Teaching Young Learners Online
Work together to plan, create, and facilitate inclusive online learning that engages and inspires young people aged 5 to 17.
- Duration3 weeks
- Weekly study3 hours
- 100% onlineTry this course for free
Teaching Young Learners Online
Explore the practice and theory of online teaching
Many teachers have recently found themselves having to adapt quickly to dramatically different teaching contexts in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which has resulted in widespread school, college, and university closures.
On this course from the British Council, you’ll explore online teaching in both theory and practice – how to plan accessible online lessons and assessments, what online safety looks like, and how best to build relationships with young learners.
You’ll come away understanding how to include and engage learners online, both in synchronous and asynchronous environments.
Syllabus
Week 1
Meaningful interaction
How do we learn language?
Share beliefs and principles of language learning and teaching
Being human
Understanding and connecting with learners and their parents
The learning environment
Build rapport, create community and consider your learners' physical environment when they're learning online
Planning
Plan and share a meaningful activity that builds rapport and helps you get to know your learners
Managing the interaction
Encouraging learners to interact positively online
Learning together
Learn from each other's plans, and consider safety and privacy online
Reflection
Reflect on what you've learnt this week
Week 2
Engagement, content and differentiation
How do we learn language?
Discuss how to expose learners to language through reading and listening, and how to help your learners to notice language when they're learning online
Being human
How to personalise and differentiate online learning, and provide extra support to learners who need this
The learning environment
Strategies to engage and involve learners in synchronous and asynchronous online learning environments
Planning
Plan a listening or reading activity, and include support to help your learners to notice language
Managing the interaction
How to give instructions effectively online
Learning together
Learn from each other's plans, and consider safety and privacy online
Reflection
Reflect on what you've learnt this week
Week 3
Practice, assessment and progress
How do we learn language?
Discuss assessment for learning, how to set expectations and motivate your learners
Being human
How to identify, communicate and celebrate progress with learners and their parents
The learning environment
Discuss and share tools and strategies for self-assessment and peer assessment
Planning
Analyse and create a mini speaking or writing activity plan for online learning
Managing the interaction
How to actively seek feedback from learners, and strategies for giving your learners feedback on their speaking and writing
Learning together
Learn from each other's plans
Reflection
Reflect on what you've learnt this week
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and learn at your own pace. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Identify how to build relationships with learners, between learners and with parents, and be present and supportive when teaching online
- Know how to include and engage learners online both in synchronous and asynchronous environments
- Understand privacy and safety issues online and how to help learners and parents think critically about online risks and behaviour
- Evaluate the opportunities and challenges associated with different tools and modes of online teaching and learning
- Apply principles of English language lesson planning to online teaching
- Develop and share techniques for language and skills teaching and assessment online
- Apply and practise how to manage online interactions effectively
Who is the course for?
This course is for English language teachers, teaching young learners (5-17) in an online environment. Experience of teaching in online contexts is not essential and both experienced and novice online teachers will benefit.
While most of the context is based around English language learning, teachers of other subjects will also find the course valuable, as the principles of English language lesson planning apply to online teaching in general.
Who will you learn with?
I research and develop courses for teachers and trainers. I’m interested in online learning/teaching and pluralistic approaches to languages and cultures particularly in refugee/immigrant contexts
I’m a futurelearn educator & co-designer of Teaching Young Learners Online https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/teaching-young-learners-online
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=X5IlrVEAAAAJ&hl
Who developed the course?
British Council
The British Council is on the ground in six continents and over 100 countries connecting the best of UK culture with a global audience and providing high-quality English language courses.
Learner reviews
Join this course
Free
Join free and you will get:
- Access to this course for 5 weeks
Upgrade
Upgrade this course and you will get:
- Access to this course for as long as it’s on FutureLearn
- A print and digital Certificate of Achievement once you’re eligible
Unlimited
Buy Unlimited and you will get:
- Access to this course, and hundreds of other FutureLearn short courses and tests for a year
- A printable digital Certificate of Achievement on all short courses once you’re eligible
- The freedom to keep access to any course you've achieved a digital Certificate of Achievement on, for as long as the course exists on FutureLearn
- The flexibility to complete your choice of short courses in your own time within the year
Find out more about upgrades or Unlimited.
Available until 1 Apr 2021. T&Cs apply.
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