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This has been a difficult time for all, but I think that need being the mother of invention we have been able to rise to the challenge. I'm currently based in the Basque Country, in northern Spain working for Lacunza IH as a school Director and Team Leader of one of the 11 schools in the organisation. We went into lockdown on March 13, 2020 and luckily, we had been preparing for it and so we managed to train all our teachers and get ready to move all our lessons from face to face to online. This meant that we were able to continue teaching our lessons in the new live online environment immediately after lockdown was announced.
Live Online Teaching from March to June
We basically finished the school year teaching live online using institutional dedicated Zoom accounts. I had several classes of Young Learners (YLs)s and Teens for over a month and then only one Upper Intermediate Teens group until the end. I must say that I very much enjoyed the lessons and it seems my students too according to feedback given! We did notice a change in the overall discipline of the lessons, improved behaviour and better attention so many of us were rather very happy that classroom issues which we were dealing with before were no longer an issue e.g. chatting, not speaking in English, etc.
Teacher Training and Development - a stronger community
This year has been a very 'interesting' year, I'm sure you will agree! I have personally been able to deliver a lot of live online teacher training, which I enjoy a lot, and so I feel I have been able to share the skills I've acquired and honed over the years and corresponding qualifications. I have also attended tons of webinars and online courses to keep abreast and informed about all the different things happening and ideas being shared around this 'new' normal.
I personally feel that we have all grown together closer and that our teaching community has become more personal in many ways. I love the fact that we have worked closer with other IH affiliate schools in the network and that we have all been very ready and willing to share our ideas and expertise - more so than even before and this is inspiring.
Hybrid Lessons - but hybrid how?
We have been listening very carefully to what is going on and what the governments say about safety protocols in order to stay on top of the game and this meant we were ready to offer hybrid classes over the summer in preparation for the new school year. By hybrid I mean we have the students in the classroom so face to face (f2f), wearing a mask as well as live online students having lessons all at the same time. We ran several groups at different levels and ages in order to study and inform our decisions for the new year and now that we're back results show a huge success in the completion of these courses.
I delivered an intensive Cambridge First Certificate Exam preparation course running everyday from 9.00 to 11.00 from Mon to Fri with a group of teenagers. And it was a very interesting and edifying experience for me as a teacher and teacher trainer. As a teacher and trainer with 25 years of experience, I still believe the key to successful face to face, blended, live online, hybrid or whichever format there is lies in solid lesson planning and an understanding that language use and experience of it is essential for our learners. Does the old say: 'use or you lose it?' ring a bell?
Technology Needed before You Get Started
We have Promethean IWBs in each room, a laptop, an external webcam, a field microphone, a projector and all of this interconnected between them so that f2f and online students could see and hear one another simultaneously. From our conversations with other schools in the network, a second monitor would have been ideal so as to have it dedicated to the online students only, however, it all worked fine as it was. I think this will be the format most schools will go for and having tried it, I can say it worked well for us.
Now, in terms of methodology and activities I carried out, the following are reflections on these. I kept a diary for this course and made notes after the lessons to help me inform my lesson planning and subsequent lessons. I must say that, once again, I believe the key to a successful lesson regardless of the medium is LESSON PLANNING so remember that pedagogy must drive technology. We need to remind ourselves each lesson how our use of technology is enhancing our learners' learning experience.
Here are links to some of the webinars I delivered during the pandemic on Teaching Live Online and also on Making Lessons Engaging:
Cambridge University Press – Cambridge Online Experience Conference
Webinar: New to Live Online Teaching? Tips on How to Succeed.
Now, let's look at my reflections on the process of teaching this hybrid intensive course...
Pair work
Classroom audio/speakers need to be disconnected when working in pairs/groups so that online learners do not blast out f2f learners and vice versa. In my context, this means to turn off the classroom speakers (built into the ceiling of the room) using the button under the laptop box. NB Do not unplug the audio jack because when this is done several options come up once it is plugged back in and it means one needs to know which of the options it is! It may throw you a bit, especially if you then choose the incorrect one and some of your learners cannot hear one another.
Apps, Docs and Files for the lesson
All apps and documents/files intended to be used during the lesson need to be open and ready for the screen sharing feature to recognise them when activated, and show them as options in the screen share window. Also, if you are playing audio or video the 2 little boxes at the bottom of the screen share window will been to be ticked. I spent 5min opening everything I needed for the lesson each day and checking the links were active, the apps where showing and the right documents and files were available. This will ensure your lesson runs smoothly and you do not waste precious time trying to find files on your computer under the learners' eagle eyes!
Slide Design
I'm a fan of Google Slides because they do not need uploading and I can access them from any computer on my G Drive. This also means that learners can also have access to them - all my Google Slides include tasks which can be done at home as part of homework or revision. In a hybrid environment, it is important to ensure information on slides is slightly bigger than usual as online learners will be seeing information on a screen (smaller than an IWB) as opposed to f2f ss who will be seeing them on the IWB in the classroom. My students liked the idea of using Google Slides and so I regularly share them with the students for out of class work and/or revision.
