Introduction:

The shift to online learning, which was brought about by the pandemic, opened up new markets for many English language schools. While platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet have made it possible to conduct engaging live lessons, the challenge of maintaining structured self-study in between these sessions still remains. This gap in the learning process can result in disengagement, disorganized lessons, and a lack of continuity in the overall course of study. However, what if there was a solution that could directly tackle these challenges?

The Problem:

Many language schools that transitioned online during the pandemic found it challenging to monitor and guide their students' self-study. Without a clear understanding of what learners were doing between live sessions, teachers often felt lost, leading to lessons that lacked cohesion and direction. This not only affected the quality of education but also diminished the overall learning experience for students.

It's time to discuss AI and its implications for the future of learning. In a year or two, could AI eliminate the concept of time or the need to learn languages? While these ideas might seem far-fetched, exploring the capabilities of advanced language models suggests that they are not entirely unimaginable. If we adopt a glass-half-full approach, we can recognize the vast potential AI has for revolutionizing digital language learning products and services. This, in turn, could transform the English language learning industry as a whole, and by extension, the global language learning sector.

The world of digital English language learning is growing at a breakneck pace, and with the rise of mobile apps and chatbots, learners have access to cutting-edge tools to support their language journey. In this article, we'll dive into the latest research findings on the effectiveness of digital tools and show you how Reallyenglish's platform embraces the best practices identified in these studies.

When Oğulcan Aydoğan contacted our partner school Hilal Dogu Akademi, looking for language training he presented a particular challenge. He had an offer letter for a master’s programme with a requirement for English language proficiency to the level of IELTS 6.5. The problem was his level was only 4.0. That is a full 3.5 bands lower than the requirement of his offer.

In our last post, we spoke about getting learners engaged with their digital learning courses by tailoring them to suit their needs, setting expectations around study time, positioning the courses within the make up of their overall study commitments and making them aware of the courses' benefits.

It's one thing getting them started, but it is another thing keeping them studying consistently. In this post we tell you how to keep learners engaged and interested consistently over the period of their study so they can increase their chances of language learning success exponentially.

Are you interested in knowing how to get your learners using digital courses consistently? Read on👇

8 steps to learner success with digital learning courses: Part 2 of 2 

Step 5 – 8 What happens during the ‘study period’?

So, once learners are onboarded, registered and excited about using the app - what happens next?

In our last post, we spoke about the assumption that learners don’t engage with digital learning courses. In this post we challenge that assumption and show you how to achieve learner success with digital learning courses.

Are you interested in knowing how to significantly increase learner usage of digital learning courses? Read on👇

8 steps to learner success with digital learning courses: Part 1 of 2

In part one of this 8 step roadmap we look at the lean preparation involved in getting your organisation ready for high engagement digital learning implementation. 

What is it with digital learning and learner engagement? 🤷‍♀️

University students whose first language is not English but who study in English face many challenges. One major challenge is knowing how to write, say and understand things related to their university studies using appropriate language and form.

Reallyenglish is delighted to announce the release of 'Roleplay' our brand new speaking activity.

What is 'Roleplay'?

Great question! Well, apart from being an innovative and engaging learning activity that facilitates the acquisition of recently learnt language, Roleplay is an activity that builds learner confidence in speaking. 

Ok, so how does it facilitate language acquisition and build learner confidence? 🤔 

Ok, so first thing, roleplays are fully integrated into lessons, therefore the language that you practice in the activity is recently learnt from earlier in the lesson. This means that when you do a roleplay activity, you are automatically practising and consolidating recently learnt language. Second, learners build confidence in their speaking because... in order to successfully complete the activity, they need to speak and record their voice. 

Ok! That sounds cool 👌Tell me more 🔍

'Roleplay' uses AI to enable students to practice conversations and phrases with confidence in a natural conversational activity.

The activity is a roleplay scenario where the learner chooses their response from a selection of options available on screen. But, instead of selecting the correct option by tapping the screen or clicking the mouse, the learner must speak their chosen answer. The system automatically matches the learners attempt with the best fitting answer from the options available. This means that if the learners pronunciation isn't perfect the system will still match it to the correct answer.

This approach removes negative feedback for imperfect pronunciation and rewards learners for understanding the question, selecting the correct answer and for being brave enough to speak the answer.  So like we said, it builds confidence!  

When we design our courses our starting point is to put the learner at the centre of the process.