar. The structure of the Student’s Books will enable teachers to select the type of lesson (topic-based or skill-based) they want to do, according to the needs of their learners. The range of very interesting input texts, which are attractively presented and illustrated, focuses on current business topics and skills, and the sophisticated design of the material should appeal to business students. Step-by-step skeletons for writing reports and emails, with useful tips at the side, should prove invaluable to those students for whom writing is a chore. There are also accompanying Workbooks which practise and extend the grammar, vocabulary and business skills presented in the Student’s Books. The Teacher’s Book for each level includes reduced pages from the Student’s Book for easy reference. It contains step-by-step teaching notes, answers, tapescripts and suggestions for further practice. It also offers a section of fun and motivating photocopiable activities, ideal for students who are already in, or about to enter, the business world. It is good to see that the series is dedicated to the memory of David Riley, the writer, editor, publisher and friend to many in the ELT world, who sadly died last year. |
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