Here are a few examples of them:
Live and Online Sound & Video
A field microphone is a good idea for the online ss to be able to hear the f2f ss clearly and it should be placed in the middle of the room or above the learners. You don't need to have one and pass it round if you have a good quality one. By the way, you can get one for about €30-35. The built in microphone in the laptop or external webcam is not enough although there are some good options now e.g. a Zoom cam with built in mic which is powerful enough to clearly hear those in the classroom from the position the cam is placed.
An external webcam is also necessary so that online ss can see f2f ss - f2f ss can see the online ss on the IWB, but you need to remember to toggle between the two so that online learners can also see you at critical times e.g. setting up tasks, drilling, etc. A third monitor would be ideal as it could be dedicated for the online ss only, but I know many schools cannot afford them, so do not worry as having just your laptop works well!
Speaking Activities
When doing speaking activities in groups, one needs to toggle between the cam/headphones(field mic/speakers and external cam audio options so that when online ss speak only the T can hear them. Also, the field mic needs to be changed to the USB device one (headphones) so that it doesn’t pick up the f2f as they speak and disrupts the online ss. This is the opposite of what mentioned earlier with the classroom speakers. This toggling between the correct options takes getting used to and you will probably learn how to do it as you go. If you can spare some time and have other colleagues who can recreate a hybrid environment e.g. some of you in one classroom and some teachers joining from other classrooms, then it would be very useful hands-on experience.
USB ports for connectivity
Unless you have a good quality webcam which has a built in mic powerful enough to pick up good quality audio from the f2f learners, you will need at least 4 USB ports in the computer as you will need an extra one for the mic. Most laptops have only 3 so you may need a good USB3.0 adapter with a couple more ports. In our context, we have laptops in our classrooms and most laptops only have 3 so a USB port is needed: 1 external webcam, 1 field microphone, 1 for the headset, 1 for the IWB. There’s also an HDMI for the IWB and the audio jack for the classroom speakers. For the new school year to start next week, we will be using new Zoom cams which come with a good mic built in so 3 ports will be fine from now on!
Screen Sharing (Separate Audio and Visual Files)
Two items e.g. a PDF and the accompanying separate audio file cannot be shared at the same time so have both open. Then, share the computer screen rather than specific files. Play the audio file and then select the tab for the PDF so that learners can see it on the screen, both f2f and online, while also listening to the track.
Using the Chat Box and the IWB to Get Feedback from Both Groups
When asking learners to share their answers via the chat box, make sure you have the chat box set to 'only to host' so that others cannot see/copy answers given by the first/faster students. Remember to freeze the IWB screen so that f2f learners don’t see online learners’ answers. F2f learners can use an A4 piece of paper, divide it into 4 quadrants and write A, B, C D for any multiple choice exercises. They show the selected answer from their seats. That way you can see their individual answers and they cannot parrot somebody else’s answer while also doing the same via the chat box for the online learners.
F2F Students Collaborating with Online Students via Google Docs
If using Google Docs for collaborative tasks - f2f learners will need a laptop, a tablet/iPad or a wireless keyboard so that they can work online in the classroom along with the online learners and add their own ideas in real time. Mobile phones would work, but they are more difficult when it comes to writing ideas.
Using Google Docs in BORs is also possible, but the drawback is that the teacher would have to ensure they are with the group that stays in the main room because once the teacher leaves it to join a BRO the f2f learners will not be able to see Google Doc on the IWB unless there is a second monitor which is dedicated for the online learners or the f2f learners have their own mobile devices.
**Wireless keyboard - depending on the size of the group, using Google Docs/Slides/Jamboard is possible for the f2f learners if they have a laptop/tablet in class and there is wifi or if a wireless keyboard is available so that they can also collaborate with the online learners on the different documents while using the teacher’s account. This only works if you have max 3 f2f students because if you have more the task needs to be scaffolded in far more detail to ensure everybody is participating besides the learners using the wireless keyboard e.g. assigning specific roles just as we do when doing project work.
Listening to F2F and Online Students during Activities
When doing group work, the teacher needs to turn off the mic so that neither mic (field, laptop or headphones) pick up the noise from the online learners. The teacher can still hear them through the headphones (after disconnecting the classroom speakers) so that neither group blasts the other. You can then keep one ear listening to one of the headphones and the other one listening to the f2f learners.
My final thoughts...
This has been a great experience and I am sure you will be fine. Learning is an endless process so we will continue to learn along with our students in the new format, whatever it is for you. The important thing to do is keep calm and plan, plan, plan! Try things out with someone else, check how things work, see if it works for you and if it doesn't then try and see what works for you, bounce ideas off your friends and colleagues and above all, try and enjoy what you are doing for and with your learners!
