It is true that there are different strokes for different folks. Every learner receives information from a common source but processes information differently. For every learner, the purpose of learning may differ significantly. Innovative products such as digital multimedia control, wireless headsets and microphones, the interactive response pad, etc. are therefore very useful for students learning a language for communication. These interactive tools are designed to enhance not only language teaching but also classroom grading and distance learning.

Though the installation cost of a language laboratory is very costly, 51±¬ÁÏ has invested in such a learning resource for their students’ benefit. 51±¬ÁÏ seeks to provide education as well as entertainment, making language teaching more personalised. The Language Lab was installed in the year 2014 with this in mind.

Today, our Language Lab has become an indispensable tool for every English student. Both the trainer and students enjoy the benefit of easy, effective and quick evaluation. Materials and lessons are carefully prepared to suit the different needs of our language students. Language is taught in an easy to grasp manner and web-based learning systems have replicated real-world learning with integrated virtual equivalents of learning.

Our Language Lab is open from Mondays to Fridays from 8:30am to 5:00pm. Teachers run the language lab sessions at every level from Elementary to Advanced levels. Every terminal in our language lab is equipped with a headphone to make listening practice enjoyable and productive. Students may also modulate the speed of speech in the listening tracks to further hone their listening skills. The same sentence can be listened to repeatedly if a student has problems understanding it the first time.

The carefully selected software also indicates correct and incorrect answers. If any answer is incorrect, the learner is given chances to listen to the audio again and correct the answers. It also develops vocabulary by projecting synonyms in various ways. In the way, the learner builds a strong foundation in English.

At 51±¬ÁÏ, our learners leverage on the language laboratory for language practice and to further enhance their language learning experience.

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Although the Interactive White Board is a staple of many classrooms around the world, it does not automatically make for a better learning experience. Indeed, unless teachers use them skilfully to complement teaching and learning, they are little more than a distraction. Simply standing in front of this shinny whiteboard is not an effective integration of education technology.

Also impacting today’s language classroom is the development of mobile technology and the proliferation of smartphones which have enabled many of us to access the internet and a huge variety of apps. Learners too benefit from such apps. The Head of School of Languages (SOL) not only acknowledged how digitalisation has affected language learning but also the role it has played in connecting learners with the outside world. She also saw how the incorporation of digital technology could enhance and extend the language classroom beyond the physical walls. Through the incorporation of technology, students can now access an incredible amount of English-language material online. But this new information has to be reinforced, otherwise we quickly forget what we have learned.

Facebook, Email, Skype and especially Edmodo, which are a safe online environment for teachers, students and parents to connect, are already popular with teachers. This list of digital platforms is extensive and growing all the time. SOL lecturers, both associate and full time, were trained by her in many sessions. We were introduced to new digital platforms, new tools like Popplet and Padlets, where students could collaborate to generate ideas. Although this was overwhelming, it gave both the teacher and the students an opportunity for innovation in teacher resources, and to navigate the complicated range of digital tools while creating classroom activities which would facilitate learning.

Spacing out repetition – revising the information every two days, then every four, then every eight, and so on – was most effective and for this, she introduced us to Thinglink, a free and user-friendly digital tool that provides users with the ability to turn any image into an interactive graphic. Teachers could include video, record audio or provide a link to any website with the click of a button.

To drive learning most effectively she taught us to leverage on Socrative. This classroom app for fun and effective classroom engagement also allows you to instantly connect with students as learning happens no matter where or how you teach. Currently, it is also used to quickly assess students with prepared activities. Auto-populated results is used to determine the best instructional approach.

Not to forget for on-the-fly questions to get immediate insight into student understanding, we were introduced to Menti, another cloud-based student response system. And lastly, it was Kahoot which made learning fun, inclusive and engaging in all context. Together, as a team, SOL lecturers created different activities centred around multiple choice questions. The format and number of questions were entirely up to us. We added videos, images and diagrams to the questions to amplify learner engagement. The truly magical moment was when our learners became leaders.

This continuous professional development and social networking tools like WhatsApp and Padlet, speaking and writing workshops, special consultations help build channels of communication beyond the classroom. We have learnt so much about teaching young learners and are keen to contribute.

Sources : adapted from

https://kahoot.com/what-is-kahoot/
https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=what+is+socrative