I am always looking out for websites that encourage students to work on their own. In my view, when it comes to technology, the biggest potential lies outside the classroom, because students have much more time outside class. Although we may do our best to deliver a great lesson, there is always limited time, so if we can get our students to spend a little of their free time studying as well, it will have a big impact on their learning.
I particularly like tools that students can easily use in their ‘dead time’, such as when they are on a bus or train. Apps like Quizlet are a good example. I also like apps and websites that are engaging and expose the students to plenty of language – and maybe even get them to speak a little. In this article, I have a real gem to recommend – one that I can’t stop using myself in my own language learning!
https://speechling.com
Speechling is a very well-organised website that offers practice in a number of languages, focusing on pronunciation, vocabulary, writing and speaking. It has a range of activities that students can do alone. These are very varied, and the website offers something a bit different from, and – in my opinion – a bit more engaging than, other similar sites.
One of my favourite features is the facility for the students to listen to a sentence and then record themselves saying the same sentence. This is a great way for them to practise mimicking a speaker’s accent and to get lots of exposure to the language. The students can then compare their recording to the version offered on the site. To access this feature, they have to click on the home page and then choose ‘Study’. Students can choose the language they want to learn and the level they want to work at. They can also set the language that the instructions are given in.
The ‘Toolbox’
The ‘Toolbox’ (on the menu at the top) offers a nice selection of tools and, again, it can give the students a lot of exposure to the target language. One of the most useful is the ‘Dictation’ tool, which develops a student’s listening and writing skills by allowing them to listen and then try to write the sentence they have just heard. They can then check their answer. They can even slow down the delivery of the recording by clicking on a picture of a tortoise! What I particularly like is that the student is listening to vocabulary in context, rather than isolated words.
The ‘Flashcards’ tool is also interesting. Again, for me, what is important is the exposure the student gets to the language. They hear sentences in the target language, translate them in their head and then click on ‘See translation’ to see if they got it right. Students can work on this alone if they speak one of the languages that the translations offer.
Another tool is ‘Multiple Choice Quiz’. The students hear and read a sentence and then choose the correct translation. I like this activity, but I think it would be better if the students were offered the option to listen without having the text on the screen.
The ‘Skill Tree’
The ‘Skill Tree’ has a number of useful sections. At the top, it focuses on simple language such as numbers, dates, etc, but if you scroll down, it has sections with more sophisticated structures that are worth looking at. The ‘Core curriculum’ section provides words in context, where, again, the students can record themselves saying a sentence after they have listened to it.
Promoting autonomy
This website is not really something I would use in class. For me, it is all about offering a tool that my students can use on their own, in their own time. However, if you simply give the students a link to a website, they are very unlikely to make use of it. Introducing it in class first, giving the students the chance to work through some of the activity types and to discuss in groups how they might use it and what they would gain from using it, is likely to generate a lot more interest.
Autonomy has to be positively encouraged. You don’t necessarily have to tell the students exactly what they have to do: it is probably more useful simply to expose them to the available tools and give them a chance to think of ideas for using them. You can then suggest some of your own ideas. Discovering and thinking about learning is a key part of autonomy.
When I first started to introduce technology into my lessons, I often gave the students long lists of websites they might use outside class, but I never really demonstrated them in the lesson. I quickly realised that my students never used any of them. Later, I learnt that it is much better to highlight a few key tools and take time out of lessons to look at them. It might only need ten minutes of a lesson, but it could result in the students’ doing hours of additional study alone. I believe it is an investment worth making.
There is a useful video to learn more about Speechling at:
Russell Stannard is the founder of www.teachertrainingvideos.com, which won a British Council ELTons award for technology. He is a freelance teacher and writer and also a NILE Associate Trainer.
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